Daily Inspiration: Meet Dominique Murray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dominique Murray. 

Hi Dominique, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been taking photos for as long as I can remember. There are tons of photos of me at a young age with disposable cameras in hand – even at my parent’s vow renewal! My parents had gotten me a variety of small digital cameras as I got older and my high school invested in DSLRs. I started consistently taking photos for a photoshop class as well as portraits of my friends for their senior year. 

At the time, I wanted to be an English teacher but was explaining to my art teacher how much I loved photography. She asked me why I didn’t consider teaching photography instead – my mind exploded. I took my next study hall that entire evening researching how I could teach photography. I started applying to schools that had photography programs and decided to attend Robert Morris University. During my time there, I interned under Terry Clark and Inspiring Lives Magazine. Both Terry and the women of Inspiring Lives opened the door for me to consider running my own business as they did. 

After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, my parents helped me navigate opening the LLC of Dominique Murray Photography. I am very proud and blessed to be a photographer full-time. I work with personal branding clients and high school/college seniors, and photograph editorials and magazine content. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It has not always been a smooth road! 

During college, I juggled three jobs as well as babysitting, dog sitting, and photographing to be able to afford my education and further my career. It was incredibly difficult to balance everything and I had SO many late nights with little sleep. Caffeine was truly my best friend. 

In my junior year of college, I was blessed with a full-ride scholarship. This enabled me to slow down on work and pick up my internships. I realized I still had SO much more to learn and tried to soak as much in as I could. After college, I went from being provided with a studio space and any sort of equipment I needed to have it be just me and my camera. 

I continued on with my part-time job and freelancing on sunny and nice days – which tend to be far and few between with the snow and rain in our area! I was given the opportunity to go in on shared studio space. I jumped on the opportunity and things started to look up. I shared a space with five other phenomenal women. I could now shoot year-round! 

After spending about a year in that space, I outgrew it. Scheduling conflicts arose and I needed a larger physical space. Through a friend, I was able to find the current space I am in. I began to build my inventory and equipment up to that of a full-service professional studio. It was a huge financial risk to take on, but I don’t regret a penny spent. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist that uses photography to tell a story! I photograph with both a digital camera as well as a 35mm film camera. My focus is on portraits. 

I am the first of my family to graduate from college as well as the first to open their own business. These two things have opened so many doors for me and I am thankful for them every day. I work hard to continue to learn and grow both professionally and personally. 

During this journey, I have been given the opportunity to photograph publications including a national magazine cover that could be found on the shelves of Barnes and Noble. 

I believe that part of the reason I stand out in the community is because of how fully encompassing my sessions are. From start to finish, I work with my clientele to bring their vision to life. We set up zoom calls to walk through what kind of sets need to be built for their images, what outfits they need to bring, what color of backdrops they need, and what props they should have on hand. When they arrive, I have a professional stylist on set that will give them hair and makeup. We will work through their vision and capture them looking and feeling like their best selves, directly after their session, we go through their images and select what digital images and prints they would like! 

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
To work with me, you can fill out this form: https://www.dominiquemurrayphotography.com/contact 

The biggest way they can support me is through social media – my handle on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter is @murr_nugg 

You can find me on Facebook and YouTube at Dominique Murray Photography 

Pricing:

• $450 Creative Fee that includes complimentary hair and makeup, three outfits, studio time, and the second location of your choice
• Digital images packages start at $325
• Headshots: 3 images for $200
• Event photography starting at $150/ Hour

Contact Info:

• Email: dominiquemurray.photography@gmail.com
• Website: https://www.dominiquemurrayphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murr_nugg/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DominiqueMurrayPhotography
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/murr_nugg
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQNBpzQuAsFlzbNlJC0SYyQ
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@murr_nugg

Image Credits
Heather Tabacchi