Meet Steve Chadwick

We recently connected with Steve Chadwick and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Steve, thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?
I’ve refined my communication skills over decades through a variety of approaches. In my work environment, I have signed up to present technical information and content internally and externally to my company. I have delivered keynotes to large audiences to help refine my oral presentation skills. I have also focused on my technical writing by submitting papers to external forums within my industry. By seeking out these opportunities, I have had an opportunity to learn, practice, and refine my communication styles, both written and verbal.

I have also lived in other countries where English is not spoken as a first (or second) language. By immersing in other cultures and living in other countries, communicating becomes increasingly difficult. You have to figure out how others perceive and receive your communications. I found that working abroad has fundamentally changed how I communicate with others.

These opportunities have helped me communicate with a variety of my clients effectively and have helped me tremendously as a photographer.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hi, I’m Steve Chadwick, a nationally awarded portrait and sports photographer in Chandler, AZ. With a strong engineering background, I see the light, angles, and exposure differently than most photographers, which benefits my clients! I focus on high school seniors, college grads, corporate headshots, and dancers, as well as helping new models build their portfolios. I am the lead photographer for the largest modeling agency in Arizona. This extensive work with new models means I excel at posing my clients, so you don’t have to worry! I also photograph high school sports for MaxPreps, a division of Paramount.

I focus on quality over volume – that’s my style. I aim to deliver a natural-looking photo that truly captures your personality. And you’ll always recognize the person looking back at you in the photo.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
As a photographer, I focus on quality. The easy part of photography is knowing the camera and how they work. This is a technical aspect of photography. As an engineer, I understand the camera and how it works. I understand light, angles, etc.

Photography has a softer side; many people call this your “style,” and this takes a while to develop. Over the years, I have worked on my craft, and my style is that of quality. I want to deliver a fantastic set of images to my client – not volume. I want to wow people with a timeless image that they will cherish. To achieve this image, I spent a fair amount of time in Photoshop, taking care of the details that make that image “pop.” My style/goal is that the image looks completely natural, but there is a wow factor when you look at this image. I have worked on my style for a decade and am continuously learning and refining it.

For new photographers, the challenge is to find your style. My advice is to take your camera out often and practice, through practice you will find your voice. There is no short-cut for practice.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is someone who wants a set of quality images. If a person wants a dump of pictures from the camera with some preset applied to all the photos, I am not your photographer. However, if someone wants to work to create or capture an event that they will cherish for the rest of their life and who appreciates details, then let’s talk! I like to work on the details of every client-delivered image to allow it to make that “wow” statement. The goal is that when the client looks at the image a year from now or in ten years – those memories come rushing back.

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