CRESTVIEW — Roy Estes’ photography career began about nine years ago when his kids were playing sports.
“I got a camera one time and fell in love with photography,” Roy said. “I would shoot some of my son’s games and took his team’s pictures one time.”
A few years later, Roy and his wife, Darlene, began taking professional sports photos through the YMCA.
After people began asking if they could take pictures other than sports, the couple opened their own photography studio, Shot in Focus, two years ago. The studio is located at 1505 S. Ferdon Blvd, Suite B.
“Anybody with a camera is a photographer, which is great because everyone should have a hobby,” Roy said. “We realized that no one was doing it in a traditional studio manner.”
Roy said that having photos done in a studio allows both those being photographed and those taking the photos to feel more comfortable. It also comes with more benefits.
“It gives people some place to come to get out of the weather and there’s not a lot of distractions for kids,” Roy said. “We can also take our time because there’s no one rushing us.”
The studio offers many different types of sessions including headshots, maternity photos, family pictures and newborn shoots.
One session the studio offers that isn’t very common in the area is pet photography.
“We felt like it was underserved,” Roy said. “Pets are just as much a part of the family as kids are. A lot of time, just like when you don’t have any good pictures of your kids, you don’t have any of your pets as well.”
According to Roy, there’s a misconception that people seem to have about getting photos of pets done.
“People think ’My dog will never sit still for pictures’ and most don’t,” Roy said. “Most of these animals do not sit still but we will take the photos with the leash and the owner holding it, then Photoshop it out later.”
Despite the misconception, the Estes both say that taking photos of pets is a lot like taking photos of children. Even though it is difficult, getting a good photo is still possible.
“When you have a difficult 3 year old that doesn’t want to sit still, it’s the same concept with pets,” Darlene said.
“Most animals are like toddlers,” Roy added. “If you can shoot photos of a toddler, shooting the pets is like a piece of cake.”
For more information about the studio, visit https://shotinfocus.com
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview studio offers different kind of photos