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Rangefinder Magazine
January 2004

Profile: Robert T. Williams by Lou Jacobs, Jr.
Shoot With Your Heart, Not Your Head

Robert T. Williams, who grew up in Vicksburg, MI, became interested in photography in the ninth grade, so he bought a one-step Polaroid and started taking a variety of pictures. He was a freshman at Texas A&M when he received his first SLR, but he had never formally studied photography. “I bought books and tried what I had read,” he explains, “and when my friends modeled for me, I paid them in pictures.”

Despite the reading, Robert knew he had knowledge gaps to fill, so he began attending photo seminars. At one he waited until others queried speaker Clay Blackmore, then asked, “What can I do to move to the next level?” The answer surprised him: “You need to go to a wedding with me.” Robert had two bridal sessions with Clay. “It was a unique opportunity to observe a high-end photographer at work, and I have since invited up-and-coming photographers to observe and assist at weddings I have shot.”

Previous to full-time photography, Robert worked at the Department of Commerce, met with photo clients after hours and did weddings on weekends. He built a client base until he was comfortable that he could maintain a photography business without lowering his standard of living. “Initially,” he says, “I worked out of my home. Then I shared a three-story studio with six other photographers. After six months of scheduling difficulties, I moved back to my house until I found a storefront location.”

After they were married, the couple strolled in the park.

Robert recalls that he started out just wanting to make money, but realized he had to be a better businessman. So he enrolled in business courses that, he says, taught principles applicable to any business. He adds, “But I was not attracting the type of clientele I wanted. So I committed to a year of aggressive marketing of myself and my business. It paid dividends I could not have imagined, though I know marketing is a never-ending pursuit.”

He reminisces, “When I started specializing in weddings nine years ago, people told me to concentrate on portraits—where there was more money and less work. But I’ve found wedding photography lucrative and fun. Each wedding is different.”

Robert adds, “You have to love what you do, or you’re cheating the client and yourself. I’m aware that the bride and groom are not getting married to spend the day with me. I’ve been at weddings where it seemed the photographer was in the couple’s faces every 10 minutes, becoming what I call the wedding director. I arrange such communications to be done prior to the wedding. Clients also appreciate my guarantee to photograph the formals in 15 minutes or less. I remember parents and a daughter who complained that at an older daughter’s wedding the formals took three hours, so how could I promise to shoot them so fast? To answer I gave them a list of all my previous year’s clients along with phone numbers. They did some research and hired me—happily.”

	With the Capitol Building as a backdrop, there is no better place to photograph weddings than Washington, D.C.

On his web site (www.robertwilliams.com), Robert says he unobtrusively captures the personality, style and exuberance of his clients on their special day. When I wondered how he could sustain close contact and still remain inconspicuous, he told me, “My work is all about the senses. To be close and still unobtrusive requires one thing, rapport. Since I do not use a cookie-cutter approach to weddings, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the bride’s vision for the day. This is done mainly through email and telephone. I print out email messages and staple them to the contract. The day before the wedding I study the notes so our conversations will be fresh in my mind. This helps me anticipate their actions, so I am prepared for a wedding day of ‘moments’ that can’t be restaged. Being at one with the bride and groom seems always to put me in the right place at the right time.”

Bride and groom having a little fun

He continued, “A long time ago I realized that I shoot with my heart and not my head. When the heart is involved, you capture the emotional and the physical. If your heart isn’t involved, your head may rationalize, and you may decide some images are not important to you. But they may have importance to the bride.” Many clients want him to shoot their weddings because they saw couples’ albums that Robert had done that made them feel they were at the event.

Robert’s office is located in a commercial area in Lanham, MD, 20–30 minutes away from several affluent neighborhoods within the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area. He explains, “There are many photographers in this area, but I don’t consider them as competition because our styles are different.” He is assisted by office manager, Krystal McKinney, and associate photographer, Cedric Carter. Though he’s located in Maryland, Robert has photographed weddings in Houston, New York, Rhode Island, Palm Beach, Philadelphia and Mexico. “It’s amazing how far word of mouth can travel,” he observes, “but some find me through my web site.”

“ Another major factor contributing to my professional success,” Robert professes, “has been attending seminars at WPPI Conventions for the past five years. I was fortunate to be one of the featured speakers in 2003, and conversing with other photographers and attending classes helps in multiple ways. First, sharing with peers across the country reminds me I don’t live on an island. Second, the wealth of knowledge is incredible. I feel there’s not one situation I might encounter that someone else hasn’t dealt with, and they can point me in the right direction. Third, the instructors are approachable and share their knowledge. Each year I attend WPPI I leave with a new outlook and invigoration.”

Years ago Robert swore he would never do children’s portraits. But he has discovered, “My couples have been coming back to me to photograph their children. One couple flew all the way from Oakland, CA.”

Robert likes Kodak 400 Portra and 3200 T-MAX black and white in his Canon EOS-1N cameras, and says his clients want 50–80 percent black-and-white images. He also shoots digital using a Canon 1D. He observes, “One of the best aspects of digital is when I’m at an engagement session, the bride and groom can get instant gratification viewing some of the images. I like this because it gets them excited.” On the job he uses on-camera flash units with the Stofen Omni Bounce device.

To promote his work Robert places one advertisement in Wedding Style Magazine, and does two bridal shows a year. “The rest is word of mouth and referrals, which are the best promotion anyway,” he says. On his web site in connection with public service are the names of two hotels, a charity and Bloomingdale’s. Asked about these, Robert clarified: “Charity work includes photographing a gala event for Hospice and providing free prints to them.

Another way I give back is buying toys for kids at a shelter at Christmas time. Last year there were 48 children, and my staff and I shop for three toys per child. The shelter sends us a fax with each kid’s name, age and gender so we can buy accordingly. I feel blessed and feel it’s imperative to give back to the community. Seeing the kids’ faces is a definite reward.”

A few words just before the child becomes her step-daughter.

Finally, I wondered about Robert’s off-hours photography, if any. “Photography is one career you can’t get away from,” he declares. “When I get invited places I always hear, ‘Bring your camera.’ My mom always says the same thing when I go for a visit. Actually, my personal photography revolves around my children, Robert Jr., Brittany and Brian. I have no official count, but I know we have thousands of images of them. They are definitely not camera shy. I do the photography and my wife, Sharon, takes care of putting the best ones in our albums. I’ve taken Robert Jr. to a couple of jobs and he really enjoys helping. But that could change.”

Robert T. Williams has twice been named as one of his region’s top wedding photographers, an honor bestowed on him by his peers. He is known for his warm spirit and keen eye for details. His success has been based on careful planning and rapport with his subjects. At the end of an email to me his name is followed by “Lifestyle Photojournalist.” I was also impressed that his wedding coverage begins at $6500.

Robert T. Williams will be teaching a MasterClass at WPPI 2004 on Tuesday, February 24, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at BALLY’s Las Vegas. The title of his MasterClass is “Building Your Brand.”

Lou Jacobs Jr. is the author of 25 how-to photography books, the latest of which, Photographer’s Lighting Handbook (Amherst Media) was recently published. He has taught at UCLA and Brooks, is a longtime member of ASMP, and enjoys shooting stock during his travels in the U.S. and abroad.