From Thumbtack Customer
Pablo Pequeno LLC (Photography)
Wow – what an amazing, fun, and empowering experience! Last year (2015) was an extremely difficult year for me personally. After making some changes in my life over the past several months, I’m in a good place and happy with where I am and who I am. So I wanted to find a way to mark my passage through those trials and commemorate the renewed man that I am continuing to become.
Sure, I thought about a tattoo with symbolisms and metaphors; however, that kind of memento felt like a cop out to me. As I previously mentioned, I wanted to document who I was at this point in my life. The only thing that came to mind was having a few photos taken. After posting my desired project on Thumbtack™, I quickly received a response from Paul. Little did I know that hiring Paul would turn out to be multiple levels beyond my expectations!
After exchanging some messages and a discussion over the phone, we set a date for my personal and custom photo shoot at his studio. Paul suggested that I bring a few different clothing “looks” and a couple of “props” that help convey my personality. For me, the “looks” centered on jeans, t-shirts, and a button-down shirt; and the “props” were a sweater, a hat, a basketball, and the WSJ.
The day come around and I arrived at Paul’s studio. (BTW, Paul’s home studio is a dedicated, separate space with high-quality professional equipment.) I will admit: my heart rate was a bit elevated. As I told Paul, I wasn’t too worried about how the photos themselves would turn out. I was more uncomfortable about what I was supposed to do during the shoot: where to place my hands, what to look at, and how to “pose”. Paul quickly put me at ease saying that it was his job to make me look my best; he would guide me through what to do. Paul said my job was to relax, behave naturally, and have some fun. So with just Paul and me in his studio, we turned on some music and began taking photos.
Paul is a casual, personable guy with a great sense of humor that quickly created an environment that was easy-going and down-right fun. My personality and Paul’s are similar so it felt more like two friends hanging out than a professional photo session. Paul gave me easy-to- follow instructions as to what to do. While carrying on a conversation the whole time, Paul discovered I have a bit of a devilish streak to my humor. He grabbed onto that characteristic and encourage me to express that side of my personality to capture “the real” me.
Time never felt like a factor during the photo shoot. We had agreed upon the duration of the session prior to the shoot, but I never felt like Paul watched the clock and was rushing through the time. Even
with changing clothes a few of times and Paul taking photos of me in all states of dress and undress, there was plenty of time to accomplish what both Paul and I wanted from the photo shoot.
Once the session was finished, Paul confirmed my e-mail address. Within 24 hours, Paul electronically sent me all the photos (except for the ones he had already culled through to get rid of the worst ones.) Although Paul showed me some of the pics in his camera’s viewfinder during the shoot, I was more than amazed when I began to flip through the digital photos . The photos were really good! Paul even had me looking good in the photos !! As he promised, he captured the very best of me.
Bottom line: Paul is an incredible photographer that I would recommend to anyone. You get more than your money’s worth; you meet a good guy; and you have something tangible that you can be proud of.
Get in touch with Paul….you will not regret it!!
