Today we’d like to introduce you to Dorian Owens.
Dorian, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Well, I first started in architecture when I was a kid. At three years of age, my parents saw that I was very fond of geography and straight lines, so they started by giving me the road atlas, where I would be the one acting as a “back-seat GPS,” where I literally would tell them what direction to go to get to our destinations! Then, it progressed to a pencil, ruler, and large sheets of paper, where I started drawing literal skylines, such as the City of Atlanta. That then progressed to stadiums with malls around them (literally), where I was thinking about how to make a stadium more user friendly during the entire year instead of for the number of games that it would host per year. That continued until 1998, when I was then accepted at the University of Georgia to pursue a degree in Landscape Architecture. While there, during my freshman year of college, a professional photographer named Sheldonia Bessent took me under her wing to take film pictures while covering worship services at Timothy Baptist Church in Athens. I started covering the services at the church, learning how to use the camera, and then take them for film processing at the local Winn Dixie in Athens!
Then, in 2002, I took a trip to see the United Kingdom, Wales, and Scotland, and my peers awarded me with their version of the “Ansel Adams” award. At that time, I still had no clue how to take pictures, or how the camera worked, but people kept saying that I took great pictures!! At that time, I was using a Kodak DC5000 digital camera. Then, in 2003, Unhindered Creations was finally created, initially purposed for Landscape Architecture activities (which is what I currently do full time as of last year), but at that time, the purpose shifted exclusively toward photography, graphic design and web design.
Then, fast forward to 2005, when I got my first DSLR in a Canon EOS 20D in Savannah, along with one on-camera Canon 580 EX Flash. I also took classes for a month on how to use the camera, and still didn’t understand! But then, about a month into it, on midnight on a Sunday morning, I was fiddling around with the camera’s manual settings, and that’s when I finally understood how to use it! From that point forward, the pictures I was obtaining became more and more sharp and clear, to the point that I covered my first wedding in 2006 here in Atlanta.
The quality of pictures continued to progress, and then in 2013, I finally figured out the last component of manual shooting by understanding the aperture settings on the camera. Also, at that time, I first began to explore off-camera flash with the one flash that I had. Then, between 2014 to 2016, I purchased a Canon T4i camera and my first Canon 600 EX II wireless flash and began to explore off-camera flash even further. I then went on and started using at least three more off-camera flashes for every event I have covered since that time. Then, in 2019, I finally purchased my first professional-level camera, the Canon 5D Mark IV, and have been using it, along with off-camera flash exclusively for every photography session (i.e. events, weddings, portraits, etc.).
Has it been a smooth road?
No, it has not been easy! A lot of lessons were learned, especially when it came to pricing. As an entrepreneur from 2007 to 2019, photography was quite challenging because oftentimes, I would charge too low for services, which did not allow me to become sustainable in the business. Then, compounding that factor with the seasonal dynamics of photography, it made it even harder to perform the services on a regular basis. But now that I’ve been through that, I now charge what I’m worth! And, the quality speaks for itself.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Unhindered Creations – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Unhindered Creations is now exclusively a photography company that specializes in Weddings and Events. In fact, we have a dedicated website specifically geared towards Wedding clients, which is located at www.ucweddingphotography.com. Portraits are also done upon request. It has become a good “side gig” as of last year because I am now doing the thing that I had been procrastinating about for years, which is Landscape Architecture as a consultant in a full-time capacity.
Also, the “hidden” feature that I haven’t really marketed as much as I should is the fact that every wedding, event, portrait session, or any other kind of photography that I cover includes my experience with exclusively off-camera flash. Every event is different, so the ability to strategically place off-camera flashes in a room to cover an event ends up producing quite interesting and unique results!
Also, I have just become a member of the Professional Photographers of America in April 2020 and will be pursuing the Certified Professional Photographer designation in the coming months.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The best characteristic of Atlanta is its diversity. In the south, you really don’t have as diverse of a population as Atlanta! Also, its entrepreneurship characteristics are very, very strong. However, the bad thing is that everything is spread out. The amount of expense to live in or near the downtown area is quite expensive, and that disparity literally forces people to live outside of the perimeter unless you have the “wealthy” means of being able to afford the city life.
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography: Starts at $1,999 for Wedding Rehearsal + Wedding Day Coverage
- Event Photography: Starts at $299 for minimum 2-hour sessions
- Portrait Photography: Starts at $149 for a 1-hour session
Contact Info:
- Website: www.unhinderedcreations.com
- Phone: 678.310.9354
- Email: info@unhinderedcreations.com or ucweddings@ucweddingphotography.com
- Instagram: unhinderedc
- Facebook: unhinderedc
- Twitter: unhinderedc
Image Credit:
Copyright 2016-2020 Unhindered Creations LLC.
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