Meet Lois Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lois Davis.

Lois, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started studying photography in high school with the most amazing teacher, Ms. Shade; we were fortunate to have a darkroom in our school so I was introduced to what has become my life long passion early on. I received my Bachelor’s degree in photography from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It has been an amazing journey to not only realize this dream, but to continue to make a living by it today.

I moved to Denver 10 years ago this month. I started out as a photo assistant. I took on a roll as the Communication Chair for the local American Society of Media Photographers which I held for about two years. As my work experience developed I began to production assist then work with wardrobe on film sets, and over the last five years have grown from being a Coordinator for some very large projects into producing my own work and gaining ground within the market.

I tend to work primarily on lifestyle and marketing photography campaigns, but my secret love remains in shooting still life, product photography and food photography. One of the many joys I find in my job is that I get to meet people from all over the world. My most memorable jobs have been those that have taken me to new places to meet and photograph very real people. I take pride in being kind to everyone, and I work hard to make sure those folks on my sets feel well taken care of, and enjoy the time they spend both on set and in front of the camera.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I wouldn’t say its been an easy journey as its required so much hard work to get where I am. I started out waiting tables and doing a lot of marketing and self-promotion until I had enough consistent gigs to quit my job. I also had to make the decision regarding the path I wanted to take, was it down the rabbit hole in the life of a commercial photographer or was it the labyrinth of production? Once I made the decision to move forward with production, I had to eventually stop photo assisting altogether which was not only a source of income but something I enjoyed doing.

As a mother and wife, it’s always been a challenge to balance family life with a profession that regularly demands 14+ hour days and regular travel. I’ve had to miss holidays, birthdays and first days of school. I’m thankful my family has always supported my choice to work at something so diligently. I am passionate about what I do, and sometimes that’s been difficult in the way that my family has to be without me.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I am the owner and operator of Lois Davis Produces, a full-service production company that produces and manages commercial photography shoots, and more frequently, video shoots. I work with creative agencies and clients direct to bring their content needs into reality by planning, organizing and managing budgets to put on successful shoots. I primarily work in lifestyle branding campaigns with talent out on location.

My business is a lot of communication and resource cultivation. Starting with a concept, my business is to strategize getting the team, the talent, the place and all of the out-of-the-box requests to make magic happen. On the back end, my job is to be as organized as possible, which makes me thankful for my OCD, as well as to be proactive in managing a wide range of budgets so my clients always get the biggest bang for their buck.

I am proud of the network that I’ve been able to build here in Denver and beyond, and I appreciate all the relationships that have been developed over the years that have allowed Lois Davis Produces to grow and thrive. I have been able to bridge the gap between still photography and film, and continue to grow my business through referrals from good standing with clients and crew alike.

I’d say my sturdy, kind-hearted, mid-western work ethic coupled with my passion for creating working environments where people thrive is something that makes Lois Davis Produces really stand out in a crowd.

What were you like growing up?
I grew up in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. I had a pretty wide variety of interest and friends growing up. I was an athlete, I played the tenor saxophone for five years, and took as many art classes as I could in high school. I tended to gravitate towards people that didn’t put up a lot of drama; people who were passionate about something or another. I’ve always found that the people I surround myself with come from a variety of backgrounds.

I spent as much time in the city as I could, going to concerts and museums, even if I had to go by myself as I got older. I’ve never by afraid to go out and try new things or meet new people. My Dad thought it was really important to teach me to be aware of my surroundings, you know, know which direction you’re going, learn to read a map, and not have to depend on others to take care of myself. That taught me a lot about being a calm person and keep my wits about me.

I’ve always been a person that follows their instinct to go do what I’m called to do or pursue what interests me. From high school, I went straight through my four year degree, never wavering in my field, and once I graduated, it was time to get to work. I haven’t really stopped to look back or think about how I could have done anything differently.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.loisdavisproduces.com
• Phone: 720-442-5092
• Email: lois@loisdavisproduces.com
• Instagram: @lil_dlite
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/loisdavisproduces

Image Credit:
Paul Miller, Kira Abelardo, Daniel Bedell, Ashton Ray Hansen

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