Last month, I had a couple of clients who needed professional photography in South Carolina. At first, I looked to find them a local professional interior design and architectural photographer. And, certainly that might have been more cost effective; however, they both told me essentially the same thing: there’s something to be said for consistency. Nobody sees the world like I do– or like you do. While I train other photographers and have a team who help me, my eyes are unique. They wanted “Amber photos.” I place that in quotes because as I tell my team, I’m not even sure what that means except that I composed the image, I made the most of the available and studio lighting, I clicked the shutter. And, when you build a body of work that reflects who you are, it’s a felt sense. You see one of my photos, and it feels different than someone else’s. The photographer is actually in every image. 

I’ve photographed a number of Debra Barrett’s projects through the years. I’ve always said that when I move, I want her to sell my home, and let me buy hers– with all of the furniture in it. Who am I kidding? I have a five-year-old and two unruly dogs, that I lovingly but fittingly call Bonnie and Clyde, so we can’t really have nice things. Well, we can, but our nice things have lots of dirt, or as I prefer to call it: character. Debra Barrett is a talented Fort Worth area realtor who knows 76107, and she is a master at staging homes to sell as well as interior design. 

This condo is actually an Airbnb listing in Hilton Head Island, and I had the privilege to stay and photograph it for a few days. You know how sometimes you’re away from home and you can’t wait to get back to your bed and your coffee and your shower, etc.? Well, this place checked all of the boxes for living both comfortably and luxuriously. In a world where everyone has a phone in their hand at all times, I feel grateful that people contract with me again and again because they see the value in the way I see. 

Sometimes I feel as if my blogs here appear that I have an identity crisis. For years, people said, “Specialize, Amber” and “You need a niche.” And then, in 2020, when events paused for a while, all of the event photographers were scrambling for work. I hate the expression “jack of all trades, master of none,” but I am a photographer who knows a little bit of everything. I am aware of what I don’t know and hire a team of people to help me in the areas where I need more knowledge and expertise. I study. I consult with others in my field. I will never stop learning. As long as I’ve been doing this, I don’t know that I’ll ever master light or people, so there will always be room for improvement. What I have found over the past few years is that my clients value the relationship with one photographer to contact rather than hiring a portrait or headshot photographer and also an interior photographer and an architectural photographer and an event photographer. My team and I are equipped for all of these types of photography. This work with a Fort Worth area architectural firm demonstrates the type of projects we frequently complete. 

Headshots can be bright and airy, dark and dramatic, indoor or outdoor. We default often to a plain studio background for headshots because it’s easily replicated; however, this small team’s headquarters in the Clearfork area of Fort Worth provided a beautiful environment for portraits. 

This year I photographed the Fort Worth Business Press’ 40 under 40 award winners. I love this event because I meet people from my community who are working to create change. One winner’s father actually won the award years ago. I’m not sure exactly where the tradition of bringing props for the publication photos came about, but this year’s props were fun and unique.