Meet Radz D. of Radz D. Photography in Uptown Dallas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Radz D.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Radz. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Well I was born in New York City during the fall of 1983. We weren’t there long before my parents set their sights on the west coast of Africa, so off we went to Lagos, Nigeria where I spent most of my childhood. As adolescence faded and I came into my “rebellious” teen years I departed Lagos to attend a strict, Catholic, all – girls boarding school in jolly old London.

After the conclusion of my secondary education I made my way across the Atlantic to attend university in Canada. Living in Toronto really opened my young-adult eyes to the real world as I studied, worked as a bartender and subsisted on eating $1 Jamaican patties for weeks on end.

After graduation I journeyed to the Far East and landed my first job in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was short-lived and I quickly moved to where the money was flowing, the factory of the world, Guangzhou, China. China was a major milestone in my career and where I started my first company. As fate would have it, four years later I was beckoned back to the states. Dallas, Texas was the next curveball, in fact the luckiest curveball, I’ve ever had thrown my way. So now here I am, in gorgeous Dallas, where I plan to stay as long as fate says the same.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There most definitely were struggles. Life ain’t easy, but it is what you make of it, and my motto in life is to make the best of everything.

I rushed through college and completed my undergrad in two years. I took courses in the summers at two different universities, one online, so that I could pursue a recording arts management course at one of the finest art institutes in Toronto. Being the only female in the course, I had to constantly prove myself, my intellect, worth and value. I graduated top of my class with honors and a scholarship and I thought I had made it, this was the start of my career and my dreams. Little did I know that the introduction of Napster and Limewire that very year would destroy the music industry. People were no longer buying physical records. They were downloading the one or two songs they liked or ripping the whole damn album.

So what was I going to do then, I had no idea. I will never forget the endless jobs I have had on my way to finding my passion. Here’s my list – waitress, retail sales manager, private English tutor, kindergarten teacher, visa immigration officer, web developer/designer, diversity manager in construction, general manager for The Women’s Chorus of Dallas, event planner, graphic designer, not to mention the various companies I created and dissolved along the way, including an MWBE corporation.

A little bit of each of those endeavors helped me to create Radz D. Photography. All those struggles were the lessons along the way.

Radz D. Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a photographer, I have a studio, I dabble in design and videography. I am known for my personality and level of professionalism but most importantly my eye and my view through the lens. I have created some great business partnerships along the way that help me take photography to the next level by putting on events and competitions. The next exciting venture is Les Visages Du Cancer I The Faces of Cancer, an art show inspired by Tara Darby Rasheta’s battle with breast cancer. The show will display unique canvases featuring photos that share the many emotions that are experienced through the journey of cancer. The event will be on September 13th, 2018 at the Adolphus Hotel. This fundraising event is a collaboration with Model Makers Group & Think Three Media, benefiting The Young Survival Coalition. To learn more about Tara and her journey please visit www.amodelpatient.com.

I am proud of how far my photography company has grown in just over a year, and also of the goals that have been set for 2018. I am proud that all my collaborations and events have a purpose and are not in vain. I am proud of the small business entrepreneurial team that has come together through these events that support one another to achieve success.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
That’s an interesting question. I just attended a book signing of a dear friend of mine Leah Frazier who released the book The Success Factor, co-written by various entrepreneurs about their personal roads to success. My takeaway was in order to be successful you have to accept that your gift is your gift and yours alone. This struck a chord with me being in the photography business. In this time, it seems everyone is a “photographer’ – with or without equipment, portrait mode is becoming more popular every day and beautiful images may not be captured but created with software, filters and photoshopping. Once I accepted that I had a gift, and my view through the lens was something people admired, I got my first few clients, paying clients, not TFP “trade for prints”.

At this point I would consider the business a success but there are still personal successes I have yet to achieve. Being published is one success marker I am looking to accomplish in 2018. Additionally, the art show, Les Visages Du Cancer I The Faces of Cancer that we are putting together will be another major milestone in my success at so many different levels. Putting the show together and just having it go on, would be the first level of success. Selling out the show would be the second level of success. Raising enough money to reach our goal, and giving it back to those who need it the most would be the highest level of success. This year proceeds will go to The Young Survival Coalition in support of my business partner’s battle with breast cancer. For more information about Les Visages Du Cancer, please visit my website: http://www.radzdphotography.com/les-visages-du-cancer.html

Contact Info:

• Address: 3930 McKinney Ave.
  Suite 321
• Website: www.radzdphotography.com
• Phone: 2149061961
• Email: radz@radzdphotography.com
• Instagram: @radzd_
• Facebook: @radzdphotography

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