Meet Minh Do | Freelance Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Minh Do and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Minh, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
At first, I really had a difficult time due to not having about of business experience, and for me to be the only one working everything out took a toll on me for a while. I had to study and do research online to better understand the circumstances of running one. As the years go by, things slowly began to get better, but still had a hard time trying to get more clients. One tip I do want to express is go to the places you want to take photos at and start connecting. Showing them my work and being able to convince them has been one of the best feelings to get.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
From what I have been told by many of my friends and clients, they were surprised to have gotten everything within a short period of time, and having the photos appearing very editorial. I also do thing that with photography, angles and posing have been one of my fortes, especially in the lifestyle/fashion photography. I don’t really have a proud moment, but each photoshoot I do gets me very excited to bring out my ideas and always going outside the box. Many people always feel awkward in front of the camera, so I have to try my best to have it go smoothly and have them shocked by how good the photo turned out.

This was never easy. I regret not being about to improve on my skill earlier in the years, but so much personal struggle happened during that time. I felt lost and did take a break from doing photography for a few years. I have asked people to be brutally honest about my work, and those critiques has gone a long way for me. Even now, there are certain things I still need to work on, and having to dabble into videography, there is so much more information to learn.

Within my career, I needed to keep my eyes open for new ideas, because it lead to so many spots and ideas that I normally don’t see on a daily basis. And for photography, we all have different styles. So we need to take consideration that some styles might not be interesting to others. And I recommend honing your skills as quickly as you can, because there are others in your field and you do not want to fall behind.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would take them to The Post in Downtown, Houston. Having a food court on the first floor and a rooftop to take photos, I would be able to accomplish a lot while being in one area. And with it being in Downtown, there are other spots within a 5-10 minute drive that I can also have them explore. Just seeing new things and having someone to do it with makes it more memorable.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, I want to dedicate this to all of my friends who have witnessed my photography journey, whether if it was the very beginning, during my professional career, or having to branch out on concepts. Without all of them, I would not have been able to reach this far into my career and have many people experience my work ethics and creativity.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shots_by_minh/