Corlis tells a little bit about us:
Don and I are native to Southwest Georgia, having grown up in Pelham in Mitchell County.
We were high school sweethearts back in the mid-late 70’s. We probably had the longest courtship ever…we dated 8 ½ years and finally married in Aug of 1982. We relocated to the Albany area in 1990 where Don continued his work as a pharmacist and I worked in accounting for a local warehouse & distribution company.
We both have a great love for taking pictures - Don is all about being technically correct and me, well I just like to point and shoot!
I guess you could say my talent is that I love people! I assist by setting up shots and making people feel relaxed, comfortable and ensuring that they are having a good time. Occasionally I have the opportunity to take a few shots and much to my surprise they are pretty darn good! (Don’s instruction is starting to pay off.)
Don began developing his photography skills while in high school. He was the photographer for sports events as well the yearbook.
Don photographed his first weddings in 1975 while working part-time with the local studio. He learned darkroom skills as well. By default we were always the official photographers at family functions.
Eventually a dear friend asked us to photograph her son’s wedding. This caused us to focus on possibly moving our photography to the professional level. We began doing a wedding here and there and we were asked to be the official photographers for a local beauty pageant. We realized we were really enjoying photographing these events. Not only did we possess the necessary skills, but now the desire to pursue photography professionally engaged us.
We felt it was time to establish ourselves as a business and come up with a name, thus Southern Light Images.
from Don’s perspective:
Corlis is correct about my technical side. I learned early on that I loved the study of lighting, cameras, composition, darkroom work - literally all facets of photography. For so many years, photography was just an enjoyable avocation. As our pharmacy and accounting careers “matured” we realized that our long held love for photography was just the right vehicle to carry us into the next phase of our professional lives.
We are committed to providing the level of professional service one should expect as a client. We shoot digitally with Nikon cameras and lenses. For lighting we use both small Nikon strobes as well as larger studio strobes as the event we’re shooting requires. We have a portable studio with various backdrops and lighting gear. We have backup camera bodies, lenses, and lighting to ensure an equipment malfunction doesn’t cause a major problem.
Since we are fully digital with our production, we strive to stay current with our computers, software, and skills. We use both Apple Mac Pro and PCs in our workflow. Our software suite is extensive with our primary tools being Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. We are continually studying and working to improve our skills and knowledge. We are members of Professional Photographers of America (PPA), National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), Digital Wedding Forum (DWF), and other groups to help us become better photographers.
We limit our bookings for major events (such as weddings or pageants) to two per month. This allows us to ensure the high level of service for which we want to be known. Our goals are to provide high quality, excellent service for our clients and for us to continue to enjoy doing what we love. If you think we may be what you're looking for in a photographer, please contact us so that we can discuss your requirements further. If we are a good match for each other, we would love to reserve your date for you.