The Blog
Our Studio’s Mailing Address
Blame it on COVID-19, New mailing Address Our studios mailing address is now PO Box 1174, Visalia, CA. 93279. For twenty-four years we have had our studio in downtown Visalia and we still do, but a couple of things have occurred that have caused our mail delivery to...
Proof Files, The What, Why, and History.
In the past Today, we use proof files to show customers what we have shot and allow them to choose the photos they would like to make prints from and have us do any retouching that is needed. But in the days of film photography, the process of showing what we, as...
B-25 Mitchell: The Stoy Behind The Photo
The nose section of a B-25 Mitchell bomber from an air show in 1992 at the Fresno California Airport. I have always loved airplanes, new and old. Growing up, I read every book I could find on WWII, especially the air war. I went to air shows near where I lived in...
Clouds Owens Valley: The Story Behind The Photo
Clouds Over Owens Valley, Winter, 1979 Owens valley has always been one of my best-loved places, a jumping-off point to some of my favorite destinations; the eastern Sierras where I have backpacked since the early 70s, on the other side of the valley, the White...
COVID-19 Protocols at Our Studio
To make your interactions with us safe, we have set COVID-19 protocols for our studio. As I write this at the end of July 2020, we are in a kind of semi lockdown status of business re-opening during the coronavirus pandemic. The studio was closed starting...
We Are Your Local Church Directory Photographer
We're your local church directory photographer. We know that in the past, church directories have been done by large, out of the area companies, with no local ties. They came into town, set up, did the photography, and moved on. You used them because that was what you...
Background Replacement
Our original photo, taken in a Fresno park, was the best we had available.So we knocked out the background and added a new one that made for a much better photo. Backgrounds, whether it be a portrait or a person, a group of people, a photo of a car or truck, or a...
Kings Canyon Wedding; The Story Behind The Photo
Doug and Heather were from Iowa, and they wanted to get married somewhere different. They searched the internet and found Zumwalt meadows in Kings Canyon National Park. It fit the bill perfectly when it came to what they were looking for in a place for a memorable...
Church Directorys and The Coronavirus
Roy Dressel talks about doing a safe Church directory in times of the Corornvirus. In this time of the Coronavirus Pandemic, you may have found that your church directory is being used more and more now. People who normally greet each other in person at church...
Youth Sports in the Age of Coronavirus
Don't look now, but the backstop for the youth sports baseball field just got moved six feet back. That idea just came to my mind as a description of the social distancing measures that we have been going through for the last few weeks. We know that for you, it...
A Team Photo Without The Group
This photo started out as 9 individual photos, we then photoshopped them together to make this Virtual Team Photo.Team photos for league sports and martial arts schools have traditionally been done by grouping all the players and coaches together. But, in this time of...
A Wedding Story: From Australia With Love
Ben, meet Sheila, your future wife, Sheila meet Ben, your future husband. Having been in the wedding business for over thirty years I do have a wedding story or two to tell so I thought I would start a series devoted to those stories. Now, I could tell some very...
RoyDresselPhoto.com Twenty Years of the Website
One of our early web pages, from 2000It doesn't seem possible, but it's been 20 years since I started www.roydresselphoto.com back in the last few days of 1999. It also doesn't seem possible that at one time, I didn't have a website. I can't imagine not having one...
The Sports Photography Memory Mate.
The sports Memory Mate The memory mates are what I like to call the heart of our sports photography offerings. As you can see, It's an individual player photo along with a team photo. But our memory mates are much more than just photos. Old style memory mates were...
My Cameras: The Praktica Nova I
My first 35mm SLR I bought my second 35mm camera, a Praktica Nova I during my freshman year in high school. That was sometime in late 1969. It was my first SLR. (single-lens reflex) It replaced the Universal half frame that I had been using for about a year....
The Short History of Roy Dressel Photography
Roy Dressel Photography is a Visalia California Photography studio, in business since 1984. Our studio is located in the heart of Visalia’s vibrant downtown district. How I got “into” photography. Everyone seems to have an about page, a place where they tell you how...
Organizing The Photography on Your Wedding Day: The Wedding Journey Part 4
The better organized you are the less stress you’r going to have on your wedding. Here at Roy Dressel Photography we’ll make sure we are both on the same page
The Consultation: Wedding Journey Part 3
To help make sure your wedding day goes smoothly and as planned we like to set the consultation with you the week or two before your wedding date. In this meeting, we'll go over details of not only the timing of photos but also who will be in the formal posed photos....
My Cameras: The Olympus OM-1
This Old Olympus OM-1 is one of my favorite cameras. Purchased new at Boots Camera in Fresno in 1979. The Olympus OM-1 was my first professional 35mm camera The Olympus OM-1 was my first professional camera, but I had had several 35mm cameras before the OM-1. The...
The Best Time of Day for The Wedding Ceremony
The golden hours, that hour just an hour or two before sunset is the best time of day for photography. The best time of day for a wedding ceremony allows time for photography in that golden hour. As I write this I am looking out the back window of our home. It's...
Getting Over Your Business Portrait Photophobia
Photophobia: The fear of a business portrait headshot Google the word photophobia and we find that it is a real ailment: a sensitivity to light. If you're looking for that, you are in the wrong place. Today we’re talking about that dread that comes over many of us...
The Wedding Journey: Part 2, The Photos You Love
Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, there are so many decisions to make. From selecting your wedding colors, the food, your DJ, the cake, and yes, your photographer. (we couldn’t forget that one) Then there's that guest list. (the trouble is not who do you...
Your Wedding Journey: Part 1 The Booking
This post is part one of a multi-part series covering our wedding photography process. Most people don't have a lot of experience when it comes to planning a wedding. Even if you have had a few in your family over the years, every wedding photographer does things...
Becoming a Photographer: My First 35mm Camera
Man, this camera sure does show my age. Well, in reality, it is a bit older then I am. I bought this camera in a pawn shop in Fontana, California, in about 1968, but it's much older than that. The Mercury II camera was built by the Universal Camera Corporation of...
Thank You for Your Service
When one or both wedding of the wedding couples are in the military, it makes for some dramatic photos. The uniform, the flag, and the wedding dress create a striking contrast. Symbols of a life lived serving our country and a life yet to come. Our wedding...
Becoming A Photographer: The FR Kit
The little kit that I received for my thirteenth birthday to develop and print B&W film. It began a journey that I am still on today. The journey of the image. I'm lucky, I found my passion early in life, and it became a passion that I have been able to make my...
Mailing Photographs The Right Way
Most of us find ourselves having to mail photographs to friends and family on occasion, but worry about losing, or damaging our precious memories through the mail, of course, they don't want them to be lost or damaged. Yes, things happen and sometimes the postal...
California’s White Mountains
We all have our favorite places, for some of us it's you own backyard. For others is in a group of people at a party. For me, it's being in the White Mountains of California. This desert mountains range first came to my attention when I read "The Thousand Mile Summer"...
Our Church Directory Program
Doing a church directory was often a frustrating process. Organizing members to come in and get their photos was often quite a chore. Slow delivery of the books along with high-pressure sales tactics caused many churches to do the directory themselves, often with not...
Recover Deleted Files
It's easy to delete files accidentally If you have been a photographer for some time you have more then likely deleted files that you should not have. If your a pro doing several little jobs a day, this becomes quite easy to accomplish. Though accomplish is not the...
The 5 Best Places in Visalia to Take Pictures
In my over three decades in the professional photography business in Visalia, I have found what I think are the 5 best places to take pictures Visalia. For those looking for family, weddings, children and high school senior settings can all find the location for that...
Engagement Photo Sessions
Engagement photo sessions Engagement photo sessions are a big part of the wedding photography coverage of Roy Dressel Photography and have been since we began in business back in 1984. When we began our business couples announced their engagement in the newspaper and...
A smooth sports photo day
This post is written to help make for a more organized and efficient sports photo day. A quick note that, We will have a table where you can ask questions, get change, see samples of the items we offer, get a payment envelope and pay with a credit or debit card on...
After The Wedding Day
Your wedding day has come and gone. It's been perfect. The weather was great, the day went off without a hitch, you had a great time, and you'll have memories that will last a lifetime. Now it's time to time to decompress; to just enjoy yourselves. But what about the...
The Space Needle
Seattle's Space Needle was built for the 1964 Worlds Fair. Recently remolded, it is still a stunning site and Seattle's landmark. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Seattle has the Needle. It is quite an attraction and garners lots of tourist traffic. You buy a tick and you...
Wedding and Photography Scams
Every month or so I get an email attempting to scam me out of some money. Yes, as with just about everything, scammers target photographers and even couples planning a wedding. If there is an opportunity out there, someone is working hard at taking advantage of that...
Photoshopping, Retouching or Creative Editing.
I have got a few emails lately from prospective clients wanting to know if I retouch my wedding images, so I thought I would write this blog post going into what the term retouching means, at least to me, and then get into what the terms photoshopping, and creative...
Abandoned Childs Trike
I was on a motorcycle ride in northern Nevada a few summers ago and came across an old brick house at a ranch site. It had appeared that the people who lived there just up and left years ago, with this child’s trike being one of many things left behind. I thought...
There Was a Time I Put Film in my Camera
I have recently been asked to talk to a high school video and media class about my job. One of the topics that the teacher and I discussed was how I made the transition from shooting film to a digital workflow. Good subject, as most kids that are in high school...
How to Get the Most Out of a Wedding Show
You're engaged, and your wedding plans always on your mind. Your gathering ideas and you see an ad for a bridal show. Here is a chance to see things in person. Talk to vendors, see other couples and maybe even make some deposits. Bridal shows are a place to get hands...
Becoming A Drone Photographer
Drones: they're big in the photography and video business these days. It seems like just about everyone is getting into the business. Myself included. I have thought about adding aerial drone footage to my business for some time now but never really looked into them...
Videoing a Funeral
In the past, and still to a great extent today, a funeral is that is seen as sad, not to be remembered with photos or video, but more and more now people are referring to these as celebrations of life. Looking back on their loved one's life and seeing it as a life...
The Making of a Great Business Portrait
People are judging us all the time; it’s a fact of life, and we all do it. We make judgments about what we are going to buy and who we are going to do business with by many things we see well before we even meet with the people. Things like the look of the company...