Meet Rusty Hill | Rusty Hill Photography and Rusty Tintypes

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rusty Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rusty, what is the most important factor behind your success?
It’s important to be true to yourself and remember your name is attached to every aspect of your work. There are times when you may be tempted to try and achieve something by taking a shortcut, but it will most definitely show in the final result. Lately, clients have been pushing us for more photos in a shorter amount of time. It can be difficult to manage this expectation while also producing the quality of work that I can be proud of. However, I have always taken the approach that no matter what, the client is paying for our time and marrying quality and quantity is crucial. It’s necessary to listen and not let our wants get in the way of what they are trying to achieve. Ultimately, they come to us for our creativity, knowledge, and experience, and we owe it to them to get the shots that will create the most sales for their product.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a commercial photography studio specializing in food and beverage. Our clients range from local to national and international. We provide still and motion imagery for websites, point of sale, packaging, catalogues, television and more. I am proud of the fact that I have been running a successful business for over 25 years and have maintained a great reputation among my clients and peers. My lighting and propping have always been my signature to set my photography apart from others. It took years to develop a style and create a look that is recognizable as my own. I am excited about a new company I am developing called Rusty Tintypes. I am combining all of my years of experience, dating back to when I shot film, to create tintypes in the same process that was used in the mid to late 1800’s. It is a laborious process, but super rewarding to both the subject and myself. The look cannot be duplicated and the final result is an image on metal that will be around hundreds of years from now. Everybody should experience having their portrait taken in this process at least once in their lives.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my best friend were visiting, the first stop would be to grab coffee from either Ascension or Cultivar. Depending on the day, the Dallas Arboretum, White Rock Lake, or the Oak Cliff Nature Preserve are all great for hanging outdoors. I love seeing live music, so The Kessler Theatre is one of my favorite places to go for that. I would also take them to the Amon Carter in Ft. Worth to view their collection of black and white photography. I prefer some of the smaller restaurants that aren’t always the obvious choices. Some of my favorites are Cane Rosso for pizza (try the off menu Honey Bastard), Javier’s for authentic Mexican food, The Charles for a fun atmosphere and fabulous food, and 20 Feet for seafood. We also have some incredible breweries here including Community Beer Co, Four Corners Brewing Co, Deep Ellum Brewing Co. and Peticolas Brewing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout would need to go to so many people who have mentored and supported me over the years. I would start with my Mom who encouraged me to follow my heart in my photography pursuits. She enabled me at an early age to experiment with photography and encouraged me in my decision to pursue it as a career when, at the time, it appeared to be a difficult path. My high school photography teacher Lugene Daniels played a huge role in me pursuing photography. He was an accomplished photographer who was mentored by Ansel Adams. I learned an incredible amount from him, probably equivalent of what I learned in college studying photography. That was a pivotal moment in my life. Our teachers all deserve a huge shoutout, they act as role models during critical periods of our kids’ lives. I learned a lot about photography and running a business from photographer True Redd. Working with him made me realize how important it is to foster relationships with my assistants. I have had the privilege of mentoring many assistants throughout my career and have benefitted by learning so much from them as well. Their inquisitiveness keeps me on my toes and pushes me to come up with new ideas. Currently I am enjoying working with my daughter Haley who forces me to re-evaluate my thinking and challenges me to look at things in a new perspective. This creates a wonderful creative environment for both of us.

Website: rustyhill.com
Instagram: @rustyhill @rustytintypes
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rusty-hill-a2b04ab/
Facebook: @rustyhillphotography

Image Credits
©Rusty Hill