Inspiring Conversations with Andrew Dodson of Andrew Dodson Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Dodson. 

Hi Andrew, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I graduated valedictorian from Oak Hill High School (Oak Hill, OH) and attended Shawnee State University (Portsmouth, OH) for two years before moving to Wilmington, NC to pursue acting. I got some screen time running around in the background of the show Dawson’s Creek, and much to my children’s delight, I have a whopping 3 seconds of screen time as a mad scientist in Muppets From Space! 

After a year working in the film industry, I returned to complete my education at Ohio University (Athens, OH) with a Bachelor’s of Science in Video Production. 

I started my own video production company and in 2007 my wife and I won the Heinz Top This TV Challenge, beating out over 4000 entries nationwide to create the “next great ketchup commercial.” 

With the birth of our third son in 2012, I decided to shift from video production to digital photography. I initially began shooting newborn photographs, but have since focused solely on high school seniors and modeling. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s not necessarily been a rough road, but there have definitely been a few struggles along the way. 

Scioto County is one of the more economically depressed areas in Ohio, so the need for high-end styled baby portraits wasn’t as high as, say, larger metro areas. 

Once I switched to high school seniors and modeling portraits, a much wider market opened up to me. The greatest challenge is effectively marketing to a customer base that is constantly turning over year after year. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Andrew Dodson Photography?
I specialize in high school senior portraits and modeling portraits for current and aspiring models. 

I think I’m most widely known for creating senior portraits that look high-end and magazine-worthy. I’ve spent years studying and learning different shooting and lighting styles, professional posing methods, how to work with talent that can have no experience to a lot of experience, and photo retouching using industry standards. 

I think what sets me apart is not only the quality of the imagery but the fact that I’ve had four seniors land modeling agents based upon images from their senior pictures. That’s what I’m most proud about – helping a young person find their confidence and voice and, through their images, discover their uniqueness and beauty. 

It’s always rewarding to see a teenager who begins the experience unsure of herself find the confidence through our session. One senior in particular, I discovered at my wife’s beauty salon. She had absolutely no experience, was shy, and over the course of a couple years working with her, she’s now competing in beauty competitions on the national level! 

Andrew Dodson Photography offers high-end senior portrait sessions and modeling sessions to help current and aspiring models build their professional portfolios. 

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck always plays a role in life and business. 

But while we’ve been lucky to be presented with opportunities, I believe the successes we’ve had have been created by looking at things creatively, critically, and strategically. 

Contact Info:

• Email: andrew@andrewdodsonphotography.com
• Website: www.andrewdodsonphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/andrewdodsonphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/andrewdodsonphotography

Image Credits
Andrew Dodson Photography