This was from an in-studio shoot we did before I went to compete for Miss North Carolina USA, and I just loved the lighting for this photo.

Marcie Trivette is a representative of the State Capital as Miss Raleigh USA 2014. Marcie has been walking for Autism Speaks since 2010. She walks on behalf of her younger brother, Karsten, who was diagnosed with high-functioning Autism, (also known as Asperger’s Syndrome). I’ve done a number of shoots with her, and the sessions are always a lot of fun.

Here’s what Marcie had to say about working with me:

I use photographs for all sorts of things: my website, social media, headshots for speaking engagements, autograph cards, etc. Working with David & Brenda has been more of a friendship. They were kind enough to sponsor me for the Miss North Carolina USA pageant this year, and in return I wanted to help publicize his business. I am a true believer in shopping local, even when it comes to photography. He has an idea in his head before I even arrive to the studio. And, once I’m there he even bounces things off my own ideas. Plus, he lets me listen to my Pandora stations. Haha!

David is always out and about in Raleigh, just like me! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into him at events. He captured this photo of Steven David Elliot and I at one of the North Hills Networking events. I love having these memories to look back on.

This photo is from the most recent shoot I had with David. It was great working outdoors at the new studio, and getting to have some more casual images.

“I can’t thank David and Brenda enough for all they have done. They have become like family to me. David is a skilled and innovative photographer. Raleigh is lucky to have him.”

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Kevin enjoys any opportunity to share his story and inspire others to make life changes. “I’m passionate about PASSION!” says Kevin. “You have to love what you do—because when you don’t, it shows. Of course, when you do, it shows as well. My purpose as a speaker is to help individuals reflect and identify their passion and get connected to their source of authentic happiness and desire. When you have passion, you find a way to make things happen.”

Kevin was a pleasure to work with. To keep the big smiles going that you see in his images on this post, we played a game. We started making up stories about people we both know.

Here’s what Kevin had to say about working with me:

Headshots are essential for my business. As a keynote speaker, clients need high quality photos for promotional purposes and I need them for my website and in my own personal marketing. My business is who I am, so my brand and image matter. Having someone help me look good is a must, especially on a bad hair day! J

I called David because I wanted to look better than I do in person—and I needed a way to bring out my personality that would come across in a photo. David has a unique way of making you feel comfortable in a setting that normally wouldn’t feel comfortable. I’ve had three photo-shoot sessions with other photographers in the past that resulted in possibly 2-3 photos worth keeping. With David, there were dozens—he does a fabulous job using humor when necessary, but he also knows when to get serious.

The photos I enjoy the most are the ones that seem natural. You can tell a fake smile many times, so a genuine and transparent smile is most important. During my shoot with David, we got extremely creative and took photos from all over the room, high and low, near a window, along a wall — each picture was unique in its own way. From the shoot, I had over 50 photos I wanted to keep. David did a great job.

If your company is seeking a speaker that can engage an audience and help them achieve more in less time, Kevin appreciates your consideration.

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Today’s audiences expect more from presenters and presentations. Refresher Training works with keynote presenters, motivational speakers, trainers, and others who make presentations. They take your voice, message and expertise and improve the presentations and materials that go with them. They design sharp, refreshed materials that leave the lasting impression you want. The Refresher Training team elevates your materials using powerful images and crisp designs. They offer a range of services, including training on how to improve your own presentations. They’re based in Raleigh and work with companies all over the world.

Here’s what Wendy had to say about her experience working with me:

“As a new business owner, the time had come when a cropped candid photo no longer cut it as my LinkedIn profile picture (never mind that the picture was 8 years old and you could see my husband’s tie behind me). First and foremost, I wanted professional pictures that captured the real me, not a stiffly posed headshot. I wanted to convey approachability, competence, and confidence.

I knew even before interviewing him that I wanted to hire David. A friend of mine (Kevin Snyder) had hired David for professional head shots, and when Kevin posted them online I was convinced because the pictures captured his essence and personality. I appreciate that David took the time to learn my about my business and goals for the pictures as well as getting to know me personally before the shoot. During the shoot, he used a variety of techniques to elicit the look we both wanted to capture. He came prepared with several ideas and tried some new ones on the spur of the moment.”

Here are a couple of stories about some of Wendy’s favorite images that we shot.

“As a result of a diving accident, I’ve spent 30 of my 40+ years trying to hide my teeth when I smile because my front teeth were discolored. About two years ago I had dental work done, so now I can smile all I want! But after 30 years of hiding my teeth, my new teethy smile was awkward and not yet natural. So before the shoot, I explained to David that I wanted pictures of me that showed my teeth and I that I’d need guidance and coaching to elicit that kind of smile. And boy, did he!”

“Ironically, one of my favorite pictures that David took  [below right] doesn’t have a teethy smile and I’m not even looking at the camera—I’m looking down. He actually took the picture just to test the lighting, but he really liked the look so we went with it.”

Wendy’s an active leader in the training industry locally and nationwide. She’s been on the board of the local chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) for nine years and is a national advisor for ASTD chapter boards. She’s a certified instructional designer. Wendy lives in Raleigh with her husband, Don and their Bengal cat, Diva.

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Leslie is a great client who has always been easy to work with. She is also obviously out to make a difference in the world and passionate about what she does—which makes my job a lot easier as a photographer. Some clients freeze up or become nervous or withdrawn in front of the camera. While I have plenty of experience helping people feel natural in these situations, I have never had that problem with Leslie!

I have attended some of Leslie’s talks on the subject of goal-setting. She is a dynamic speaker who knows her subject matter well. She retired from corporate America to devote herself to the study of personal development using transformational principles—which have been the focus of her work for the last 20 years of her 50-year career.

Here’s what Leslie had to say about her experience working with me:

“I watched David post photos of friends and colleagues. David captures personality—the light shining from within. That’s what had me schedule an appointment. I was not disappointed. In my business it is important for potential clients to feel my heart and know my authenticity in a photograph.

I liked that David asked me to send him snap shots of pictures I like. Then when I arrived at the shoot it was fast, affordable, crew and set up ready. In and out in record time.

I had David do a picture of me leaning over a white board that I use as a template. I add information about specific

“Pointing” image for social media

workshops and programs when I announce them on social media. I also use an image of me pointing up toward my banner on my Facebook page. I use my head shots often for press releases, speaking engagements, etc.”

Leslie shared a bit about her personal goals and ambitions—she has made it her personal goal to collapse the gender wage gap at an accelerated rate. On the average, women earn $0.78 per dollar of income as compared to their male counterparts. It is projected that the wage gap will close by 2054, but Leslie aims to make it happen much sooner—in 2025. While Leslie’s material is

“Whiteboard” template

universally applicable, she specializes in teaching women to leverage success principles in business in the way that men have been doing for centuries.

For her work in continuing education Leslie received the Triangle Women Extraordinaire in 2010 and 2011 by Business Leader Media. She also earned the 2011 Triangle Mover & Shaker Award. Leslie is certified LSC (LifeSuccess Consultant and coach) since 2008 with Bob Proctor, and received her CS (certified speaker) in 2009 with Steve Siebold.

Leslie loves serving her community and has lived in the Triangle for more than 40 years.  She is a founding board member for GrowandShare.org and is Director of Family Coaching at People Builders LLC, both non-profit organizations.

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Alice Osborn is a professional writer and editor in Raleigh. Her specialty is fiction and memoir editing, and she teaches various workshops in the area. She also plays the guitar and the violin as well as practicing Irish Dance. I have known Alice for years, and she is a talented writer with a solid reputation for helping her clients get great results. She is also an accomplished and entertaining speaker with a gift for engaging her audience.

Here’s what Alice had to say about our photo sessions:

“I love how David takes an aspect of your personality/image and runs with it! When I’ve posted David’s photos on Facebook, they have created a life of their own with comments. Some of my fans share them. Recently, I went to a Shop Talk Networking event sponsored by the News & Observer and the Cary Chamber of Commerce. Next in line to me at the registration table was Wendy Corbett, who was another of David’s subjects. She saw me place my photo business card in the fish bowl and immediately struck up a conversation with me. She said, ‘I’ve seen you on Facebook!’ We became friends after that!”

Photo shoots with Alice are always fun—you can see a lot of different sides to her personality that come through in different scenes and outfits. Part of what I always try to do with clients in photography sessions is to capture the “un-posed” persona behind their personal brands. Anyone who knows Alice can tell you that she is not your typical book editor. We needed to convey her professional side while also showing that she is creative, fun and innovative.

We shot this image for Halloween of 2013, when Alice dressed up as the Lady Melisandre from Game of Thrones. (I don’t personally watch the show, but Alice is a big fan.) She uses this image for her Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Editing business card.

Alice shared a fun personal anecdote about this image:

“I went to the Raleigh Irish Feis (pronounced “fesh”) at the Durham Convention Center last month to get my dance hard shoes and wigs. The Feis is a dance competition and they also have Irish dance vendors, so you don’t need to pay shipping for special imported goods from the UK. I gave the wig vendors my Sci-Fi card so that they could easily match my red hair to the wigs they had in stock—and it worked! They also asked me for more cards because they knew a few folks who wrote sci-fi and fantasy who might need an editor down the line. I think I found a new niche: finding editing clients at Irish and Renaissance festivals. Once they see that card, they know I’m all in!”

I’ve also shot images of Alice playing the guitar, reciting poetry and speaking at local events. She is a great client. Her creativity and confidence really show when she gets in front of the camera.

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Pricing architectural photography with us works several different ways.

Here’s a short overview of 3 pricing options:

1) Mike Kelley is one of the TOP architectural photographers in America. His standard rate for 5 final images is likely several thousand dollars. However, he spends numerous hours shooting and editing those 5 images. If you would like us to spend a full day shooting or even multi-days and then spend 5+ hours per image editing, we can do that. But like Mike’s prices, it will not be the lowest price around. So unless your budget is 3K+ for 5 to 10 images, you may want to explore our #2 and #3 far more affordable options that could be as low as a few hundred dollars depending on the scope of your project.

2) Our usual way of shooting  architectural work for smaller projects of 5 to 10 final images is by typically spending 1 to 2 hours on site pending the scope of the project, then sending an image link sample with images that already have some editing completed and then after the final selections are made. we spend up to 45 minutes additional per final image making additional adjustments. So the on site time is a small part of the project because most of the time is in the editing.

This is a hybrid option of #1 and #3 listed below and is actually the way most of the architectural work on our site was completed. This keeps cost down while providing a nice quality image that is suitable for print use. This type of project is typically quoted on PER image fee basis. For example, 10 final images is ___ per image which includes shooting and editing with additional editing being optional.

3) This option provides more images but is NOT as cheap as residential real estate photography which we don’t do. For this option, we shoot lots of images, deliver a quick edited version for color and exposure and the project is complete. This option will yield more images than #2 above and is more suitable for a client that is looking for more images while trying to maximize their budget. The actual cost may be the same as #2 above, but this option simply yields more images with less editing time per image. We can also do additional edits on a per image request basis for an additional fee.

The still image above is of the lobby of the Craddock Terry Hotel in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is a blended image with an HDR twist to it. But the interior of the lobby is so vibrant that even without the HDR twist, it still makes for a great interior architectural image of a commercial property.

As a full time commercial photographer, I photograph both people and shoot in other commercial related areas like products, architectural, interior and commercial real estate. Notice that I did not say residential real estate photography. Although I have photographed a home here and there, it’s not my area of focus, but I do have a friend that is very good at it and competitively priced. I truly love the commercial (non-consumer) side of the photography image.

I’ve been hired to photography commercial real estate for a developer as well as both interior and exterior work of hotels. Since I do corporate events, I’ve been able to get some nice architectural images of both the interior and exterior of numerous locations around the US including Quebec City Canada. After my upcoming trip to Palm Desert, California, I’m sure that I will have more architectural images of both the interior and exterior of the venue for conference that I’m covering.

Architectural photography is different than people photography and to be honest, I photograph a lot more people than I do commercial real estate. However, I do truly enjoy photographing the interior and exterior of commercial properties.

If you’d like to consider me for an upcoming commercial real estate photography project, please feel free to call me at 919.723.8453 or use the button below to start the quoting process.

The post Architectural, Interior and Commercial Real Estate Photographer Raleigh NC first appeared on .

IMAGE CREDIT: I got the image above from a July 10th, 2011 post on Women’s Lifestyle Magazine.

On my personal Facebook page (friend request me if you’d like), I asked for ONE or more reasons to SHOP LOCAL.  You will see several of the comments below my blog post on shopping local.

SHOP LOCAL by David Williams

We’ve all heard the stories or have seen it happen with the MEGA store opening up just outside of a small downtown and the downtown becomes a Ghost Town.  Mom and Pops cannot compete on price in many instances.  However, Mom and Pops offer so much more like helpful service and a friendly smile for starters.

When I was in 6th grade, my Dad and Uncle owned the NAPA store in Downtown Wake Forest.  I worked there after school for $20 a week.  I guess that worked out to about $2 an hour.  Just across the street was an old fashion drug store that I could go up to the counter and order an orange aide (fresh squeezed orange is some good sugary water).  Further down the street, there was a Traditional Downtown Dime Store.  Just across the street from the Dime Store was Shorty’s Hot Dogs. Shorty’s is still there and has been around since 1916.  Although things have changed in Downtown Wake Forest since I was in 6th grade, it is a thriving Small Town Downtown from the best that I can tell.  There are lots of businesses in the heart of Downtown Wake Forest.  When you have time, grab a hot dog at Shorty’s and stroll the sidewalks.  Just don’t visit on a Sunday because most everything is closed in Downtown Wake Forest.

Two of my favorite places to spend my fortune at ( just kidding ) are Southeastern Camera in Raleigh on Atlantic Avenue and Charron’s Deli in Youngsville.  There are many more small businesses that I support of course, but I want to focus briefly on these two:

I have known and dealt with Tony at Southeastern Camera since the 80’s.  By now, he knows me by name, but so do many others at Southeastern Camera.  It feels good to walk in somewhere and be called by your name.  They also treat me very well there including their rental department.  I just remembered as I type this that I have a $649 credit there.  That’s an even better reason to go visit them on Saturday.

Charron’s Deli is not only completely family ran with the 4th generation working in the sandwich shop, but their sandwiches are far better than the National Franchise brands like Subway just down the street.  The prices at Charron’s are higher, but it’s not about the price.  It’s about the food and the atmosphere of a small family ran business with classic rock playing in the background.  If you are ever in Downtown Youngsville, you have to try Charron’s Deli.

Below are several of the comments from my Facebook post……

Phoenix Dela Mer Rector wrote “Shopping local puts money back into your community. It helps keep towns alive. Meet your neighbors today . Check out some of those downtown shops.   I’m really glad we have so much support in our area for small towns. “Convenience” isn’t always the only value. Longevity of a communities health is based on a willingness to grow locally, keep up with the changing times while letting the fads pass you by.” http://phoenixrector.com

Robert Kastelic wrote “Shopping at locally owned businesses gives fuel to the economic development, survival and recovery of all towns and municipalities. Where you spend your money truly does matter. FB- Outside Raleigh: Check out our revised website at http://outsideraleigh.com“

Kellie Amero Stobie wrote “Shopping local not only keeps money in your community, it also oftentimes gets you the best quality and superior customer service.” www.PagesofaLifetime.com

Anora McGaha wrote “The Joyful Jewel in Pittsboro, and Liquidambar Studio of Art in Pittsboro, and Pittsboro Roadhouse & General Store are just three of the downtown locally owned stores with beautiful and fresh local jewelry, local art and local heart. Shopping there supports many local creatives as well as the families of the owners. (I have hand colored greeting cards, and books for sale at The Joyful Jewel, and at the Pittsboro Roadhouse, crystals to hang from rear view mirrors where you can also hang sunglasses.) One of my favorite reasons to shop locally is the relationships – I can meet the people who have taken the risk to have a storefront business, and I can meet the artists who created beautiful objects and writing that I love. It’s doubly exciting to get to know the people making things happen.”

Chris Dunaway wrote “I shop locally due to growing up in Apex, which means a personal relationship with a lot of the owners. I realize that its a razors edge of surviving and going under so try and support the ones I do know.”

Cathy Michelena wrote “Gives back to the local economy.”

Wendy M. Reis wrote “I prefer to do business with people I like, know and trust.”

Dawn Lancaster wrote “I will be shopping local Saturday. Much more personalized end enjoy the people.”

Debbie Wright wrote “I own a small grooming shop in Tempe AZ. I depend on people shopping locally and frequent others stores like mine. During this economy we would all be unemployed if it were not for each other. However, realize that many of the franchise businesses are also owned by your friends and neighbors. Know them and support them as well. They tend to be the smaller shops with the branded names. It’s the big box that we avoid this weekend.”

Fran Wheeler wrote “I support shopping local in every way you can. Don’t risk losing all our local stores to the big box and discount chains that don’t care about our communities.”

Cramer Gallimore wrote “I absolutely believe in shopping local as much as possible. Sometimes it is not possible, as Nikon cameras are not made in the US. The reason: one should not complain if small businesses go under if you’ve chosen to buy out of town or eat exclusively in chains. There are some services that are inherently local, such as your custom “personality” portraits shot in downtown Wake Forest. I love flying to shoots but enjoy driving an hour to one as well. You can see photos from NC and all over the world at http://www.cgphoto.com.”

Charles Johnson wrote “I absolutely believe in supporting local business because I think supporting those that you see everyday creates a bond between not just customer and business but between families. As a customer the local business helps my family and in return I help the business owner’s family. It’s a great relationship! You can get my new book called “I Am Sam” Ten Keys to Success from Green Eggs and Ham on my website at www.charleswyattjohnson.com. Thanks David Williams for your help and support!!!”

Lav Chintapalli wrote “Saturday is Small Business Saturday® – a day to celebrate and support small businesses and all they do for their communities. This Holiday Season, give the gift of love. Please contact us to get your Gift Certificates for Track-Out Camps, Youth Programs & Adult Workshops. Check out the list of offerings here …http://www.nulimina.org/classes/ ”

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