Today we’d like to introduce you to Debi Patton.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Debi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I actually have a graduate degree in Music from the University of North Texas in Denton. I love music and as a classically trained oboist and vocalist I sought to get a degree in music performance. After I got my bachelor’s degree, I realized that the job opportunities for a professional oboist were not abundant. I wanted a change of pace and a way to pay my bills that didn’t require auditioning all over the world.
Circumstances in my life at the time led me to go to cosmetology school. It took 9 months and got my license and began cutting hair.
For the next 5 years I cut hair but really missed my music so I went back to school and got my master’s degree while continuing to be a stylist and managing the salon I worked at. During that time I met my husband, got married and had two children. I went about my life cutting hair for the next decade while raising my boys.
I never particularly warmed to photography because film cameras just seemed too complicated to me. But in the late 90’s digital photography became more main stream and it opened up a whole new world for my creativity. By that time my two boys were 6 and 7 and I was enjoying taking pictures of them and being able to see right away what needed to be fixed (lighting, composition, facial expression, exposure, etc…). No waiting to get your pictures back from the lab only to see that your film hadn’t advanced or was over exposed.
I would put pictures of my kids on my station at the salon and was constantly being asked who took them. I would be asked by clients to do family portraits (which I really did not like) and a few weddings (which every photographer should do just to appreciate how humbling they are).
Around that same time, I took some shots of a friend’s daughter who used those pictures to land a modeling contract with the Kim Dawson Agency in Dallas. My friend encouraged me to submit my boy’s pictures to the same agency, which I did. The agency called me and the first question they asked was “who did your boy’s headshots”? When I told them that it was me they asked if I was a photographer. I told them “no” and that I was a hairdresser. The agent then said, “Well, you should think about becoming a photographer. How much would you charge to do this for all our kids”?
That is seriously how I got started.
I am now coming up on my 18th year of being a professional photographer. After starting my career in Dallas, I traveled back and forth to Los Angeles for a few years as my older son’s acting career took off. I began building a good reputation among the talent agencies in Hollywood and in 2006 our family relocated to California. I now have a thriving photography business in Los Angeles and Dallas.
One thing you may have noticed is that I never studied photography. I still haven’t taken a class or workshop to this day. I am self-taught in both photography and Adobe Photoshop and Light Room.
I should also acknowledge being at the right place at the right time. In the early 2000’s, it was clear that photography was going in the digital direction and the world was not going to look back. The Internet was going to change everything and photographers who dug their heels in and refused to switch to digital photography and color headshots got left behind. I have to credit great timing to some of my success. I was also lucky enough to have photographed some very talented people who became some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Cameron Boyce, Ashley Tisdale, Brenda Song and the Sprouse twins to name a few. That also added to my “street cred” and helped to take my photography career to the next level.
Building a strong business takes time, dedication, impeccable business ethics and most of all people skills. Be reliable, do what you say you’re going to do. Be honest. Communicate.
No amount of talent or training will stand up to someone who just puts in the work.
Has it been a smooth road?
As I said, timing was a big part of how I ended up where I am today. However, it takes a long time to establish a reputation in the entertainment industry. Your business relies almost solely on referrals from talent agents, talent managers and acting coaches. This does not happen overnight and when I moved from Dallas to L.A., in spite of having made many connections in Hollywood I felt like I was starting over. I went from being a big fish in a medium sized pond to a minnow in vast ocean. At least it felt that way at the time. But again, out working your competition is a huge factor in succeeding.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Flygirl Photography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My business is digital photography and my main focus is working with actors and models. My main demographic is young adults, teens and kids but I work with actors of all ages… from 3 to 75 years old. I specialize in actor’s headshots and model portfolios.
I am most proud of the amount of work I have. It is very difficult to make a living as a professional photographer so I feel very blessed to be as busy as I am.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The thing I love most about Los Angeles is the weather. It’s perfect for shooting outdoor, natural light. When I travel to Texas I shoot in a natural light studio because the weather is so unpredictable. But here in sunny SoCal I have the luxury of not having the overhead of maintaining a studio.
If I had to pick one thing that I dislike about L.A., it would have to be the traffic.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2765 Cabot Ct.
- Website: www.flygirlphoto.com
- Phone: 818.707.1255
- Email: flygirlphoto@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flygirlphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FLYGIRL-PHOTOGRAPHY-ACTORS-MODELS-AND-MUSICIANS-278994933508/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel
Image Credit:
www.flygirlphoto.com
Debi Patton
Getting in touch: VoyageLA 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.
