Today we’d like to introduce you to Wade Griffith.
Wade, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up drawing and painting so I knew that I always wanted to be involved in the arts. I attended the Art Institute of Dallas and received a degree in Visual Communications. After college, I landed a job as a graphic designer at Interstate Batteries, where I worked for two years. For the next 8 years I’d work as an Art Director for a small ad firm in Dallas called Holt Design. Towards the end of that time I started to become frustrated with the advertising world and I was loving my new hobby of photography. I was reading every book I could get on the subject, watching online tutorials, taking a few classes at night and shooting every weekend. I eventually decided to pursue photography full time and I quit my job as an art director to become a commercial photographer. My background in marketing and advertising was extremely helpful in my transition. As of today, I’ve been shooting for 9 years on my own and I can definitely say that switching gears and going out on my own was the best career decision I’ve ever made.
Has it been a smooth road?
Anyone that tells you that being a photographer or running your own business is easy is lying, there have been all kinds of obstacles along the way. In the beginning, some of those struggles were financial. I was switching careers and trying to build a base of consistent business that would at least provide me with the salary that I was previously making. There was also a huge learning and growth curve. I needed to build a really good portfolio quickly so that I could have something worth showing to potential clients to win new business. Along the way I had to learn how to become a business man. I had always been good with artistic things but now I needed to learn how to do estimates, send invoices, deal with taxes and a million other things that were new to me. Also, when you are a one man show you get to deal with people every day. I’m a people person, so most of the time that works in my favor, but there all kinds of personalities and situations that arise and sometimes things can get ugly. I’ve had clients not like the work, or not understand copyright laws or not pay me after a job. I’ve had to write long emails that I didn’t want to send and make phone calls that were very uncomfortable, but that all comes with the job and is something you deal with. Then there are mechanical problems. I’ve had a camera stop working in the middle of an important shoot, where the client is wondering what is taking you so long to get to the next shot. I’ve had a hard drive fail and I lost, but eventually recovered, important images. And I’ve had my laptop die on me on a business trip where I needed to edit and get files back to the client the next day. So, you take the good with the bad. Not every day is going to be the best. I’ve learned from my mistakes and I try to take something good away from every failure or conflict. I figure that’s how you grow.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wade Griffith Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in architectural photography. Specifically, interiors and exteriors of commercial buildings. I also love photographing high end modern homes. As far as my style goes, I’m known for my wide-angle images. I tend to use a lot of color and symmetry in my photos. I’m most proud of the fact that I’m not only able to produce pictures that I’m really proud of but that my clients enjoy doing business with me and that know they are going to get a high-end product and not have to wait forever for me to deliver. I’ve adapted well to being a photographer, sales rep and business man. I’m quick to return phone calls and emails, which in this day and time I believe is critical. If you don’t respond to an estimate request within a few hours, it’s very likely that a potential job will go to someone else. I not only reply quickly out of fear though but out of common courtesy. I believe that good manners and just being polite and thoughtful are qualities that set me apart. I also shoot and turn the images around to my clients quickly too. It’s always appreciated and keeps business coming back.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The photography industry is always changing. Cameras, computers, editing programs, lighting – all these things are in constant flux. To keep up you have to be constantly learning. If you become stagnant or lazy, you’ll fall behind. As technology consumes every part of our life these days, and everyone has a camera on their phone, it’s easy to fall into thinking that every kid and their mother is a photographer and there might not be a great need for professional photographers in the future. But I believe just the opposite. There will always be a need for “the best” shooters that possess a great eye and a creative mind. People who excel at what they do will always stand above the crowd. Trends in photography come and go and if you hang your hat on a trend you could be gone as soon as it is. I think that you should focus on your style, your abilities and shoot what you love. This will show in your work and keep you at the top of your game for years to come.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2410 Farrington, Dallas Texas
- Website: WadeGriffithPhotography.com
- Phone: 214-448-4495
- Email: wade@wadegriffithphotography.com
- Instagram: @wadegriffith
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wadegriffithphotography
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wadegriffith
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadegriffith
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