Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dave Ludwig. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Dave, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?
I have been creating since I can remember. Music, art, business plans, you name it I like exploring. I was a musician most of my youth, playing guitar in numerous bands across Michigan and Ohio. I joined a band from Toledo, Ohio in 2021 and with social media being so prominent these days, and we needed content. Before 2021 I had never owned a camera past my cell phone. So I bought a beginner point and shoot camera and started making guitar videos. I really enjoyed the process of making it and the second I posted it, people started asking me to do more. I went out maybe 5 times with this little camera and took some nature shots, downtown stuff, just random things I thought looked cool. Again, people flooded my inbox asking what I charged. I have always known working for someone wasn’t really for me so it was $40 to start. After a few crazy years of figuring it all out and working with some of the BEST human beings on the planet such as, Bleeding Through, The Ice Cream Militia, Caskey, Taysty Beats, Dead To Fall, KING810, The Convalescence, Horselover, and The Acacia Strain, as well as families, schools, restaurants, manufacturing company’s, realtors and more. I have been very fortunate for these opportunities, worked extremely hard while maintaining a 50 hour per week engineering job until about 6 months ago I took photos full time. I have a knack for people, I join their team over just being hired and I believe in myself. Every time I questioned what I was doing, another booking came through. There are up’s and downs….a lot of downs lol but I will bet on me every time and so far with the amazing clients I have bumped into, I hope I get to keep doing this for a long time.
Dave, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a commercial photographer/ content creator/ web designer based out of Toledo, Ohio originally from Detroit, Michigan. I create content and marketing materials for clients all over the US. I strive to bring amazing brands and people to light and help showcase that you don’t have to be a world famous influencer to be top shelf. I cover food, real estate, live music, family’s, headshots, web design, and I am currently expanding and adding as few more key people to my team to bring even more dynamic results to the table for my clients.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
I worked 50 hours + a week while doing photography full time as well. I woke up at 5am and worked until 2am for almost 2 years straight. I have put everything on the line, jumped out of a 100k a year career, I paid as I went. A job would come up I would need stuff for, and I would use any money I made from the job to buy it.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I just want to build a stable future for my daughter, Lakelynn. Every bit of my drive and passion comes from her. She’s the smartest, coolest, most beautiful human on the planet and setting her up, showing her you can do anything if you work hard for it is what drives me. My mission is to capture moments in time for people to look back on years later and feel what they felt when the photo or video was taken. Owning a business is exciting, tons of feelings, families, cooks, bartenders, owners, etc. the proud looks and smiles I see when clients show off their photos, that’s the goal.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://PhotoDavePhotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photodave_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhotoDavePhotography
Image Credits
All images are property of PhotoDave Photography LLC