Today we’d like to introduce you to Dave Hawks.
Hi Dave, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Back in college, a friend had asked me to photograph her headshots for an upcoming audition. I had played around with photo and video in high school, but never anything with quality equipment. She had a nice DSLR, and so we went to a nice outdoor area and took some photos. On our drive home, she was looking through the photos, very quiet, and I could tell she was getting emotional. I was like, oh man she hates them. But then she turned to me and said “I never knew I could look like this. I actually look good in these. I never thought I would like photos of myself.” That was enough for me. If photography could play such a significant role in helping shape and restore someone’s view of themselves, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.
Most people don’t like photos of themselves. It’s rare for people to actually have photos they want to share with others. It’s why everyone keeps the same profile picture for ages, even when they don’t look anything like that anymore. I fell in love with being able to give people photos of themselves that they are proud of, and excited to share with others. I don’t really care about being an artist, I just want to help others love who they are.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There’s always ups and downs with any endeavor worth doing. I have intentionally avoided photography as a full time job. There has never been any pressure to take on certain gigs just to pay the bills, which has given me an incredible amount of freedom. It’s allowed me to be more selective in the projects I take on, who I collaborate with, and the industries I serve.
The challenge has primarily been navigating the entire spectrum of what photography and modeling means to different people. Even within the industry, there are hundreds of different perspectives around what a photoshoot might look like and what might be expected of a model. Not only that, we all have very different comfort levels when it comes to our body, how it is expressed, and how it’s captured. I never want to make assumptions, and so I do my best to way over-communicate on the front end, to understand the needs and boundaries of whoever I’m working with.
It’s tricky because the nature of photography itself is inherently surface level. It’s quite literally about image. But the subject is always a real human being, carrying fears, insecurities, and lived experiences. They’re not a canvas or a concept, and they can’t be treated like one. Their experience in the space during a shoot is infinitely more important to me than how the final photos turn out. You can always reshoot photos; you can’t undo someone feeling uncomfortable or unsafe.
The more existential challenge is the balance of helping people look and feel beautiful, without reinforcing unrealistic or unfair cultural standards of beauty. I never want someone to look at a photograph of themselves and think “That isn’t really me—that’s just lighting or editing”. My hope is that the images feel honest, affirming, and rooted in something real. Beauty that requires erasure or disbelief isn’t beauty at all.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Fundamentally, I’m a storyteller. Whether it’s marketing or photography, my goal in my work is to communicate the value of someone or something in a way that impacts others for good. I don’t really think of myself as an artist, because I’m not trying to make art. I’m trying to serve people. If I can use my camera and understanding of lighting and posing to help you get out of your own way and see yourself the way the rest of the world does, as a beautiful human, then I’m going to do that.
What I’m most proud of is how I’ve been able to help people take small steps towards loving how they look, and how they feel in front of a camera. It truly can change people.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
As a person of faith, I don’t think of it as luck. I know God has blessed me with the resources, opportunities, relationships that have led to my success today. But to answer the question you’re actually asking, of course it required a number of circumstances out of my control to land me here. I certainly do not deserve the majority of the credit for my success. The only thing I can be credited with is walking through the doors that were opened for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dhlens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dhlens/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dave-hawks-photography-austin
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=Dave+Hawks+Photography+Reviews
Image Credits
All of those photos are my own. I can provide the names of the models if needed.
