Andrea Dozier Dayton Wedding & Lifestyle Photography

I never aspired to be a wedding photographer. I think if I had, I would have been much better prepared as a business woman. I like to plan ahead. I like to have goals. In more than one sense, this is the irony of my life as a student turned Air Force wife and graphic designer turned photographer. Just when I think I know it all, I am spontaneously pooling my resources to deal with a new hand of cards.

While I was working on a graphic design degree {assuming I would work for a firm or continue to freelance}, some photography opportunities presented themselves. At first I said “no,” because the thought of being responsible to capture a wedding terrified me. A few months later, more brides were contacting me through Facebook {ironically all at once}. The e-mail usually began with, “I know you don’t do weddings… but I love your work…” I had four weddings booked before I even owned a DSLR. They were all with friends that knew I wasn’t promoting myself or trying to be something I wasn’t. They just wanted me to capture their weddings the same way I took pictures of everything else. At that point I was still terrified, but curious. I wanted to honor my commitments, then see if I wanted to take the leap of becoming a wedding photographer or run back to the design world. I didn’t realize at the time how closely the two are connected… it’s perfect for me.

I’m very lucky to have a husband who is not only an encourager, but Rocky had worked in the photography field for several years before his current Air Force career. He has a deep understanding of film, digital, and lighting techniques. However, there is much more to managing a photography business than selecting lenses or knowing how to white balance correctly. The path isn’t always very clear, because everyone has a unique story, style, & goal for their careers. I have some friends, who are also on the road of transforming their hobby into a profession, and I want to devote parts of my blog in sharing and encouraging the resources I find to be valuable. I hope to also post information from photographers that I admire who can shed some light on topics I am still learning about.

For months on Twitter I’d been hearing about [B] School Study Hall chats. I finally watched one with Jasmine Star, and even though I felt a little like a photography nerd, {sketchbook open, volume turned up, and scribbling notes}, I learned a lot. It made me interested in checking out what the [B] School actually is and eventually I signed up. It is one of the best investments I have made. There are instructional videos, forums, and a bunch of really amazing seasoned photographers who don’t mind helping new ones out. Many of them are wedding photographers, but there are many portrait photographers who cover portrait related topics.

It was through one of these forum threads that I found out about Will Duris and his really cool iPhone mobile portfolio tool. Flash sites don’t play on mobile browsers, so instead of getting a blank screen, iPhone users can now be redirected to a mobile portfolio site that allows them to peek at my work, read my bio, and contact me when they visit andreadozier.com. It is easy to set up and he is good about answering any questions you have. It’s also very quick once you have your files ready! I still don’t have an iPhone, but I know a lot of you do. I highly recommend it. You can see more on Will’s blog and get your own set up!

Here are some examples from my iPhone mobile portfolio:

Bio & Contact section:

Here are some of the images when you look at them closer:

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a beautiful weekend ♥