Sheri O'neal Photographer

Over the years I often have clients who continue to come back to update their photos. As a photographer this is the most rewarding thing about being in business. These days I realize there are more photographers available than ever in the past and most are willing to do the job cheaper if it means they can get the job. I have spent almost half of my life trying to make a career out of creativity and personally I believe that can’t be defined by a price tag but by a unique vision. I still work very hard to learn new techniques, to see things in different ways and in turn to create a unique image that can stand the test of time. Most importantly I work hard to make my clients feel appreciated by offering them the ability to speak openly about what they do and don’t like which helps me to be sure they are satisfied with the final results. Truthfully, I want them to feel less like a client and more like a friend. I am truly grateful for all of my clients, I am passionate about what I do and can’t imagine doing anything other that being a visual storyteller.

Erich Mahnke, Carlie Mahnke, and Melissa Peirce have come back for photos for several years. I shoot family images and PR images of them each time so it has been fun watching Erich’s daughter grow into a young lady.

I recently shot some images for a new client and now friend George (PORK) McElhinny. When I met him I was a little taken by the fact that he goes by the name PORK! Imagine talking on the phone to someone who goes by the name Pork not knowing what they look like, wondering if he might be a BIG guy and having to pre-visualizing shooting their pr images. To my surprise PORK is a good looking healthy guy, the shoot went great in my small studio and he can really play the guitar! I made him work hard for the right look on camera, there is no faking an intense guitar playing face! Here are a few images from the shoot and click here to see what Pork is all about. He is an awesome performer and you need to catch one of his shows! As you can see by the show announcement below he is playing with Travis Meadows, a great friend and awesome singer-songwriter whom I featured in my last blog post! One final note…PORK lives on Possum Trot Road, and no I am NOT making that part up!

I met Travis many years ago when I used to co-host a writers night at the “Hall of Fame Lounge”, here in Nashville TN. He first contacted me on myspace and then came in one night to play.  I will never forget the first minute of his first song he played for the audience, the place went completely silent and the old coots at the bar who spoke about music in Nashville back in the day actually turned and listened, that never happened. In that moment I knew I would follow and come to admire Travis for a very long time. Now, 6 years later, after years of friendship, following his career, personal life, becoming friends with his now ex wife and all the struggles they have faced over the years, I am so proud of where he is in his life with his music. Although his song “Black” will always be my favorite, the songs on his new CD “Killin Uncle Buzzy” are incredibly written and heart felt with his voice and reflection.

Last week I introduced you all to Nashville Architect Brad Norris, this week I wanted to share with you a recent project we completed called “The G Project”. In November of last year we were able to shoot a home in Franklin owned by the G family that Brad’s was finishing up on. My schedule was crazy that month but we needed to get the shot before the leaves had fallen off of the trees. Fall and winter generally have the prettiest skies on a clear day because the cooler temperatures help produce rich saturated colors (depending on what time of day I am shooting). We needed the leaves on the trees but didn’t want to wait to shoot after winter so I somehow fit a day of shooting into my week and went to work.

As summer approached this year we picked back up on the “G Project” that had been sitting untouched on a hard drive since November. Architecture is something I have started shooting over the past 3 years so I was eager to get started on the edit. I spent many hours in post retouching fallen leaves, layering multiple exposures, fixing perspective and details that are required in digital photography when shooting architecture. Although I am not one to enjoy long hours and day’s of retouch time on the computer I was eager to see what I could create from the images I had shot. It has become a part of photography so you learn to deal with that…a good cup (or many) of coffee helps!

My favorite images from the photo-shoot are posted below and I am proud of what we were able to capture at this incredible home!

In 2010 Nashville Architect Brad Norris contacted me in need of a corporate headshot because he was re-branding his business and putting together a new website.  We talked over the phone about what he was looking for, agreed on a price, decided on the location and I arrived looking forward to doing what I love best…taking pictures on location.

I love shooting corporate headshots when my client allows me to be creative. More and more I am finding that people are tired of the standard headshot on a boring backdrop. When given the opportunity to have something unique to what they do as opposed to something completely generic most often they will go with uniqueness. When I can come to a location that the client likes, perhaps their business or home, I am able to capture more about the person themselves and I believe it makes a better first impression to their clients. Business has changed, people want to know who they are working with and their corporate photo is generally an insight to that first impression.

Brad and I scouted the location upon my arrival and decided on several different set up’s that would give him a variety of different looks to use for his marketing efforts. He wanted me to somehow incorporate different backgrounds that corresponded to some of the materials and tones that are often showcased in his work. Here are the different images we were able to create from his insights and the location:

This is what he decided to use for his website:

This is part 1…an introduction to Brad. Next week I will share images from a recent project we just completed! Be sure to check out the July 2011 issue of The Art House Magazine, Brad and many of his projects are showcased there this month including a few we have worked on!

Even with the recession and the technology changes that have robbed the print world of past success I am still shooting editorial pretty regularly. Recently I had the chance to shoot an anniversary cover for American Spirit Magazine/DAR and it involved a beautiful hand crafted cake by the notable decorator Jay Qualls, Murfreesboro cake king and contestant on TRL’s Cake Boss. Unfortunately it was not made to be eaten so I missed out on those calories!

To read more go here!

On Friday June 25 I made a visit to Joe Glaser’s instrument repair company to pick up some gear he wanted to donate to my ReTune Nashville project.  Joe’s expertise has been said to be the best around and after visiting his facility he certainly has the volume of work to support the claim.  Loving the ability to turn any experience into a photo opportunity, I took along my camera just in case.  Joe started by taking me through his entire facility pointing out the flood damaged gear he was currently working on by such names as Keb Mo, Vince Gill, John Fogerty and so many others.  I asked if I could take some pictures and he allowed me to do so although some items were off limits to photos. What a great hour of learning about musical instruments and what his business does to fix many of these damaged and broken items.  I love shooting documentary style and would love to go back and cover Joe’s business from an editorial point of view, I enjoyed my visit and I walked away with some great pictures!  Joe graciously donated 8 guitars to ReTune Nashville (read previous post) from prominent artist that were not worth fixing, all of these items were stored at Soundcheck, a facility  that house’s most of  Nashville’s prominent musician’s gear.  I was blown away by what he shared with me and so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet this talented man in person!  Below are some of the photos I shot on Friday…enjoy!

This guitar was estimated to be worth a hundred thousand dollars and Joe believes it can be restored to it’s original look and sound.  He has a special machine that can grind the fret board down eliminating any warping that occurred from water damage, the other repairs are all done by hand.  It is amazing to think of the talent these guys have to bring items like this back after such destruction.

Scott Holyfield works on a vintage guitar (bellow) that was damaged in the May 2010 Nashville flood while in a storage shed at the Soundcheck facility.  The Cumberland River crested over 50 feet and flooded the facility damaging millions of dollars worth of musical gear.

Thank you for visiting and I hope that you enjoyed reading about Joe!  If you need a photographer I can guarantee you will be happy with both the experience and with the outcome so please keep Sheri O’Neal Photography in mind for all of your photo needs .  Give me a call or drop me an email and lets do business!

In my business I work hard to keep my clients coming back and their happiness is my number one priority!  I want them comfortable during the process and I want them happy with the outcome.  A happy client tells his friends and associates about your work and you begin to build relationships which is key to a prosperous business.  I make it priority to be sure my clients like the images we are getting while working so that in the end they will have no reason to be unhappy with the final result.  My track record is around 98% when it comes to “happy” but every once in a while there is that one shoot where the client may not be as satisfied as I had hoped.  When that happens it affects me deeply on both a professional and a personal level.  My work is a reflection on me as an individual and as a business owner so if the client is unhappy I do what ever I can within my power to fix the issue.   It feels great when you get praise for a good job but you always remember the unhappy client no mater what the situation.

Joe West of Gasoline Productions Inc. is the ideal happy client and a great example of one that I want to keep.  West is a producer and writer with multiple cuts for artist like Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Jimmy Wayne, Julianne Hough, Emily West, and Danielle Peck (among others).  After sending his artist Sarah Marince to me for a shoot in 2008 he felt confident enough with my work to send Joe Zelek my way earlier this month.  Zelek and I talked over the phone about what he wanted, negotiated a price that fit his budget and his needs on an upcoming music project he is working on with West.  Zelek spends his time between Ohio and Tennessee working on music and wanted something fresh and different shot outside with a lens flare affect.  West has a great piece of land out in Franklin, TN where we met to do the shoot one sunny March afternoon.  What I didn’t expect was the incredible shooting opportunity I had in the old house located on the property that is planned to be torn down soon and Zelek was open to all the additional ideas I had regarding backdrops throughout the house.  Zelek, West and I had a great time shooting that afternoon and I became a new fan of Joe Zelek’s music!  West shot some great behind the scenes images that are included in this post.

As I leave you I have to admit that loving what I do makes me often feel like I am cheating when referring to this career as a business.  I do know however, that it is a business and as long as I keep the client happy, knowing their needs come first, I believe I will continue to do what I love. If you need a photographer I can 98% guarantee you will be happy with both the experience and with the outcome so let me make you a “happy” client!  Give me a call or drop me an email and lets do business!

I love to photograph kids!  When I opened my studio in Florida back in 1996 I was privileged to pick up accounts with book publishers Harcourt-Brace and Scholastic Book Fairs.  Kids became 80% of what I photographed almost every day for many years.  Due to limited budgets and the volume of work, we often used average kids who had no modeling experience and I learned quickly that I would need to master patience and kid communication.  I found that when shooting the smaller kids I would sometimes have to explain in detail on a very elementary level in order for them to understand what I needed them to do. Since moving to Nashville in 2001 I have not had much of an opportunity to photograph kids because the photography market is so different than it was in Orlando.  I miss that opportunity these days and look forward to when I have the chance to test my patience and kids always make me laugh!  I love how beautiful and flawless their skin looks and the glow it radiates in a photograph.  And the eyes…the window to the soul, are big in comparison to their face because the eyes are the size they will be when their body has reached adult hood.  Photographing kids taught me patience and that has carried over to all the other areas of my work!

This is Sophie, she is as many kids are…very talented.  Her biggest love is horses and her father Jim hopes to see her become more involved with them over the next year because he supports her love as good parents often do.  She rides and helps out at a local horse farm when she can, around her school schedule.  Jim wanted some family portraits because he felt his little girl was growing up too fast so we set up a simple backdrop so the focus would be dad and daughter.  I love that Sophie looks mature in how she carries herself yet she is still a child.

As I go remember to email me or give me a call if you have a project you need help with or if you need corporate or personal photos!  I am looking forward to hearing from you and I am looking forward to spring.  The warmer weather brings with it lots of color here in Nashville so lets plan your next shoot outside!  I will be back with new images to share soon!

-Sheri

These days I seem to be getting more and more calls from business executives who want something different when it comes to their photos.  I think there is a trend happening, perhaps it is the younger generation wanting to be themselves rather than conforming or an older generation realizing that you can be smiling in a causal atmosphere yet still look professional.  It seems to me that people want to look more relaxed in the photos that they send out as PR material.  I prefer to have people look happier and relaxed in the photos I take because I think  it makes them more approachable from the customer’s standpoint.  Social media marketing proves that we want to feel connected to those we choose to do business with and a simple smile can make all the difference in the world.  That being said I also think a great photograph is key because it is your image, we live in a visual world and your image is everything!

Brian Carden was no exception to the idea of wanting something different.  He is a Financial Advisor here in Nashville who came to me and said, “I am updating my site, I don’t want to appear conservative, I wear a suit but I don’t want to appear stiff in my pictures and I want something different”.  At the moment he is working with Robert Land, his “Digital Brand Architect” and Robert is working to build Brian’s new brand from the ground up.  I met with Robert first and we talked about the image we wanted to create for Brian…something less business like but very professional and very approachable.  I decided to shoot at Brian’s home because I love creating an image in someone’s own surroundings and environmental portraiture is one of my specialties!  I know that when someone is in their own home they are much more relaxed and it makes my job a lot easier.  My goal is always to try and capture something about that person, their body needs to be relaxed and it needs to show in their body language and in their eyes.  I think we nailed that at Brian’s house and I can’t wait to see how his new site and marketing material comes together!

PR for the small business is changing and so are the needs for photography regarding branding and image.  If you need someone to talk to about your marketing, your brand and your image give me a call.  I am here to help and it doesn’t have to be a painful experience, I promise!   Until next time….