Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominique Baker.
Dominique, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have a background in both Architecture and Film, which started at a very young age. I was always interested in buildings as well as film. I was always intrigued by cameras and would always have one nearby. For most of my life, these two passions operated separately until I got in aerial photography/videography.
Originally, I am from Columbia, SC, and in 2007 I relocated to Atlanta where I would later earn a Master in Architecture from Georgia Tech in 2012. I gained most of my experience early on in film/videography by filming weddings where I would later build on my experience to expand to other types of videography. When my 2nd daughter was born, my wife wanted to reveal the gender of our new baby using a drone to land on the gender of the baby outlined in chalk. I was always interested in drones, but this finally forced me to get one. From that point on, I fell in love with flying as it allowed me fresh a new way to add to my creations and as a result, I regained my love for creating content.
I always had envisioned creating a company that was unique to my personality and vision, incorporating drones became the perfect medium to this. Fast forward to today, my company works with and provides stunning visuals for developers, realtors, party promoters, events, hotels brands as well as various corporations serving the entire Atlanta metro area. In between serving our clients, my company has developed a social media presence which keeps up with current events by highlighting happenings around the city as well as any type of architectural development ongoing in the area. The focus with each of my clients is on creating stunning, artistic visual imagery that highlights anything my client would to use to increase their exposure.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I had to make a decision that this is what I wanted to do and pursue, so I had to believe myself first. Once I made up my mind that I could create a successful business out of my passion, getting others to believe was not so easy. Therefore, getting started I had to jump out on faith to show my vision before others would start to see the vision and how serious I am about what I was doing.
Aside from that, another huge challenge has been balancing the time and energy necessary to build a company and brand while also balancing family and personal life. Additionally, what I have had to learn along the way and still learning is that to grow a business, I cannot do everything myself. It has been difficult to hand off some tasks as I am very hands on with my craft and business, but I am trying to let go of some of these things in order for my business and vision to scale.
There are also financial challenges in starting out that I had to overcome since you have to make huge investments into starting a business. This also means that there is risk in doing this as well. As a result, it took a lot of financial sacrifice to start to create a profitable business.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
A lot of the art visual and imagery that I produce is through the lens of how I view the world. And with that is certain level of uniqueness and passion that I put into everything that I create. What sets me and my company apart I believe is how I have been able to infuse drones into every level of video production and photography in the most unique ways.
There also is a deliberate focus on creating and maintaining a positive vibe and energy with every person that I come across while sharing my passion with them. I sometimes refer to myself as the “People’s Droner” because I would like to be more than videographer/photographer – I want to have a connection with the people I interact with. Ultimately, I feel like I have been gifted a special talent, one that I can use to contribute to the world and how we view the world.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Certainly my parents for facilitating the things I was interesting in as a child as this has been something I have gravitated towards since I was a child. My big sister for the guidance and help with securing jobs early on. My wife and family for always supporting and helping me along the way for following up on my off the wall ideas of detours to capture imagery. My friends who encourage me in the ups and downs and to anyone who has supported me along my journey I cannot be more grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.skydbproductionsatl.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skydbproductions/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skydbproductions/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SKYDBP
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Skydbproductions
Image Credits
@Skydbproductions of SKY DB Productions, LLC.
