Today we’d like to introduce you to Russ and Trudeen Walter. They share their story with us below:
Trudeen and Russ met in 2005, she was definitely the photography enthusiast by a mile back then! Like many parents, after our son was born, we wanted to chronicle his every move, facial expression and moment. In addition, Trudeen’s huge family provided many opportunities to photograph weddings, family reunions and vacations. As the shutter clicks piled up, Russ got more and more hooked. Our beautiful nieces gladly became our subjects and gave us the stress-free opportunity to practice our craft. Since we both have full-time careers, we weren’t really thinking about starting a business. In late 2018, after dropping a princely sum on a mirrorless camera, Russ thought why not give it a go? Just like that TnR Photography happened. 2019 started out somewhat slow as we developed our website, online presence and other basics. Things picked up in the fall, then COVID-19 hit. It felt like all our momentum disappeared. Undeterred, we continued to take shots of our family and used the downtime as an opportunity to learn and grow. We partnered with an awesome balloon arrangement business, we did some giveaways. Nothing seemed to be bringing in the business. It was discouraging at times, but we kept working at it. Early this year Russ got a call for a surprise engagement. Could this really be our 1st legit client? It was! Russ was rather nervous since Trudeen would be out of town for the shoot and we always worked as a team. It turned out to be the most amazing shoot!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s easy to look at other successful photographers and want the same thing for yourself in an unrealistic timeframe. It’s tough to be patient. It’s easy to think your photos aren’t as good as others. You can easily fall into the comparison trap, or let doubt creep in. Our day jobs have been very demanding. The timing of some photoshoots perfectly coincided with some of the most stressful weeks. We never wanted our creative outlet and side hustle to become a source of more stress, but it can and will happen sometimes. That said, we are highly resilient and don’t stay down for long!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We love portraits! We love anything from couples, engagements, senior pictures, models, proms/dances, and family photos. We shoot almost everything outdoors since we spend so much of our days tied to our desk. I’m not sure we’re known for anything yet, but our vision is to showcase our client’s authenticity. This means finding ways to make our clients comfortable. Trudeen is the best at this, she is like an old friend. Her genuine and kind nature resonates with people immediately. Russ loves to joke around and looks to get the clients in motion through various prompts. Sometimes our son is at our shoots and he is our squeeky toy squeeker for getting the little one’s attention. You’d be amazed how, “Whisper to him/her in your sexiest voice what you had for breakfast” brings out the laughter! I think what sets us apart is clients having as good a time as we are. We try to deliver more than what’s expected, whether that be more edited photos or extending the shoot at no extra charge to make sure our clients are thrilled with the results.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
We like the convenience Layton provides and its proximity to various photo locations. We’re not crazy about the incredible amount of growth that has turned a somewhat sleepy area into a bustling suburban area.
Pricing:
- New clients or military get $50 off (30 min or longer session)
- Sessions start at $125 & include full printing rights
- 30 mins ~ $250
- 45 mins ~ $350
- 1 hr ~ $450
Contact Info:
- Email: tnrphotography2018@gmail.com
- Website: https://russeleven.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tnrphotography2018/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tnrphotography2018
