Today we’d like to introduce you to Dennis Walman.
Dennis, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My story starts over 40 years ago when I got a job at Warner Bros. Studio’s Photo Department. Because I didn’t know anything about photography I took a photography class at night to help me with my job. I found that I liked photography and kind of had a knack for it. Years later, Warner Bros. hired me to photograph celebrities, parties, products, etc. For over 17 years I photographed around 95% of all executives at Warner Bros. who needed headshots for publicity announcements.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Each day I had around a three and a half hour round trip commute to Burbank because I lived in Lancaster and this continued for a number of years. I worked at Warner Bros. in the day and in the evenings and weekends worked at my portrait and wedding photography business. I also had a young family and had to balance my time with them as well. During these years I had very little spare time, in fact I hardly ever watched TV.
Walman Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Currently I concentrate mainly on creating portraits. I have photographed almost everything but because I’m an animal lover, I have decided to specialize in family portraits that include pets. Fortunately, I have a lot of patience which especially helps when photographing animals and young children. I will spend whatever time is necessary with all my clients because in the end, I would like them to walk away with the best possible portraits.
Everything starts with a free no obligation consultation appointment. At this appointment, we will get to know each other so that when the client comes back for the portrait session we are already friends and this helps the client relax. Also at this appointment, I will ask the prospective client if they have any special requests or concerns and they will be discussed. I will suggest things that will facilitate and enhance a successful photo session and give them an information folder to take home that explains the entire process.
Furthermore, at this meeting I will discuss my guarantee which states that after the client reviews the images and if not totally thrilled, not just satisfied, and I can’t correct whatever their concern is, I will refund their photo session fee and there will be no additional costs. I do this so the client will not have to worry about investing in something they don’t genuinely love. In the 20 years that I have had this guarantee, I have never had to refund anyone’s money.
One of the exclusive things I do is that after the retouching has been discussed with the client and days later when the work has been completed, I will invite the client back to the studio to review this retouching. This is done so the client is 100% happy with the retouching results before the order is placed with the lab and gives the client a second chance to review the portraits (maybe they missed something the first time.) Probably because of the extra time involved, I’m not aware of any other photographer who does this.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m constantly attending photography seminars and conventions in order to improve my work so I can give my clients the very best. I’m very proud of all the Google reviews I’ve received which lets me know that my clients are happy with their portraits and happy they came here.
Pricing:
- n my experience most portrait photographers charge $200 to $300 for their photos sessions, I only ask for $25. If the client is not thrilled about the results they will not place much of an order and I will see very little profit, if any. This means there has to be good results. The photographer charging $200 to $300 for their photo session fee has already made a decent profit even if the client is not happy with the photography and doesn’t place an order.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4632 W Avenue J12
- Website: www.walmanphotography.com
- Phone: 661-285-4242
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: WALMAN PHOTOGRAPHY
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