Meet Charmaine Gray of Charmaine Gray Photography in Southern San Diego

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charmaine Gray.

Charmaine, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
While I have been photographing for years, relocating to San Diego in 2014 reignited my passion for photography. I began taking in all of the natural beauty our city has to offer and exploring the many wonderful parts of our city. It was exciting discovering new locations and finding the perfect compositions for my landscape images. At a photo meetup, I got acquainted with many brilliant photographers who have become friends and inspirations. A couple in particular that have helped me to grow are Frank Colosi and Abe Barron, who not only are incredible photographers, but just good people in general. I’ve also been very fortunate for a dear friend and mentor, Amethel Parel-Sewell, who has been a lifesaver in helping me with business planning, photography techniques and personal growth. In San Diego, the photography community is full of creatives who share, collaborate and teach. We celebrate and inspire one another, and I am grateful for the many talented colleagues in my life. Countless friends and family have supported and encouraged me along the way…too many to list, but I appreciate each one.

My emphasis on on-location pet portraiture began in 2016. I had already become an avid fine art landscape photographer, but in July 2016, something awesome happened. I went to the internationally known event, Imperial Beach Surf Dog, a dog surfing competition. Although I attended as a spectator, I naturally had a couple of cameras on hand. I noticed a few photographers in the restricted zone wearing “puparazzi” badges. I decided then and there that I needed one of those badges. For the next 4 days, I couldn’t stop smiling as I relived the moments while editing photos. After making a few contacts at the event and posting some images on social media, within just a couple of months I was asked to become the official photographer for Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon. 

One thing led to another and in 2017, I was the official photographer for the 3 Southern California Dog Surfing Competitions, including Surf City Surf Dog in Huntington Beach. 

After the first few events, I recognized the joy my photographs were bringing to others, as well as the excitement and pure happiness I felt in making them. Being a dog lover/owner my entire life, it wasn’t entirely surprising that my passion for both photography and dogs culminated in this way. I have 2 dogs – a German Shepherd, Cora, and a Border Collie/Cattle Dog mix, Nolan. They are my best friends and my muses, and have spent numerous hours working on portraits with them. After becoming established and recognized for my pet event photography, I began to offer on-location private sessions, using San Diego’s picturesque terrains as a natural backdrop. This was a great way for me to combine my landscape and pet photography. It’s also fun to scout out new locations for pet portraits. By shooting on location, my clients are able to be in a comfortable, organic environment, doing the activities they love with the furry family members they love. 

I continue to concentrate on pet photography, dog sports and fine art landscapes, and am constantly striving to meet self-set goals, refine my skills and wow my clients. Photography and my dogs are the things that bring me the most peace and joy. Being behind the lens is therapeutic, comforting and exhilarating. I approach it with an undeniable passion and look forward to seeing what comes next.

Great, 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?
Overall, the growth of my business has been relatively steady but there have been learning opportunities and challenges. I am following a business plan, making adjustments as needed, always trying to hone my skills, grow as an artist, and educate myself on my clients wants and needs. The mentor I mentioned earlier, Amethel, has helped me to work through many of the learning opportunities I have faced. I’ve also had a great support system, cheerleaders and peers who have helped me to develop as a photographer.

I don’t often get asked about struggles, so given this rare opportunity, I’ll share a bit of my experience. I don’t think the things I’ve faced are unique to my photography business. I believe most photographers share a similar experience. Much of it relates to the age of digital and the ease of using a cell phone camera. Cell phones have made it easy to snap a quick photo, which has led to a lack of understanding and devaluing of the skill, time and effort involved in creating photographs…in creating art.  Cell shots certainly serve a purpose, but they do not replace fine art. Clients also like to get digital files and print their own, but digital files are our blueprints which have gone through an end to end design process, and as professionals, we choose only the best labs to represent our brand and honor the effort that went into creating the image. It is often in our best interest to keep our source files in house to maintain their integrity. Another challenge is consumer confusion around photography pricing and services. As with any other business, there many options when it comes to photographers – different skills and expertise, styles, equipment, overall client experience, art pieces and so on.  Consumers often ask for price matching or even free services based on their experience with another photographer. Think in terms of a fast food chain versus an upscale restaurant. Each offers different menus with different attributes and different pricing. Consumers can select a photographer who provides the services, products, quality, values and overall client experience that best fits their needs.  One last thing about digital images is that they lack wow factor. It isn’t until I show my clients statement pieces like 24×36 stunning metal prints that they realize where digital files fall short. When a client sees their beloved pet, sometimes life size, on gallery quality materials with colors that pop and with impeccable detail, they are overwhelmed, wowed, and at times, brought to tears.

Speaking of tears, the greatest challenge I’ve faced as a pet photographer is going through the loss of a pet with a client.  I quickly get attached to the animals I photograph. There have been times when I had already gotten to do the session and know the animals, and they passed away after. Those definitely hurt because I had grown to love the furry babies.  Sometimes the animal passes while we are still planning the session and we never get to make those memories. In those cases, I feel sadness and regret. It’s part of the job that I’ll never get used to, but working with animals is what I love.  I think so many would agree, animals need to live longer.

Please tell us about Charmaine Gray Photography.
My areas of expertise include on-location pet photography, studio style pet portraiture, dog sports and events, and fine art landscapes.

My primary area of focus is colorful, lively, joyous, pet photography with scenic or dramatic backgrounds. My clients have described my sessions as fun and relaxed and many have remarked how I put their pet at ease and that their pet took to me right away, even if they are normally shy or anxious. Some clients prefer sessions where their pet is simply playing and having fun. My clients and I enjoy these sessions very much. The pets exude joy and that is clearly illustrated in the images I make. Other clients are interested in portraits, which are a bit more formal in presentation, and we make these sessions exciting by taking play breaks and of course having plenty of tasty treats on hand. The sessions can optionally include humans, but I find most of my clients primarily want only their pets photographed. 

Many have commented that I seem to care for my furry clients as if they were my own. I absolutely have genuine concern for my client’s pet’s well-being. I don’t think it’s just my photos that set me apart, but the personalized experience and attention I provide. Each of my private sessions includes a pre-session consultation, one hour session at the location of client’s choice, reveal party and ordering session in the client’s home, and personal art delivery. My clients are very engaged in creating the vision and it’s a collaborative effort. I want to be sure they are thrilled with their art.

In addition to on-location pet photography, using my portable studio, I make studio-style portraits. I have partnered many times with South Bark Dog Wash to offer on-site mini sessions, display my art, and provide photography services. I currently have art displayed at Wildside Unlimited in Little Italy and hope to soon setup mini sessions there. One studio project to note is a calendar I photographed with my buddy Frank, for the San Diego Gulls hockey team. Players were paired with adoptable dogs from various shelters to create the Pucks & Paws calendar, for which proceeds went back into the pet rescues.

People also know me for dog surfing photos. It’s certainly a Southern California niche and is unique. My images from these events have been in international press releases, articles, magazines, and TV spots. Last year I was stoked to have 2 billboards featuring my image of  surf dog Derby California in Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach. Additionally, a photo of me in action at one of the competitions appeared in Sports Illustrated. Super excited!

For my fine art landscape photography, my work includes dramatic, colorful pieces, often beach scenes or long exposure and nighttime photography. I also enjoy macro photography – extreme close-ups of flowers or insects primarily, and sometimes these take on an abstract look. My clients typically prefer metal prints for my landscape work, due to the clarity, detail and wow factor that it provides. I have had pieces displayed at Liberty Public Market and participated in an art show in La Bodega Gallery in Barrio Logan. In 2017, I was awarded first place in the interior category in the San Diego Architectural Foundation photo contest and I was honored to win the prize. For a period of time, I had landscape pieces in a shop in Hillcrest, where Coldplay once visited, while in town for a show, and bought a few of my items. That was pretty dang cool!

I am also a firm believer in giving back. I regularly donate my time, services and images to charitable organizations whose values I believe in, including a number of pet shelters and rescues. Additionally, for certain events, I donate a portion of proceeds to charity.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Until I was 15 years old, when my brother was born, I was an only child. I spent a lot of time with our dogs, German Shepherds mostly. They were protectors, friends, and entertainers, but mostly they were family. I remember having a small 110 film camera and taking dozens of rolls of pictures of my dogs and family. My grandfather would drop the film off at FotoMat (the little drive up hut) and I’d anxiously wait for the prints to be ready. It was so exciting getting the photos back. I very fondly recall photographing my dogs and family. I believe it was those moments, along with my family’s love for animals that led me to pursue pet portraiture and photography in general. I will forever be grateful for those precious memories.

Pricing:

• Custom Signature Pet Portrait Session – $199
• Event Photography – $99/hour
• Fine Art Landscape Metal Prints – starting at $139

Contact Info:

• Website: www.charmainegrayphoto.com
• Phone: 619-500-4749
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharmaineGrayPets
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charmainegraypets/

Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.