Modern and Stylized Portraiture

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Rudy Gray, Owner of rGRAY photography, located in Port Jefferson, NY, USA

What's your business, and who are your customers?

rGRAY photography is a full-service boutique photography studio specializing in high school seniors, teens, and athletes.

Tell us about yourself

Back in 2015, while I was working as a route delivery driver for a food service company, a workplace injury led to the discovery that I had developed lumbar degenerative disc disease. I was told by my doctor that the condition of my back would not allow me to do my job (or any job that required a lot of lifting) any longer.

So, while I was recovering from the injury – for almost two years – I began investing in what I’ve always wanted to do but never got the chance to do earlier in my life: portrait photography. I took online courses and studied with professional photographer-mentors. I set out to be different than other local professional photographers. My early sports work caught the attention of the Comsewogue High School Varsity Boys’ Basketball coach, Joel Sutherland. He gave me the opportunity to create images for the team’s media guide and their senior night posters, along with action shots at the team’s games as well. The senior posters for the boys’ basketball team were such a hit that opportunities from the other high school teams at Comsewogue and other schools came along the way.

My work with high school and youth athletes eventually led me to the work I was so eager to do: portraiture - the art of creating portraits. Portrait photography is my profession, but I don’t consider it a job. I genuinely love what I do — the privilege to capture special moments in young people’s lives and turn them into beautiful images and wonderful memories that will always be treasured in printed and digital forms.

I don’t like to do things the “normal” way because, to me, there is no normal. I am always striving to experiment with new ideas to create fresh looks that are different and on the cutting edge. I look to create something unique for each and every client I work with because each and every client is beautiful and unique in their very own way. It is my passion to create portraits that are artistic and timeless, extraordinary images that are modern and fashion-forward, and photographs that are expressive, dramatic, and evoke emotion.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I don’t have one specific accomplishment that I am especially proud of, but rather, several accomplishments that are of equal scale in terms of pride and joy.

After several years of photographing the senior athletes at my local high school, I was asked to be the official athletics portrait photographer for all the sports at the school district, and then we also began taking portraits of the music and arts students for the yearbook.
My other school, whose senior athletes I photograph regularly, has turned one of its hallways into an art gallery of sorts, displaying all the seniors’ banners along the walls of the hallway. And then, at the end of the school year, all my work is displayed at the athletics banquet.
Being able to photograph all three of my children at their sporting events at different levels (collegiate, high school, travel) is a privilege that I truly appreciate.
Several of my concert photographs were posted by the artists on their social media. One even used one of my photographs for his Wikipedia biography.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Without a doubt, working for oneself, especially with a home-based business, is the separation of work time and home time. If I am at home, no matter what’s going on, I feel like I would drift off to do some form of work. It’s only when we are out that I know I can focus on NOT doing work.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

I like to think of business as a sport. Everything you experience in business has some kind of analogy with sports. This helps me in setting goals and keep myself motivated.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. Prove them wrong if they do.
Keep moving forward. Yes, you might have to occasionally take a step back, or you might have to deviate from the path you set for yourself. But you have to keep moving forward. Think of football and what you need to do to get from your own 20 to score a touchdown. Sometimes the drive can take 2 plays, and sometimes it can take 11 plays. Sometimes you get a touchdown, and sometimes you have to punt and play defense until you are ready to play offense again.
Always strive to be better than you were yesterday. Find something you can improve each and every day. It could even be something little because a bunch of little improvements adds up.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.rgrayphotography.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rGRAYphotog/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rgrayphotog/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rgrayphotog
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rgrayphotog/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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