About Tom Manchester

Tom got his start in photography in the late seventies when he obtained his first "serious" camera; a hand-me-down Nikkormat EL, and has been shooting Nikon ever since.

While at college, he supplemented his income as a portrait and event photographer. In 2005, after an almost two decade long career in marketing and business development, he returned to photography full time.

With a home base in Coppell, Texas, he is centrally located to serve the entire Metroplex. Tom partners with other established professional photographers when more than one shooter is needed. He is a member of The National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Wedding and Portrait Photographers International, and Nikon Professional Services (available only to bona-fide, FULL-TIME professional photographers), and is the official photographer of the Coppell Football Boosters Club.

Digital Flexibility, Film Quality

We shoot only state of the art professional digital equipment in any format necessary and can meet most budgets. Shooting digitally allows us to turn over many corporate assignments within 24 hours. For tight deadlines we can shoot a digital assignment, to either memory card or laptop, and burn a CD or upload proofs on site, with transmission of the final pictures to follow.  We also offers digital post-production services, including retouching and enhancement of photographs.

After your shoot, you may have the option to view and order your pictures on line. The photo finishing is done by a nationally reputable lab that caters to professional photographers.  If you are not pleased with the finished portraits, they can be adjusted for color, brightness, or contrast and reprinted, usually at no charge! Our goal is your satisfaction.  If you're not happy, we're not happy.

Considerations When Hiring

Buying photography doesn't have to be complicated. By developing an ongoing relationship with the appropriate photographers, you can negotiate price in an informed and cooperative atmosphere.

Before you look - define your needs. By identifying your  goals you will make your search for the right person easier. If you perform reviews and interviews with photographers regularly, you will be aware of the available talent and can avoid stressful, last minute hiring decisions.

Discuss your needs when you meet with your photographer. Seasoned pros should be receptive and articulate, offer suggestions, and respond to your concerns. Also, aside from the quality of their work, it is important to consider their professionalism, dependability and compatibility.

With the advent of relatively inexpensive digital SLR cameras, a lot of "weekend pros" have cropped up. While some of them do nice work, you should make sure that your project is their primary concern, and that their real job won't keep them from giving you the timely service you deserve. Full time pros make customer satisfaction and service their number one priority, with no encumbrances or distractions from other careers.

By matching your needs with the photographer's strengths you will create the greatest possibility for success.

Pricing the Assignment

When you've selected the person with whom you feel comfortable, you can begin to evaluate the costs. It is a good idea to discuss fees initially, but knowing his "day rate" or "creative fee" can be misleading because it won't tell you what the total cost of the job is. Day rates often don't include expenses nor do they reflect the rights being licensed.

The fees will vary greatly depending on his experience, stature, and expertise; but it is misleading to shop price exclusively instead of looking for value. The experience that a photographer brings to your job, or the equipment and capabilities that he/she has available to properly execute your assignment, represent value which may more than compensate for the differences in price.