We were lucky to catch up with Trevon Davis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Trevon, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I developed my confidence and self-esteem in many different ways. I used to struggle with both of these when I first began my photography business. I was always looking at everyone else around me wondering why my work wasn’t getting as much recognition. This made me think that the work I was putting out was not good enough. Though it helped me work harder to improve my craft, the likes don’t show the quality of my work. I learned to not care so much about how many other people liked my work. I focused more on the only “like” that counted which was mine. If I felt the work was up to the quality I set for myself, then that was all I needed. Once I realized this, my confidence and self-esteem rose tremendously. This is a great quality to have for your work and in your day to day life.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am Trevon Davis of Trey Photography and my story is a bit different than others. Photography is not a traditional career choice if you don’t know that already. Even though this is the case, I have been blessed to have supportive parents and family members who believed in me before I actually did myself. I have been doing photography now for about four years and I have learned many things about this industry. It can be brutal at times but the reward of capturing someone in a photograph is worth all of the trials. I believe this is the most special thing about being a photographer that many people brush past. Many moments are just memories until they are captured in a photo. You may forget most of the events of that day but once you look back at the photo, all the details rush back to your mind. I am looking to do the same soon for anyone in need of a photoshoot session in the next upcoming months. I am open for bookings for portraits, graduation photos, family events and even birthdays. I would be honored to capture your memories in the best way I can so you can look back in the future and remember the best parts of them
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Three areas of knowledge that I believe were most impactful in my journey were learning the technical skills of photography, learning my own style and learning the business of people. Once you are comfortable with these three areas of knowledge the sky is the limit. The technical skills are the fundamentals of photography, the terms that another photographer will understand but a common person won’t. This will help improve your network of photographers and find a mentor to help you along the way. Learning your own style is essential with creating the difference in your work and everyone else. This can be your lighting setup or your editing process but once you find your style life becomes easier. This will also be the reason for a client to choose your work over someone else. Finally, learning the business of people will take you a long way. Everyone has their opinions and you must be mindful of these. I believe learning this is very important since someone can believe the way you edit is perfect and another may want it completely different. You just have to be able to respond correctly to what people want from you and communicate what you can do. This will save you from potential problems down the road.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing that my parents did for me was allowing me to choose my path. There have been multiple times that I have pivoted from what I wanted to do. When I was younger I actually wanted to be a doctor. My parents were right behind me supporting me. Once I saw how much school doctors had to go to, I changed careers to a basketball player. This was one of my dreams that my parents supported as well. They took me to practices every week and training sessions on the weekends. This was most of my middle and high school journey. They believed in me and came to every game and practice. Once I had knee surgery after I injured myself at the end of high school, I pivoted my final time. Photography was always a hobby of mine but I never thought I could turn it into a business. I asked my parents if they thought I should go for it and they were behind me without hesitation. If they had not been so willing to support me in whatever I did, I may not be in the position where I am today. I wish I could thank them enough for all the support and words aren’t enough for all they have done for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: treyphotography.com
- Instagram: @Treyphotography00
Image Credits
shot by Trey Photography
