Featured Vendor: DVus Photography

I had the opportunity to interview Atlanta, Georgia based photographer Val of DVus Photography! I  learned so much about her passion for photography.

"We want to help people to let out their alter egos." - Val



Clarissa:  How long have you been a photographer?


Val: I’ve been doing photography for the past 8 years. I remember I used to take my parents camera all the time and upset them. When I graduated high school my sister bought me my first camera and I remember having over 1000 pictures in the first day.


Clarissa: When did you launch your business?

Val: I decided that I wanted to branch out and do my own
business about 6 months ago. I had spent so much time working for other
companies and I really wanted to branch out and do my own thing and have
freedom of creativity. I asked my friend Destini if she would join me and she
said yes and we’ve been growing the brand successfully since then. 

 

" My favorite part of being a photographer is being able to be the fly on the wall for someone else’s life." - Val 

 

Clarissa: Where did you get the inspiration from in terms of
naming your business?

Val: Destini and I took weeks combing and brainstorming through different names and one day DVus just came to me. She’s the “D”, I’m the “V” and together we’re “us”, giving you “DVus”.



Clarissa: What's your slogan....or your "Target " client? What type of client? Edgy? Traditional? Family?... Ect?

Val: We have many different slogans and catchphrases but our favorite is “Let’s be DVus.” We want to help people to let out their alter egos. We want people to step outside of the box and let themselves be freed from all of the stereotypes and judgments of the world. We want the girl with

no self-esteem to feel beautiful, the 40 year old mom of 5 kids to feel sexy
again, to capture the soft and sensitive side of the guy who stays in the gym
all day. We all have a side to us we keep guarded and hidden from society for
fear of what they might think of us. DVus is all about saying “who cares!” and
letting that part of you shine through. DVus is for everyone and everything!

Clarissa: What inspired you to become a photographer? 


Val: I’ve always had a fascination with the camera. The thing about a picture is that once you take it, that moment is gone forever. That millisecond of time will never occur again. Being able to take that moment and treasure it for all times is incredible. Photography is different from videography because it is so easily shared. No need for equipment or any devices. Print it out and pass it on to the world. Memories and videos are nice but photography has the potential to be everlasting.
 

"I’ve always had a fascination with the camera." - Val

Clarissa: How did you learn photography?

Val: I studied darkroom photography in school for 2 years. My teacher pushed me to learn digital but I always made my way back to the darkroom one way or another. After that I went on to work for the photography studio, Picture People. They opened me up to a world of different styles of photography. Here I learned all about the human body and how to make it look its best, how to pose subjects as well as create a good composition for the portraits and photo editing. After that I went on to work for a company doing newbornhospital photography. This really taught me to improvise. You can only work with what you have in the room already so you have to get really creative! I would literally have grandmothers removing their shirts so that I could use itas a backdrop, anything to get that perfect shot. Along with all of this I was always perfecting my craft in my free time. I was reading photography books, reading camera manuals to help me to understand my camera better and practicing any time I had the chance.

 

 "Booking a photographer is so important for life’s moments and events." - Val

Clarissa:  What are some new and upcoming happenings within
your business? Projects? What are some past projects you loved?

Val: Well DVus is branching out to as many people as possible.
Our next big project is actually a photo-shoot for 3 poverty based day-care
centers in South Carolina. I’m really excited because we will be helping the
schools to raise funds for their programs. I am also focusing on some product
shoots so that I can build up a really strong portfolio in that area. We are
also gearing up for prom and graduation pictures as well! One of my favorite
shoots that I’ve done was actually spur of the moment. A few days ago I was
photographing a newborn and his big brother was just so adorable and filled
with personality I told the parents that I would love to photograph him as well.
He was dressed up from church so I literally made a make shift backdrop out of 
some bed sheets and started taking his pictures! They turned out great!



Clarissa: Can you tell us the steps it takes to book your services?

Val: Booking a session with us is quite easy. You can always contact us through Facebook, email or phone. We suggest calling and booking about a month in advance but there are times where we can drop in some last minute appointment sessions. We will come out to almost any location in or around the Atlanta area and sometimes even further. We recommend everyone contact us and do a personalized consultation whether by email or phone since every session is unique.



 Clarissa:  What's your favorite part about being a photographer?

Val: My favorite part of being a photographer is being able to be the fly on the wall for someone else’s life. Being a photographer is all about capturing and commemorating the moments, good or bad, of someone else’s life. Having someone to invite me into such important and sometimes delicate or fragile moments of their lives is just breath taking. I couldn’t be more honored to have the opportunity to successfully get the job done.



Clarissa: Can you tell us how to keep in contact with you?

Val: The best way to keep track of what DVus is up to is by following us on
Facebook. We offer promotions and discounts on our FB page. You can also find us on Instagram at dvusphotography. Over the next few months we will also berolling out to other marketing venues as well as starting a newsletter showcasing all of our upcoming sessions and promotions.



Clarissa: Please leave some valuable advice to clients, and brides-to-be ( why it's
important to book a photographer) and why your services are unique?

Val: Booking a photographer is so important for life’s moments and events. Life should be about living. No one has time to stop and take a picture of every detail of their life when they’re
busy enjoying it. And no one should have to be left out of the picture because
they have to work the camera either. We’ve all seen that picture of mom with
the kids, while everyone’s wondering where dad was. That’s where we come in.
Let DVus be the one to take care of that. We will capture everything while our
clients enjoy their events, family and friends. Our services offer both posed
yet candid shots of events. We have personal relationships with our clients so
that we know what they value. That way we can capture what they find to be
important. Our services put our clients first, where they should be.


So whether its events, family, glamor shots, products or any other session, let us come capture you
being DVus.   

Photo Source: DVus Photography

By: Clarissa, The Sweetest Thing Events

 

Have a Sweet Day,

Clarissa