Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Gass.
Trevor, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My photo adventure officially began in 2006 with a photography marketing position at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Traverse City, Michigan. I worked with an Olympus E-20N, which had a maximum ISO of 320 and filled the buffer in two photos. This extremely limited technology forced me to perfect my focus, timing, and foresight while pushing me to develop my technical and creative skills.
Once I moved to Colorado in 2007, I continued honing my craft while spending several years as manager and regional manager of numerous photo operations across the country.
In 2015, I quit my day job to focus on photography as my full-time profession. My first break came photographing products for a Denver-based dinnerware company. This provided much-needed financial support while I continued to develop relationships with clients and industry partners. I also freelanced for local photographers and studios and contracted with several national photography companies. For anyone looking to break into the industry, don’t discount the importance of working with and learning from other professionals. The experience I’ve been afforded through photographing for other photographers has been absolutely invaluable.
In my 13-year journey, I’ve had the privilege of photographing three US presidents, numerous Olympic athletes, professional musicians, and other celebrities, and more than 200 weddings and events across the country and worldwide. My work has been used for marketing by Target, Marshall’s/TJ Maxx/Home Goods, and National Car Rental won accolades from SONY and the Smithsonian, and been published by The Denver Post, People, Yahoo!, and more. It’s been an exciting ride and I’m looking forward to what the future brings.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Developing and growing any business is rarely an easy undertaking. Even though the initial barriers to entry have been lowered due to increased accessibility to photography through digital technology and ample information and training resources, these factors alone do not guarantee success in the industry. I feel that you must love (or, in the least, be willing to learn) both the artistic and scientific sides of photography, as well as the science and art of business, in order to build a sustainable photography company.
I am fortunate to have had photography operations and management experience prior to starting my company. From interviewing and processing paperwork for new hires to scheduling, payroll, inventory optimization and order management, proposal building, invoicing, digital file archiving, online storefront maintenance, income, and expense tracking, and much more, my business acumen was somewhat developed before I started focusing heavily on TrevGStudios Photography. That foundation gave me time to focus on growing my photography skills and, most importantly, marketing and networking! Without the ability to market and generate and close leads, even the best photographer may have trouble finding work.
Though there were undoubtedly rough patches along the way, I worked hard to grow my base of options broadly enough to generate sustainable income. Since 2015, I have systematically decreased the number of photography studios I contract for in order to free up my schedule for my own clients. Of course, things did not simply come together like this on their own. My wife and I discussed our options at length before I made a concerted effort to commit to photography as a business. I am constantly learning and improving both my photography and business skill sets to continue offering the best quality experience to my clients!
TrevGStudios Photography – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My current specialties are wedding and corporate event photography, though I have professional experience in almost every other genre of photography. I feel that this helps distinguish my photography from others who may focus solely on one or two types. I feel that all different disciplines of photography culminate when photographing weddings.
My experience with photojournalism and action sports helped me develop timing for weddings where documenting moments on the fly and as they unfold naturally is of the utmost importance.
My experience photographing beautiful Colorado landscapes and sunsets trained my eye for creating sweeping environmental portraits that make for perfect, large-scale artwork.
My experience making stand-out product photos helps me document the small details throughout the wedding day, including things like the dress, shoes, flowers, rings, centerpieces, and other bits that may otherwise be overlooked during all of the excitement.
My experience working with teams of people to execute commercial shoots helps me keep organized and efficient when incorporating multiple assets and lighting.
My experience in school photography helped me perfect my formal portraiture skills and wrangling of large families for group photos.
Outside of my photography knowledge, experience, and training, I have worked hard to distinguish the type of experience my clients receive. I offer a complimentary venue walkthrough to all my wedding clients so we can create a game plan and outline photo goals and expectations before the wedding day. This helps get everyone on the same page and can really help reduce stress. I also personally work with the bride and groom to develop a realistic timeline based on their desired shot list. After the wedding, I invite the couple to my home office for a Reveal Party, where they can sip on wine while reliving their wedding-day memories via a slideshow set to music on a 65″, 4K TV. (I feel it is totally anti-climatic to receive an online gallery link and then flip through your wedding photos on a 13″ laptop monitor, or the like.)
I feel my focus on providing quality photography and an outstanding experience has helped me develop life-long clients and generate referrals.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Simply put, every time a client appreciates the imagery I have created for them, I am reminded why I do what I do.
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography Collections start at $1899
- Corporate event coverage starts at $300/hr
Contact Info:
- Address: 6530 S Ider St
Aurora, CO 80016 - Website: www.trevgstudios.com
- Phone: 720-477-0198
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/trevgstudios
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/trevgstudios
Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
