Listen to Patty on VTalkRadio Show interview from Michigan

ANNOUNCER: Welcome to the VTalk Radio Photographer Spotlight, with your host, John Bentley. JOHN: Today, we are in the studio with Patty Stewart of Patty Stewart Photography of West Monroe, Louisiana. Welcome, Patty, to the VTalk Radio?s Photographer Spotlight.

PATTY: And hello to you, too.

JOHN: Now, I understand you have quite a business brewing down there in Louisiana. Can you tell us a little bit about your photography business?

PATTY: We do. We are destination photographers. Our home base is here in West Monroe, Louisiana, but we travel all the states and worldwide, photographing families, weddings and children; known for that. We also not only photograph, but we also can take their fingerprints or handprints or footprints of our children and have them put on 14-karat jewelry. It could be rings, cufflinks, tie tacks for the men, necklaces. We also can photograph and have images put on handbags. We?ve got all types of designs. Everything that we do is very upscale and beautiful. We love it, and have been doing this for quite a few years.

JOHN: Fingerprint keepsakes. What a novel idea. You can actually take a baby?s fingerprints and put it on jewelry or any number of items?

PATTY: That?s correct, yes. Like the footprints, handprints, fingerprints or their thumbprint and put it on a necklace and it?s kind of miniaturized. The necklace can be the size of a dime or a quarter, 14-karat. It can even have diamonds, birthstones on the jewelry itself also, so that has been one of our number one items that we have been selling. I love it. It?s very sentimental.

JOHN: Yeah, that?s a pretty unique service you offer. Now, you also do ceramic tile. Tell us about that.

PATTY: Yes, we can take the images . . a lot of our brides have been doing this with their husbands. After the wedding or during the wedding, we photograph something special and we put it on ceramic tile and then we also custom frame it, and it?s a very unique product. You just have to see it. On our website, on our portfolio, you should be able to see some of the images of that, and it?s very different.

JOHN: Now, you also offer coffee table books, too. Tell me a little bit about that.

PATTY: Yes, that service, like if we have an anniversary or birthday party or even a wedding, would tell the story, the whole event. We?ll come and capture all of the images of the event and then we will design a very unique, upscale, again album. It?s a book, and it just tells the story of it all. It?s very beautiful. It?s like going into one of the bookstores and buying a book. It?s that top quality.

JOHN: Patty, you had mentioned that you do destination weddings. I would imagine that you?re pretty busy with weddings this time of year.

PATTY: We are very busy with weddings, and it?s a great time. The weather has been awesome. In our travels that we?ve done our weddings so far, we cover all the states plus worldwide, and actually we?ve got one coming up pretty soon. We have to go to the Caymans, and we?ve just got different places where we photograph the weddings and then make them a nice book, and it?s just beautiful and we love it. Our brides and grooms love it, and one good thing about our services also is we have two to three to four photographers. We all work together and capture all of their memories for them. So, that?s another good thing we do. It?s not just one photographer.

JOHN: You also do senior portraits, I see.

PATTY: We do. We love seniors. We?ve got our home base studio. We have around three acres, and we?ve got all types of sceneries. We?ve got ponds. We?ve got boater?s walks. We even have our own personal beach. We had 52 tons of sand brought in, and we have our own private beach in Louisiana.

JOHN: Great. I also see something kind of unique on your website, aerial photography. Tell us about that.

PATTY: We do. We have a lot of clientele that calls that may be doing something under construction and they want to take the steps of when they are building their stores, and a lot of that is under commercial. And we have some clients that call and they would like to have their property, their home, an aerial shot done of it just to frame to have. So, we do quite a bit. You?d be surprised the number of people that want some aerial shots.

JOHN: So, you own your own helicopter, huh?

PATTY: We have a plane.

JOHN: You really have a plane?

PATTY: I have a very good friend and we partnership in a plane.

JOHN: Well, that?s great. So, you?re a pilot yourself?

PATTY: Yes, but I do have somebody else to fly most of the time.

JOHN: When you?re shooting, I would imagine.

PATTY: Yes. I wouldn?t want to run a red light.

JOHN: Right. You don?t want to be talking on a phone while you?re flying down the road there. Now, do you do portraits . . . it looks like you do some kind of corporate photography, too.

PATTY: We do a lot of executive portraiture also for companies.

JOHN: And I also see on your website pet shots. What?s it like shooting somebody?s pet?

PATTY: We love that. I am an animal lover, and so we have taken from people bringing in little baby turtles to alligators and snakes and dogs and cats and even chickens, so you?d be amazed at the kinds of pets that people have.

JOHN: Even chickens! Even chickens, huh. Well, I tell you what. That?s something indigenous of Louisiana perhaps, pet chickens?

PATTY: Well, okay, maybe we won?t go there.

JOHN: All right. Well, right now I?d like you to tell our listeners your website and contact information, please Patty.

PATTY: Yes. Our website is www.pattystewartphoto.com or www.pattystewartphotography.com.

JOHN: What about your phone number?

PATTY: Our area code is 318. 396-5312.

JOHN: We are speaking with Patty Stewart of Patty Stewart Photography of West Monroe, Louisiana. You are listening to VTalk Radio Photographer Spotlight. We?re going to take a little break for these important messages. We?ll be right back. VTALK RADIO: Looking for a bridal show in your area. Visit www.weddingdetails.com for a list of upcoming bridal shows in your area. Visit www.weddingdetails.com tonight.

ANNOUNCER: VTalk Radio. This VTalk Radio Spotlight is sponsored by morephotos.com. The online photo sales solution for professional photographers worldwide. VTALK RADIO ... we now return you to VTalk Radio Photographer's Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.

JOHN: We are in the studio with Patty Stewart of Patty Stewart Photograph of West Monroe, Louisiana. Welcome back to VTalk Radio?s Photographer Spotlight, Patty.

PATTY: Thank you.

JOHN: Now, we?ve been talking about your photographer business down there in Louisiana. Can you tell us some of the cities and communities in the area that you cover.

PATTY: We cover pretty much, quite a bit of Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Vicksburg, Florida, Naches, and of course, I mentioned this earlier, we are worldwide, so we do go out of the country. We are looking for a wedding . . . I?d like to do a wedding in Germany. I?ve not hit that. That?s one of the places, so there you go, you listeners, if somebody needs a German photographer, here we are.

JOHN: I hope you speak fluent German.

PATTY: Oh, I?ve got my little book. I?ll translate well.

JOHN: That?s good. Now, Patty, tell me how long have you been in the business?

PATTY: Going on about 28 years.

JOHN: Wow. Plenty of experience there. So, they?re definitely getting an experienced photographer when they hire you. I see you do some pop art, also. Tell us a little bit about that.

PATTY: We do. We do a lot of the Andy Warhol look, and that is another . . . I?m glad you mentioned that because that is another number one photography that we kind of get a lot of requests to do. We do a lot of individuals and you bring your child in, or whomever wants to have that done, and we just kind of do a creation for you and it?s really beautiful. We?ve got several houses that we just want to go over there and visit every once in a while because it?s so beautiful just to look at it and go, wow, I can?t believe we did this. It?s a different beautiful work.

JOHN: I would definitely recommend anybody go to the website to take a look at that port of her portfolio because it?s hard to describe that over the radio like this, but definitely a unique service that you guys offer. Now, why did you decide to become a photographer in the first place?

PATTY: It?s just something that I?ve always . . . when I was a little girl, that?s just the first thing I wanted, to take pictures, and my first camera came out of a cereal box. My mother got it for me, and I drove her crazy with trying to buy me film, and constantly taking pictures. So, I think it was something that was just born in me. I just have an eye for it.

JOHN: You got a camera out of a cereal box? That?s amazing. What brand of cereal was that?

PATTY: You know, I don?t remember the name of it, but I had the camera until several years back, and my parents? house burned and my camera was there. It was kind of one of the things . . . it hurt me worse than anything because I can never replace that, but it took some great pictures. It was amazing.

JOHN: That?s funny. Now, obviously, you?ve been in the business for many years. You started out with standard film. Do you still do some standard film, or is it typically just digital now, or how do you approach that?

PATTY: It just kind of depends on what session or why my client is wanting. We can do film, but honestly this day and time everybody?s in a fast pace and they want something great, but they want it quick, so we pretty much are full digital. We?ve been digital probably now for 6-8 years, somewhere in that time frame, and we very seldom get a request for film, but every once in a while we still do some. We?re pretty much . . . you might as well say we?re full digital.

JOHN: And what is your most important goal when you?re shooting a client?

PATTY: Just to get that ultimate shot for them. There?s just nothing like having a client tear up when they look at images that we have photographed. There?s no amount of money that can pay for that feeling, and it?s just very rewarding to be able to capture something that someone is going to have for the rest of their life that I produced for them and helped them get.

JOHN: I see also that you do some landscape photography or outdoor photography. Is that something that you . . . is that more of a passion for you or do you actually get people that order that kind of stuff? What do you do with that kind of photos after you?ve done them?

PATTY: Well, the landscape . . . we have a lot of like hotels or gardens or zoos that call us to want us to capture that look, but it is a personal preference. As far as . . . I just love landscapes, or even when I travel, I just love looking at the different designs and the beauty of the woods and the mountains and the oceans and the trees. So, it is kind of a hobby. That?s one of my hobbies is landscapes, but I do get a lot of clients that they want to incorporate that in their brochures and we do design and make their brochures for them and a lot of it then has to do with landscapes.

JOHN: Well, it sounds like you?ve got quite a lot of things going on there at Patty Stewart Photographer, from the standard weddings and seniors and the destination photography and pop art and pets and you even make things out of your pictures, whether it?s ceramic tile so you can walk on your husband?s face on the way out to the patio, I suppose. Jewelry . . . jewelry, that?s great, and certainly the fingerprint keepsakes is a really unique idea. You guys have got a lot of really good services and products that you are offering your customers. I definitely recommend anybody to take a look at your website and get a hold of you if they need somebody down in that area, or . . . especially in Germany, huh?

PATTY: You?re right. They need to give us a call and come in and just look at it in person. Talking over the radio about it is nothing like having it in your hand looking at it . . . all the stuff we do. It is amazing, and I am very proud of what we?ve got.

JOHN: Well, thank you for joining us today, Patty. Would you kindly give our listening audience your website and contact information again?

PATTY: Yes, our website is www.pattystewartphotography.com. Our phone number is 318-396-5312. So, call to make your appointment now.

JOHN: We have been listening to Patty Stewart of Patty Stewart Photography in West Monroe, Louisiana. Thanks for joining us to day on VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight, Patty. PATTY: Thank you for having us. JOHN: You have been listening to the VTalk Radio?s Photographer Spotlight. I am John Bentley. Thanks for joining us today. Have a great afternoon.

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