Today we’d like to introduce you to Elmer Escobar.
Elmer, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
TNK photo came together very organically. At the very beginning it was just me shooting weddings because I loved it and I’ve been doing it for the last 10 years. I realized that the more I would put my work out there, the more traction it got and it started to get to the point where I was not only attracting potential wedding clients but also attracting photographers who could see that there was a passion for wedding photography here. We especially like focusing a lot on using off-camera lighting and incorporating that into the scene. While we of course deliver natural light photos, and standard kind of photos, the type of photos that our clients are gravitating towards are the ones that have more of a theatrical kind of look. So slowly but surely the team came together from just myself to 2 to 3 to 4 and now we’ve gotten to 7 of us so far.
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?
I would say that since the team came together it’s been a smooth road. A very big part of it is that when I was learning to shoot and working for other studios, I would be very attentive as to what they were doing right, what they were doing wrong, and trying to remember that so when it came to the point where I was running a team, we just took the good out of it. Of course, it’s hard work as anything in life that is worthwhile should be, but the fact that we love what we do pushes us through the hard moments and makes us appreciate the good moments even more. One thing that we always emphasize is that even on a bad day we would rather be doing this and anything else in the world. And I know that they may sound a little corny, but if anyone on the team didn’t feel that way, they would not be on the team. It’s very important to us that everyone shooting has a passion for it because I believe that any client can see right through any vendor and see if they’re really into it or if they’re into it just because it’s a paycheck. We very much emphasize and focus on being the former, and not the latter.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with TNK Photo – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
What we like to focus on his wedding photography. We do take on other assignments but our main focus our weddings. I believe that if you can shoot a wedding in a beautiful way with a very limited amount of time, other shoots which give you more time will feel a little bit easier. And that’s not to take away from any other genres of photography, but wedding photography is definitely a fast-paced kind of environment. I think that what we’re known for is those cinematic, theatrical, lit and sharp kind of photos. While we do shoot with natural light when natural light is beautiful, everyone on the team has to have an expert grasp of off-camera lighting, because that’s one of the reasons that people book us. It has become part of our brand. What makes me most proud of our team is the dedication that everyone puts into it. Every single week we have a team meeting where we go over what we did last week, what is coming up this week, where we can improve, and what new techniques we can test out. There are times where we bring our equipment to the meetings and shoot a different type of photo that we haven’t tried yet, so on the day of the wedding we’re not figuring it out on the spot. On top of that, one thing that I believe sets us apart is that as much emphasis as we put into the technical part of photography, we realize that the most important part of wedding photography is the people. I would say that one of our models is that we are customer service company, we just happen to do photography. The most beautiful photos in the world will not make up for about attitude, so if you can offer beautiful photos and the correct attitude, you should be pretty set. That is our goal.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
For the future the main thing that we’re focusing on is growth. The company officially just came together within the last year although many of the guys were working behind-the-scenes already. The goal is to be out there shooting every single weekend, multiple weddings every weekend. What we are looking forward to is brand recognition. I want people to see our photography and already know that it’s us. The only way that we’re going to get there is by putting in the time and putting in the work. We all understand that this is a marathon and not a sprint. And that’s one of the biggest reasons why being passionate about what we’re doing is very important.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tnkphoto.com
- Phone: 323 207 9025
- Email: info@tnkphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tnkphotodotcom/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tnkphotodotcom/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/TNKphoto
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tnk-photo-irvine-2
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