Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhonda Duron.
Rhonda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
When I was a child, my dad had a Minolta film camera from the late 70’s and I loved to play around with it and hearing that shutter click was very addicting. As a ten-year-old, a manual camera was too much for me so he gave me a little square Kodak Brownie film camera and I was in love! I still have that camera and it’s very special to me since my dad just passed away recently and he helped inspire me early on.
Growing up in the Texas countryside there was never a shortage of subjects to photograph. I really loved taking photos of my pets (cats, dogs and a pony) and my best friend would model for me and we had a great time trying out various poses and backgrounds to work with. Needless to say, most of my allowance from chores went to film and processing! As I grew up, my love of photography kept blossoming and I took a few courses in college to learn proper use of a manual film camera as well as the business and went on to take small portrait commissions by referral as I worked at my fulltime job. Once I had children I went crazy photographing them as a mom and then more requests came in and I decided to launch a website and start my business part time in 2008.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Much of the road has been smooth but not all of it. The photography is only about 10 percent of the job and the rest is all business- which is hard and time consuming. I am naturally an introvert so promoting myself in person was always a struggle. I enjoyed creating the images to tell a story so that made me work harder at learning real business practices so that I gained the right type of clientele for my style of photography. Business is always evolving and you have to step back once in a while and make changes and updates so that you are as current as you want to be in your own business.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
After nine years in business, I still specialize in modern lifestyle portraits of babies, children and families. I work on-location and still with only natural light and I do work in business alone. Most of my sessions take place in Frisco, Plano, Allen and North Dallas but do travel further sometimes.
What am I most proud of? In 2011, the editors of D Magazine chose me as a premier listing for my lifestyle photography stating that the images I create were moments worth remembering. They loved that I offered in-hospital newborn photography- a specialty which was mostly unheard of at the time. With these sessions, I spend an hour in the hospital room the day after the birth of the baby and I photograph this brand-new life with his/her adoring family, capturing all of the images in mostly storytelling black and white. To be invited into a hospital room to capture such intimate portraits is really an honor. I am also very proud of the images that I create, particularly ones that tell a part of a hidden story. A recent newborn session comes to mind where a mother, who was pregnant in her third trimester, found out that she had malignant cancer. This particular session was very meaningful and important to the family who was going through such an emotional time. I documented some very powerful moments with the mom holding her newborn’s hands up to her face and you can really feel her emotion in this set of images.
What am I known for? My never ending patience with the unpredictability of babies and toddlers. Also, my style of creating photographs where parents actually gasp or cry because I captured their child so authentically which shows who they are and not just what they look like in an adorable outfit. Most clients also know me for getting the in-between moments that make up real life. I get those very special images by being very in tune with the flow of the session and anticipating what may happen next. Some images are inspired by artwork in the home, something the child says, a specific life circumstance or simply an idea that suddenly comes out of nowhere! I believe that all of those attributes, combined with getting to know clients and treating them as a unique family- that all sets me apart from other businesses.
Aside from babies, children and family portraits, I do occasionally photograph high school seniors, adults and children for modeling portfolios and headshots. After I photographed a few small weddings early on, I decided that wedding photography was not something that I really wanted to pursue- mainly due to time constraints and lighting issues. So, as much as they are still sometimes requested- I still don’t offer wedding or event photography. I am very content with photographing kids and families as well as individuals and couples.
What were you like growing up?
I was pretty introverted growing up and was a daydreaming creative child. I loved my alone time where I got to walk around to reflect on things and plan my future for when I was a grown up. I lived in a small town with only 700 people and had a small circle of friends- all of whom I am still very good friends with. Our property had fields, a creek, farm animals and lots of cats and dogs so there was always something to get into. My older brother and I spent summers exploring the creek and nearby woods occasionally getting lost or in trouble because we were out swinging on vines or chasing armadillos instead of getting our chores done!
Pricing:
- I currently offer a variety of session options that start at $250 and increase in time and digital images received.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rhondaduron.com
- Email: info@rhondaduron.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhondaduronphotography/
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
