Photography Case Study: Dale Hughes
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your photography journey?
I started this journey back during COVID 2020, I was a car valeter and van driver, it was awful.
Losing my job was a silver lining, and one thing led to another. I wanted to work for myself, I had no idea how to do it, no experience in selling a thing, no design background and my education background was a comedy show. But determination and a bit of common sense goes along way. It's much easier to learn when it's something you enjoy, school was a nightmare.
After many failed 'hobby' attempts, including making stickers, laser engraving & a CNC machine, creating gaming bits mainly carved into wooden plaques. It wasn't for me though. Photoshop was the next dopamine rush.
I opened an Etsy store and started selling my prints, I've sold thousands across the world (still amazes me) and still have it open to this day. While trying to get into the sports design world, I somehow got the idea of getting a camera (again with no experience in using one) and using my own photo's from the games to make the sports design posters.
It didn't quite work out like that, but the passion for the photography was completely different to the other failed hobbies I tried. Long story short, my friends son played for a football team, and that gave me the taste of sports photography, that's where I am up to now. Currently hooked on golf, trying to bring my photography into the golf world. As they say 'love what you do, you've won half the battle'.
Some of my first photo's i took in July 2024. I thought they amazing at the time.
Fortunately with a bit of on the job experience, several hundred hours of practice and course videos, the photo's and my editing skyrocketed. Doing all this on a small budget, learning and running a business from the ground up, really isn't for the feint hearted. It's a roller coaster of emotions most days. It's probably why i play a lot of golf 🤣
Do you have any tips or advice that you could pass along to any new photographers?
Practice, practice, practice. Follow other photographers in your field, they are not your enemies or rivals. You will find your own style in time, along with a workflow for your editing.
