The Real Reason She Left Nikon for Canon…RAWtalk 197

Summary

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Episode Summary: The Real Reason She Left Nikon for Canon…RAWtalk 197

Podcast: FroKnowsPhoto Photography Podcasts
Host: Jared Polin (FroKnowsPhoto)
Guest: Dixie Dixon
Date: May 22, 2026

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Main Theme & Episode Overview

In this special interview edition of RAWtalk, host Jared Polin (“FroKnowsPhoto”) has a candid, in-depth conversation with acclaimed fashion and commercial photographer Dixie Dixon. The episode probes the much-rumored story behind Dixie’s headline-making switch from being a long-time Nikon Ambassador to joining Canon as an Explorer of Light. But the discussion goes far beyond brand allegiances, delving into Dixie’s business strategy, hustle in the photo industry, visionary approach to self-assigned work, and creative entrepreneurship—including her new ventures in real estate and fine art. The episode is as much a masterclass in navigating a creative career as it is a gear talk.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dixie Dixon’s Early Career & Hustle

• Dixie’s Origin Story: Received her first camera (Nikon FG, an old film camera) from her dad at age 12. Studied business in college, knowing she needed more than just passion to make a living.
  • “I went to school for business because I knew I needed to figure out how to actually make a living.” (05:02, Dixie)
• Breaking In: Started with local gigs (portraits, weddings) while living lean; quickly advanced through relentless networking and cold calling dream clients.
  • “I would make like 20 cold calls to get one meeting...and eventually they’ll hire you.” (06:16, Dixie)
• Vision and Mood Boards: Keeps corkboards with dream clients and visual goals, updating them regularly as both inspiration and practical targets.
  • “You put them on your vision board...and you’ll be so blown away by the way that they eventually hire you.” (07:06, Dixie)

2. Building a Business as a Photographer

• Sustaining the Dream: Lived cheaply in Texas, prioritizing career investments over personal expenses.
• Pricing and Licensing: Used tools like BlinkBid and agency consultants to establish fair rates based on client usage and value delivered.
  • “You gotta think about...how much money these clients are going to be making off of the images and the video that you provide them.” (10:28, Dixie)
• Holding Your Ground: Not all gigs are worth taking, especially when clients undervalue creative work. Speculative (“spec”) work is only worth doing if it aligns with long-term creative goals.
  • “Some jobs, even if it doesn’t pay the most, if it’s creatively interesting...sometimes those are worth it.” (11:17, Dixie)
• Strategic Spec Work: Regularly invests in high-production-value self-assignments to showcase desired skills (e.g., a $3-4K spec shoot with “three longhorns, a phone booth, and a horse” in Marfa, TX).
  • “You have to show the type of work that you want to be hired for.” (12:19, Dixie)
• Financial & Team Management: Pays assistants well and immediately; avoids middlemen where possible—prefers to get paid directly and then pay out to agents or team members.
  • “You should always collect the money and you pay them out because you are the business.” (23:27, Jared)

3. Branding, Recognition & Transitioning From Nikon Ambassador

• Personal Branding: Known for her hats, which became part of her professional image—visibility on a long-running TV show helped build recognition.
• Path to Nikon Ambassador: Connection grew out of networking at industry events (e.g., WPPI), winning the Hi Shinen Award, and consistently updating key contacts with her latest portfolio work. Became one of the 16 founding Nikon Ambassadors in the U.S. (2009).
• Ambassador Perks & Realities: Work included paid campaigns, speaking gigs, occasional gear stipends—but not as glamorous or lucrative as outsiders might assume.
  • “People have these grand visions...it’s a lot of work.” (32:29, Dixie)
• Memorable Campaigns: Launch of Nikon D5, D850 filmmaker kit (shooting volcanoes in Hawaii), Z7 mirrorless launch.

4. The Move to Canon: Reasons & Experience

• Canon’s Approach: Canon approached Dixie toward the end of her Nikon contract, inviting her to test gear (R5 Mark II).
  • “Canon approached me and asked if I would try out some of their gear. And I tried out the R5 Mark 2. Really amazing.” (33:37, Dixie)
• Key Factors for Switching:
  • Technical: Superior autofocus, skin tones, the flexibility of Canon’s cinema cameras (notably the C50), and a better ecosystem for her new passion—fine art printing and gallery work.
    • “For me...their ecosystem was really like a perfect fit for [printing]. And I think that's really what was the big factor.” (36:39, Dixie)
  • Industry Changes: Many of her original Nikon contacts had retired or left, making it less of a personal loss to move on.
  • Business Opportunity: Canon’s broader ecosystem (cameras, lenses, printers, scopes) meant more potential paid work—diversification of campaigns.
    • “Canon has printers...a wider variety of things that you could potentially shoot for.” (38:50, Dixie)
• Emotional Toll: Despite pragmatic reasoning, the switch was emotionally difficult given her loyalty and long-term relationships at Nikon.
  • “It has been the most heart-wrenching thing I think I have ever gone through in some ways.” (40:28, Dixie)

5. Business Lessons & Mindsets

• Don’t Rely on Agents Blindly: Be wary of contracts that sign away your rights; always maintain control of your work and finances.
• Diversification: Dixie invests in real estate—specifically a shooting/movie ranch (Thunderbird Film Ranch) for film & commercial productions, adding a reliable income stream and creative space.
  • “It's really good to diversify your income because you never know how the business is going to go.” (51:00, Dixie)
• Adapting to Industry Trends: Acknowledges AI’s impact, the rise of demand for authentic, “human” images, and how fine art/print focus is a strategic move.
  • “The more we can insert that soul and that human element into what we do, the more that's going to make your career take off...” (51:20, Dixie)

6. Tips for Emerging Photographers

• Pursue dream clients via vision boards, persistence, and monthly updates.
• Invest in yourself with spec work that targets the markets you want.
• Be strategic with agents, pricing, and contracts.
• Diversify income streams (e.g., real estate, teaching, content creation).
• Balance loyalty with personal and business growth.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “I’m an extroverted introvert.” (04:03, Jared)
• “You have to show the type of work that you want to be hired for.” (12:19, Dixie)
• “Sometimes those [spec jobs], even if it doesn’t pay the most, if it’s creatively interesting...are worth it.” (11:17, Dixie)
• “You should always collect the money and you pay them out because you are the business. You are in charge.” (23:27, Jared)
• “The gear doesn’t make the photographer...I could be handed a point and shoot and create work that I love.” (45:23, Dixie)
• “Canon’s ecosystem was really like a perfect fit for [fine art printing]...that was the big factor.” (36:39, Dixie)
• “It really comes down to—we are business people, just like athletes are. It’s a business.” (44:38, Jared)
• “The more we can insert that soul and that human element into what we do, the more that's going to make your career take off.” (51:20, Dixie)

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Timestamps by Topic

• [00:00 – 03:42] – Introduction / Dixie’s background
• [04:48 – 07:06] – Getting the first gigs, vision boards, networking
• [09:00 – 11:56] – Living lean, cold calling, early career challenges
• [11:56 – 14:45] – Spec work, test shoots, investing in promotional work
• [16:04 – 18:27] – Branding, hats, recognition, building a personal brand
• [20:24 – 24:03] – Navigating agent negotiations, business lessons
• [26:00 – 32:33] – Gear history, Nikon campaigns, ambassador experience
• [33:19 – 36:39] – Starting to leave Nikon, Canon’s approach, new priorities
• [37:42 – 41:03] – Emotional reality of leaving, loyalty, industry change
• [42:41 – 43:43] – Technical learning curve, Canon lens talk
• [47:43 – 48:06] – Favorite lenses and technical preferences
• [48:06 – 51:00] – New ventures: real estate, film ranch, diversifying income
• [51:00 – 52:13] – Philosophical close: soul of photography, navigating AI
• [52:13 – End] – Closing thoughts and mutual appreciation

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Flow & Tone

The conversation is lively, direct, and humorous, with a blend of practical advice, self-deprecating stories, and real talk about shifting brand allegiances and making it as a creative professional. Jared’s playful, sometimes blunt style is met with Dixie’s upbeat, approachable candor—making this a must-listen episode for anyone in photography or creative industries.

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Takeaways

1. Switching camera brands (and sponsorships) is rarely about the paycheck—it’s about the tools, the support, the direction of your career, and the relationships behind the brand.
2. Success in photography requires a combination of vision, hustle, business sense, ongoing personal branding, and often, diversification into multiple income streams.
3. Stay adaptable: clients, technology, and the industry all evolve—so must you.
4. Be wary of predatory contracts and always protect your creative rights and income flow.
5. Whatever the brand, it’s the photographer—her vision, discipline, and adaptability—that fuels career longevity.

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Transcript

[A]

Jared Polin, froknowsphoto.com and welcome to a very special edition of FroKnowsPhoto Raw Talk, the interview edition where I sit down with somebody in the photo industry, or maybe not even in the photo industry, and have a conversation with them. And as you could tell from the title of this video, I am sitting with Dixie Dixon today to ask her the questions, the hard hitting questions. Why did you leave Nikon? What was it all for? Why did you make the decisions? And also, I end up learning so much about her business acumen. She is an unbelievable business person on top of being an amazing photographer. So if you ever wanted to learn how Dixie went from just a person who liked taking photos to working her way up and how she worked her way up, it is pretty fascinating. So I learned a lot throughout this entire interview with her and I think you guys will enjoy it as well. Even if you didn't know who Dixie was and you just found out about a few weeks ago, you found out about her because you read that she was an ambassador for Nikon and then became an explorer of light for Canon, and people are like, oh, she jumped ship. It had to be for the money. It's not all about the money. We talk about all of that and she shares the reasons why she left Nikon. And even if you don't know who she is, you will after you listen to this interview. So here we go. Here is my interview with Dixie Dixon. All right, everybody here we have Dixie Dixon at her new house. Thus why she doesn't have her lighting set up yet. She's just dealing with window light. And that's it. Welcome.

[B]

Thank you. It's great to see you.

[A]

It is great to be seen. It's nice to have you on. And I know people want. I know there's a lot of stuff that people want to know about. When I talked about you left Nikon and Canon stole you and all that stuff, and people are like, I wonder why she left. It was the paycheck. And we'll talk about it all, you can say, yes, it's the paycheck, but

[B]

it's not the paycheck.

[A]

There's reasons we're going to. We're going to get into them. Do we want to just dive right into them or should we bury the lead and save it till later? What's one reason we should bury the lead? Oh, you want to bury the lead.

[B]

I'm just kidding. You want the dirt?

[A]

I just. Well, I like facts. I'm a big proponent of facts.

[B]

I like that.

[A]

Just understanding what goes into a decision being made. And I equate it because there's people that were like, there's multiple things that happen. And none of this is a. A slight at you. There is. Who's Dixie Dixon? I don't know who she is. I don't listen to influencers or. Not influencers or ambassadors. They don't help me make decisions. Right. She left for the paycheck. There's no loyalty, and that's dumb stuff.

[B]

Seriously.

[A]

I mean, I equate it to athletes. It's like LeBron James has played for multiple teams. And it's not saying that you go for the largest amount of money, but I should now be quiet and let you talk a little bit. So why don't you introduce yourself here to everybody out there?

[B]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I'm Dixie Dixon. So I shoot fashion and commercial advertising photographer, and I direct TV commercials and films. And, gosh, we just did a shoot with Billy Bob Thornton, and I shoot athletes like Micah Parsons and Disney and all kinds of just anything commercial is basically what I shoot. And, gosh, it's just been a lifelong passion of mine, and I'm just so grateful for this industry and getting to do what I love, you know, it's just such a blessing.

[A]

Well, what. What initially got you into it? What made you gravitate towards photography?

[B]

So I actually, believe it or not, I'm very much an introvert. And I can't believe that. You're definitely an extrovert. You're not an introvert.

[A]

No, I'm not.

[B]

You're not?

[A]

No, I am an extroverted introvert.

[B]

Okay. I can see that.

[A]

It's like I am very by myself. I'm very inside. I'm very introvert. I don't want to do most of these things, but then I can turn it on and speak in front of groups because I'm an extroverted introvert.

[B]

I guess I'm similar, but I feel like I'm a little less extroverted on the extrovert side, maybe because I gained my energy from being alone and being, like, creating by myself. And then I love to be around a crew, but then I have to go back in my shell, essentially.

[A]

Yeah. I don't like people, so it's. It's usually just like, leave me alone. I don't like bullshit. And there's so much bullshit involved with what we do. Being told, no, you can't do that, or yes or no. Like, I just. Anyway, yeah, you got into photography.

[B]

Yes. And so My dad gave me my first camera when I was 12 and I. So I went to school for business because I knew I needed to figure out how to actually make a living. At 12? Not at 12.

[A]

You went to business school at 12.

[B]

I actually went to business school in college, but I went to. Actually, at 16, I got my first job in photography. I've only had photography jobs, so I shot Little league portraits, you know, the cheesy ones that you see. And, you know, I shot weddings in college and I did like every weekend I was up at 6am shooting or assisting photographers. And then I studied with a fashion photographer, Jeff Licata, based in New York, in London and Prague. And that's really when I totally fell in love with fashion and advertising photography. So it's been a crazy journey. And then I started shooting swimsuit models for four years for a TV show.

[A]

That's how we met, right? I was in a swimsuit.

[B]

Yes, actually. Oh, my gosh. Yep. So I was the photographer for that TV show for four years. And so that's kind of where the swim and that kind of style of photography came in. And it's just been a. It's been a crazy adventure, crazy journey ever since.

[A]

How did you get the jobs? I mean, that's the thing that I. I want to know is, you know, people are always like, oh, you just, you just got this because of X, Y and Z. But, like, how did you end up getting these early jobs? Were you making money? How did you sustain yourself?

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I started. I lived really lean and, you know, I don't have a family that I'm trying to support or anything like that. And so I started out shooting for, like, local boutiques and designers and whatnot. And eventually to get the bigger brands, I started cold calling. So I would go to LA and I would make like 20 cold calls to get one meeting and I would get that one meeting and then I would keep that person that I met with updated on my portfolio for like once a month. And eventually, the more you're in front of them, eventually they'll hire you. So the best way I think to do it is really like make your dream list of clients that you want to work with, like your top 10 clients and just pursue those for a year. And you'll like, be so blown away by the way that they eventually hire you and you put them on your vision board.

[A]

And what's a vision board?

[B]

So a vision board is basically, it's a board of my dream clients and their ads, the ads that I want to shoot. So I do them for shoots. I do them for life. You know what a mood board is, right? For a shoot? You know what that is?

[A]

Yeah, I'm just placating. I'm just placing.

[B]

Anyway.

[A]

Yeah, well, I wanted to hear what a vision board was.

[B]

Yep. So I do a vision board for every shoot for all my dream clients. I have, like, 10 of them here. They're actual cork boards, but, yeah, I

[A]

have a. I have a vision board right here.

[B]

No way. What is that?

[A]

I just showed Dixie my vision board. It says, Dixie interview. Nailed it.

[B]

Nailed it.

[A]

And my vision board, I literally just wrote on a piece of paper. I don't have a vision board. I have visions in my brain for things. Like, I want to have a property that I can put bowling alleys in. So that's something.

[B]

Oh, that's exciting.

[A]

But, yeah, that's one thing.

[B]

Don't you have a bowling alley in one of your spots? Why was he doing that?

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

Dixie, you're quite a good bowler. I saw your video yesterday.

[A]

I'm okay. Thank you.

[B]

I'm terrible at bowling.

[A]

We should have a bowling bowl off between, you know, ambassadors. That's what Canon. Canon versus Nikon versus Sony Boloff.

[B]

I'm so in for that. I'll have to practice.

[A]

That would be fun. You have your vision board. You put the people on it. How are you sustaining yourself? I know you said you were working lean. Did you live at home? For a long amount of time? Which is what I did. How were you doing it?

[B]

Yeah. So when I started, I found this amazing little apartment right on the lake, kind of outside the city. It was extremely inexpensive.

[A]

We talk in Texas.

[B]

Yeah, in Texas. It's so much cheaper to live in Texas, which is helpful. But it's funny because it was sort of out of the city. Kept me focused on my career. I'm pretty much been married to my career my whole life, but it really. It was really inexpensive, and I just kept costs down when I was starting out until I started getting the bigger and bigger jobs. And once you land one big client, it sort of leads to other bigger and bigger clients. So it's definitely been a journey. I always feel like sometimes I'm thrown into these situations where I'm not quite prepared for them, but I always say yes, and then hopefully learn something in the process.

[A]

How are you deciding on what to charge these people?

[B]

There's licensing models through. I use BlinkBid. Are you familiar with it?

[A]

Nope. I don't work for a living. As a photographer.

[B]

Well, you are a great business person, so you know what's up. But I think I use basically their software, comes up with usage and all the ideas of, of how to charge and what to charge. And I've also hired consultants to come up with bids for me through agency access. So that's what I did early on. And then they showed me how to create estimates and bids. And now my producer does all that stuff. So it's.

[A]

Do you just pick a price? Like, this is my going rate or this is what I want. No, I mean, really, people ask me all the time, like, how'd you decide on what to charge? I'm like, I made it up. It's what I thought I wanted to get paid.

[B]

Absolutely. I mean, there's going rates, but ultimately you got to think about the time you spend and the value and how much money these clients are going to be making off of the images and the video that you provide them. And there's a lot of value in that.

[A]

So that all makes sense. The thing you just said is the how much money they'll make off of what you are doing. That is a very good thing to keep in mind because there's always the people that come along and they're like, we don't want to pay you much, but we're going to use it for everything.

[B]

There's a lot of those.

[A]

Have you had to turn down gigs because people just didn't get it?

[B]

Oh, as far as budgets, well, like,

[A]

you're like, this is what it costs. And they're like, well, we're not doing that. Not we can't do that, but we're not doing that because so and so will do it for cheaper.

[B]

I mean, I think everybody as a photographer has those. Those situations, but I think that also as a creative and an artist, some jobs, even if it doesn't pay the most, if it's creatively interesting and it's going to build your portfolio in a way that is aligned with where you want your career to go, sometimes those are worth it. And so I do tons of spec work and like at least once a month I'll set up a spec shoot to go shoot something that I'm interested in. Or like, we just went to Marfa, Texas, and we brought three longhorns, a phone booth and a horse. And we did a bunch of.

[A]

You know what, Dixie? That was my search topic last night. Wow. Three longhorns, a horse in a phone booth.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

It didn't turn out too well.

[B]

It turned out amazing, actually.

[A]

Well, for you, not for me, not for my search.

[B]

Not for your search, Yeah, I don't imagine, but yeah. So tons of spec work then.

[A]

What do you do with that? What is the hope?

[B]

The hope would you hope to get out of the. Basically, Basically you have to show the type of work that you want to be hired for. So essentially, as a commercial photographer, you have to go out and shoot the production level, quality of work that you want to be hired to shoot. So I have to go out, essentially shoot lean or keep the cost down. You know, a lot of makeup artists and styles and models will work for a test. I always pay my assistants just because they're not really gaining as much out of the test as I am. And you create work that looks like it could be for a big brand and then basically you get that work out to as many people as you can and art directors and creative directors, and eventually they see you and they associate you with that production level kind of work and they hire you. So like the first behind the scenes video I did, they didn't pay for a behind the scenes video, but it was a huge production for Magpul and we had like 30 or 40 people on set and I filmed the whole thing. And then people then knew at that point that I was able to handle that kind of production.

[A]

What did that spec shoot cost you?

[B]

Which spec sheet? The one in market.

[A]

Three longhorns, phone booth and a horse.

[B]

I haven't quite added it up, but it's probably around three or four grand.

[A]

So you're investing in yourself and that's. I think this is a thing that people. Business of photography is more difficult. It's a difficult thing for some people and it's hard to teach what it sounds like you have. And I think you probably had it before you went to business school to learn how to do this stuff, because it's just there and you pick stuff up at school. You're like, oh, that makes sense. But this whole spec thing is along the lines of what I talk about, where it's like working for free or giving yourself an assignment. You are giving yourself an assignment so you're not just sitting on your ass all day and doing nothing and hoping for jobs. You're going out and you're doing something and that means you are calling people and be like, hey, I'm doing this. I will give you X. If you participate in this in the hopes that people see what you do and it leads to bigger things. That's. That's just what you have to do.

[B]

Exactly. That's very well said.

[A]

And you don't need to spend three or four thousand dollars to do it at all times. It's just. It's very expensive. You know, when you need to get three longhorns, an elephant, and a phone booth, it's very difficult. So the elephants are definitely difficult to get in. In Texas.

[B]

They are. Those are like 50 grand.

[A]

Even though I heard the Dallas Zoo has elephants. It's just a terrible zoo. I was there. I was stranded there a few months back because of snow in Philly, and I went there with a person, and it was a really shitty zoo. I'll just say it. But that's Dallas.

[B]

You know, we don't like Fort Worth. Zoo is better.

[A]

Go to Fort Worth.

[B]

You should. It's much better, Sue. Yeah, but that's well said, because I think a lot of people always tell photographers, they're like, never work for free. And it's like, no. If it's on your own terms and you're creating a spec job, you don't have to spend, like you said, three or four grand. You could spend 200 bucks on a spec shoot and create amazing stuff. You know, it's.

[A]

Instead of sitting around and doing nothing, you are giving yourself the assignments that you want. And I think you alluded to that earlier. You are basically creating the shoot that you want to get hired to do.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And so if that is something that you do the thing you want to do, you're in control of it. You don't need someone to hire you to do it. You just go and you do it.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And you show and it's real. It's not made up because you. Because it wasn't paid for, but it's real.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

Is that how you started to get the clients?

[B]

Exactly. So I geared my portfolio because I was shooting weddings and babies and all the things at the time, but I.

[A]

But that. That gave you money to survive.

[B]

Yes, it did.

[A]

That's how I started Froknow's Photo. Not photographing babies, but doing weddings. I was.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, when I would do Churn and Burn weddings, I was more of a fan of Churn and Burn, which were, shoot the wedding, get 3500 bucks, give them all the edited files.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I got you.

[A]

Versus making albums. Because I always discovered that same albums took a year. People were too slow.

[B]

100%. I'm all for that. I was the same way when I shot Weddings.

[A]

Yeah. So just pay me the money at the time, 35, you know, about three. Three grand to 3,500 was pretty good for me. And another shooter. I used to pay my second shooters, like, 500 bucks, which was well above what. What people would. Would pay. But you got to pay people well. And I would pay them right away. I never made them wait for the money. I hate when people do that shit.

[B]

I do, too. I'd rather just pay the crew. Like, I enjoy paying my crew. Like, it's. It's a passion to. And like you are with your employees. It's like, it feels good to be able to pay it forward, you know?

[A]

Yeah. So you start getting jobs like, what. What's going on? Where does this all take off?

[B]

I start. Well, I got that big job with the tv. TV show, and that was on Access Television, and it was like a funny docu. Reality travel show. But I would always wear my hat in that show. And so people started recognizing my stupid hat.

[A]

And it's not a stupid hat. I have this hair. It's a thing. We are a brand. People need to understand that you are a brand. There's a reason bands dress a certain way on stage. Right. There's a reason that, you know, like, was it George Burns, the old comedian? Died at 100. Always had a cigar, and he had the big glasses. Like, these are things. They're not shticks in a bad way. Because when someone says, your shtick is your hair now, the stick is like, oh, your muscles. It's like. Or whatever. Yeah, that's a shtick. Because that's real easy to do. But it's a thing. It's recognizable.

[B]

I love that. Well, because I always loved hats. I've always just been such a crazy. Like, I have, like, 50 hats. I mean, most girls are into shoes or bags or whatever, but I'm a total hat geek. So that's kind of. And I feel more creative with the hat on, so it just kind of becomes a thing.

[A]

How many hats do you have now?

[B]

Oh, my gosh. Probably at least 50 in here. Probably over 100 hats.

[A]

Do you have a whole room dedicated to hats at your new place?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah, you do?

[B]

I do.

[A]

All right. So they're recognizing you because of the hat, and that led to what?

[B]

Yeah, so I'm trying to think of the. So I shot for that TV show for four years, and then.

[A]

Four years. Wow.

[B]

Yeah. The show ran 23 seasons.

[A]

Holy Jesus.

[B]

I know. Now they play it in, like, India, apparently, you know, reruns and whatnot. But, yeah, it's. It was a funny. Really funny show. We went to Ibiza, Spain, And Miami, Puerto Rico, and like flew me all over the world. It didn't pay very well, but it was like such an amazing jumping off point because then I started doing the cold calling. I would travel to LA and I would also ask to assist commercial photographers during that time too. So, like I got to assist Matthew Jordan Smith in LA when he was working on some projects. And then I did meetings out there and basically went through agency access to get the different contacts for my dream clients that I wanted to shoot for and the ad agencies that basically create campaigns for those clients. So I would cold call those ad agencies and create meetings. Then I went to San Diego, did the same, met with a bunch of ad agencies there and kept them updated all the time on my work. And eventually they will come around because they kind of feel a comfort with you after a while, after you've kept them updated for about a year. And then they, they will hire you to shoot for different stuff. Like say, hey, this is like new shots. Like, you have to stay in the style of that brand though. That's the, that's kind of the key. Like it has to look like it would fit that brand. And then I also got an agent at one point and the agent was booking me work as well.

[A]

And you still have one or.

[B]

No, I don't, I don't. Because the agent, it's. It can be tricky and the relationship with contracts and things, and they wanted to own a lot of the images and video that I.

[A]

The agent. Yes, the agent did, yes. Did you say, hey, agent, go fuck yourself?

[B]

I mean, in so many words, yes. But yeah, so you gotta be careful with what you sign over. Because for instance, I had one of my big first commercial clients, wanted to license a bunch of the test work that I'd already shot, you know, and had I not had model releases on those, and if I had signed my life away on those, I would have had no recourse to get money from those. And also I always pay the models if something sells.

[A]

You know, I just don't understand why an agent would expect that. They own your work, they're booking you, that's their fucking job, Right?

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And that's what you pay them for.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

This is another good business. Learning that we're picking up from you all the time is like, people think that you need other people to help you be successful. Now you do need other people in certain situations, but there's a lot of times where these grifters come along and they want to ride your coattails. Yeah, we need Agents or. Yeah, we need lawyers, and we need documentation and stuff. You can pay a lawyer per job. You can pay a lawyer per hour, Right? And then you maintain all your rights. There's no reason that an agent should ever have you sign over the work to them to represent. No, you represent me, asshole. God. Sorry. You can curse, too. Can you curse? Go ahead, let out all the curses right now.

[B]

I don't curse.

[A]

You're not under any obligation. You don't curse.

[B]

I don't. I try not to. Ever. I mean, I try not to.

[A]

Why? What's the big deal? We're just emphasizing.

[B]

It does provide some nice emphasis, but I usually come up with funny words instead of cuss words.

[A]

Yeah, but see, I have a whole thing about people that choose to use the well fork. You. We know exactly what you're saying. It doesn't mean that, like. Just say it.

[B]

Get the flock out of here.

[A]

Oh, great. There we go. There's Dixie cursing up a storm on the show. This is pg.

[B]

This is pg. Always.

[A]

All right, so you fired these. You fired those douches and then. And then what happened?

[B]

I did not fire them. I did not.

[A]

Why, they let you go?

[B]

No, no, no. They didn't let me go at all. I just. I basically told them that I. I didn't want to sign that contract, but I would still work with them on a transparent basis where we have a nice verbal. And we work together many times after that. So always a verbal.

[A]

See, with those people, I would have papered the shit out of it. See, I have verbal agreements for, like, 15 years with my. I have a guy that helps with ad stuff, you know, gets brand deals, because I don't want to deal with it.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And we've. Since day one, he does the deals, right? Checks with me to make sure everything's fine. Goes. Does this work? He usually can get a better rate than I could because I don't want to deal with it. And then the money comes to me, and then I pay him. And I bet you with those agents, I bet you the agents expected the money to go to them and then they pay you out.

[B]

You are correct.

[A]

That's bullshit. You should always collect the money and you pay them out because you are the business. You are in charge.

[B]

Exactly. That's so well said.

[A]

Well, I actually heard Call her maybe Alex Cooper, who I interviewed in 2015, by the way, on Raw Talk a long time ago. But I listened. She did something where she was signing a big deal, and they're like, well, we'll pay out to these people. And then they'll pay you. She's like, no, you pay me, and then I pay out. Like, I should always get the money. And that's what I like. To me, common sense wins.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And that's why I get the money and then I pay out.

[B]

Right. You don't get.

[A]

Cause now I gotta fight you. They get 20%. Is that what you gave them?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, well, hopefully they earned it.

[B]

Well, it's interesting because the modeling agencies, they get 20% not just from the client, but from the model as well.

[A]

Well, so I just hired some models. There's a model agency. Cause when I do my boot camps, my education things, I'd like to have real models. I had to stop using the friends, and I want real models. And so I found one, and I want them to make $100 an hour, and it's only two hours. And I buy them lunch. But then the agent, she's like, well, it's $180 that they get. I'm like, no, no, no. I'm like, I want them to get $200. So whatever the fee is, you just tell me, like, whatever it is that they get. 2. So if it's 240 and I pay you. 240, they get 200. Like, I don't want them to get less. This is what I want them to get. Just reverse engineering, Right?

[B]

Right. Absolutely. Did they quote you 18750 an hour?

[A]

It was. Whatever it was. But I'm like, I want them to get 200 bucks. Call it that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And so, you know, they make it easy. That's why I do it. It costs a little extra money. But, you know, you're getting real models, and real models help so much when I'm working with beginner and amateur photographers because they don't understand the posing. You know what I hate that models do what? That every time I take a picture, they move.

[B]

Oh. That's what they're trained to do.

[A]

Stop moving. Stop moving. I am looking for a specific thing. Hold. And I will tell you when to move. So that's one of the things that I have to tell models, because it's like, well, I almost had the frame. Right, but then you moved, and I lost it.

[B]

So you got to tell them that beforehand, because a lot of them do have. Like, they move too much, and then it's like you're trying to. You're being a sports photographer.

[A]

Yes, but. Yeah. So all these years. So what are you shooting? What was the camera your dad got you?

[B]

Yeah. So it was the Nikon fg.

[A]

Fg. Is that some old film camera?

[B]

It is, yeah.

[A]

It's a Nikon fg.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Nikon fg. I'm gonna look it up because I. I don't know the FG.

[B]

It's an old film camera.

[A]

1982-84.

[B]

It was a very vintage, vintage camera. And he also passed down my grandfather's Rollie.

[A]

Do you still have it?

[B]

I do. It has his name on it. Homer.

[A]

Oh, nice.

[B]

Yeah, I love that camera.

[A]

It's like a lower. It's not like an F2 and F3 and F4 style. It was more like the F100, if I had to guess, anyway.

[B]

And like the Canon 81, I believe.

[A]

Then. Then what do you graduate to when you're. When you're doing all these fashion jobs?

[B]

Yeah. So my first was with the Nikon D3X.

[A]

That was before you were an ambassador.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you bought a D3S.

[B]

I did a D3X.

[A]

Sorry, D3X. Yeah. Well, that was an expensive camera.

[B]

It was. It really was. Especially at the time.

[A]

And that was. That was a full frame.

[B]

It was a full frame. Yep. It was. It was for my first big campaign in la. It was for Florsheim shoes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So then how do you end up as an ambassador at Nikon?

[B]

Yeah. So the long short story of a long story is basically, I entered a contest called the High Shinen Award. Have you heard of it?

[A]

Nope.

[B]

Okay, so it was just a contest. You enter, like, as a student photographer in college. And I entered it FedEx, my portfolio, overnighted it because I'm kind of a procrastinator. But I got it to the WBI crew and they ended up awarding me the. That award, the High Sheenan Award. And so they paid for me to go to WBI for free and attend all the conferences and meet everyone. And so I met, like, the president of Rangefinder magazine at the time.

[A]

And what year are we talking about here?

[B]

2006, I think. Wow. Yeah. So I started going to WPI every year, and then fast forward a couple years. That same president of Rangefinder introduced me. He's like, oh, I need you to meet somebody and introduce me to one of the marketing directors at Nikon. And basically I asked if he would review my portfolio. And I didn't have a portfolio with me. So I had to run over to the Graphy Studio booth because they had a sample of one of my portfolios and borrow it and run it back to the NPS lounge, and they reviewed my Portfolio. And he really liked it. And he's like, well, this is cool. Keep me updated. So I kept them updated every month for about a year and eventually they hired me to shoot my first campaign. And then they launched the ambassador program pretty soon after that. So I was just barely out of college and got to be an ambassador. So it was. And I had 13 really amazing years and grateful for that.

[A]

But before that, they hired you based off of your work to do a campaign. So you weren't an ambassador. They were hiring you as a working photographer. What. What year was. What was this? What year was this?

[B]

Like around 2008.

[A]

2008. So we're talking about a campaign for a DSLR, I'm assuming.

[B]

Actually, it was one of the point shoots.

[A]

A point. So it was a cool pics.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which cool pics was it?

[B]

I want to say it was.

[A]

Was it the one with the projector built in?

[B]

No. Oh, gosh. What was the name of had motion snapshot, which is like the live photo now in the Apple phones. Oh, gosh.

[A]

What was the name of the Nikon cool pics in 2020 2008?

[B]

I cannot remember the name of it. The art? No, the S1. S1 or the. It was like a cute little. It had a lens built in.

[A]

Yeah. I don't know. We don't. Cool pics. P6000.

[B]

It was one of them.

[A]

Yeah. So you do this campaign and I

[B]

set up this whole campaign for this tiny little point and shoot.

[A]

Did you get paid?

[B]

Well, yeah, I did, absolutely.

[A]

And then they decided to start an ambassador program. And you were part of the early crew?

[B]

Yes, the one of 16.

[A]

I'm not sure what you can talk about when it comes to what an ambassador program affords you. So back then, did it include gear? Did it include money? What did it get you?

[B]

Well, it gets you priority. When they have a campaign come out, they consider the ambassadors to shoot those campaigns and they do pay for those. And then speaking engagements, which also pay. And so it's basically anything you do, like interviews or. I mean, not everything pays, but you're obviously going to be a big, I guess, getting the word out for the brand. So, yes, speaking engagements, campaigns, interviews and magazines and also teaching. And I am not a natural teacher. I will say that has not been an easy thing for me to try to learn. I love it and I definitely never thought I would be speaking, but it's been something I had to learn, like, because I was an ambassador for G Technology as well. And they sent me to speaker training, which was really helpful because I went and spoke at all the Apple stores over in Germany and Berlin and whatnot.

[A]

Nine.

[B]

Nine. Yeah.

[A]

So what time would you like me there? Nine.

[B]

Nine. Exactly. I took German in college. Oh, my gosh. But, yeah, so that was very helpful because I definitely was not a natural at speaking and whatnot. So that's. That's one of those things.

[A]

Do they. Did they give you gear, or did you have to buy gear, or was there, like, a stipend you could use every year towards equipment?

[B]

Yeah, so I already had a ton of gear. Obviously, I invested heavily in the brand, and yearly they give you a little bit to get new gear, essentially. And. But it's funny because people have these grand visions of what brands. You know, they're like, oh, she makes, like, whatever. And they just like, you know, it's not what it. I guess what it's made out to be in some ways, I think, or

[A]

what people think that it might be.

[B]

Yeah, it's a lot of work. Yeah.

[A]

So you do that for, like, 13 years. What was the best campaign you worked on when you were at Nikon? Your favorite campaign?

[B]

That's so hard. Probably the launch of the D5. That was an amazing one.

[A]

Did you get to go to space and take it around the moon? Is that what you ended up doing?

[B]

That would have been really cool. I did get to go on a helicopter for the D850 filmmaker kit. That was really awesome. They put me up in a helicopter, and I'm shooting video of volcanoes in Hawaii. That was. I mean, it's so surreal. Like, I'm so grateful for the whole experience. The D5 campaign was really awesome. The launch of the Z7, their first mirrorless camera, that was killer. I mean, it's been such a journey. So grateful for it and it's over.

[A]

And you decided to leave. What went wrong, Dixie? Where did it all go wrong?

[B]

I know people are so curious as to what prompted the switch.

[A]

Yeah. Does Canon come to you, or do you pick up the phone and call Canon?

[B]

So Canon came to me, and it was towards the end of my Nikon contract where they reinstated. You know, they have to reinstate it once a year. And Canon approached me and asked if I would try out some of their gear. And I tried out the R5 Mark 2. Really amazing.

[A]

Was there ever a person, potentially any time in your life in the last couple years who was like, dixie, you should really try this autofocus from this camera, because if you're tired of eyelash af, maybe you should try. That was There anybody that ever said that to you?

[B]

Are you setting yourself up? I'm just kidding.

[A]

I mean, I did.

[B]

I now remember you telling me that I did.

[A]

So you try that out. What'd you think right off the rip?

[B]

The autofocus is amazing. It really is. And the skin tones are gorgeous.

[A]

And you like the skin tones. A lot of people will complain about Canon skin tones.

[B]

Really?

[A]

They complain about color science. I don't like the word color science. You got the RAW file. I always love the thickness of my Nikon files. I still do miss just the D3s type files. Right. The D2X files, I will say that the D1X files going all the way back to the CCD era, those files are. The colors on those things are so incredible. But it's a different era. Like it's a different era.

[B]

But what was so the main thing though, I will say that had me because, you know, in my career I always try to go with the flow and what's feeling aligned with my career going forward. So my career going forward, I'm going towards fine art. As you know, AI is tricky with commercial photography. And so, you know, with all of that coming out, I think the more human we can make our work, the better. Like I literally have commercial clients coming to me asking me for Polaroid style pictures, like commercial clients, just because they want it to look real, they want it to look nostalgic and, and whatnot. So I'm going towards the fine art route and I really am going to be getting heavily into printing. And so that's been a huge part of the reason why I even considered it in the first place. Because I know that Cana has really amazing printing capabilities and printers. So for me, like from the shoot to the edit to the print, I want to be able to show that whole process and do my own printing and sell huge gallery prints and fine art and you know, one of 10 or whatever it is and get into this whole fine art world that I'm jumping into. So their ecosystem was really like a perfect fit for that type of thing. And I think that's really what was the big factor.

[A]

So that's a big factor. But what else. What other factors are there with leaving? Not because you're somewhere for 13 years.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Right. You don't want to go.

[B]

Right, right.

[A]

But what changed on the Nikon front?

[B]

I mean, it's a good question. Like I. I've loved and I've worked with them for 13 years or more and I love the people there. Love, love, loved. But A lot of them were retiring and getting out of the business or whatever it is. And so that, that is another factor I think that that played in it. So a lot of people that would hire me early on for these campaigns are no longer there and yeah, so for me it felt like a whole new adventure to embark on. You know, I had 13amazing years and I'm so grateful and all is friendly and still friends with everyone I worked with and I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to, you know, work with a new client.

[A]

And this is a very PC version.

[B]

I'm just trying, this is truth though.

[A]

I'm just trying to pull as much as I can.

[B]

Like such, such great experiences with, with both and both are amazing cameras. It's fun to have something new in your hands that you've not because I've never shot any other brand basically. So it's, it's fun there. I'm really excited about the open gate of like the C50 on the canons. Amazing. Amazing to be able to shoot like vertical and horizontal. The same shoot. And I want to do a lot of documentary filmmaking as well. And I think the canons are made well for that. And yeah, just the auto. Yeah, the autofocus is really amazing as well. I mean I've been, it's, it's hard because they're, they're both amazing brands and I'm super stoked to get to work for. Have worked with one and I'm working for another one and Canon's great.

[A]

So, so can there has to be a business. There has to be a business side of it too. There's a financial incentive, I'm assuming.

[B]

Well, I would say that if you think about the two companies, Canon has printers, they have scopes, they have lenses, cameras. It's a wider variety of things that you could potentially shoot for, if that makes sense. Campaigns.

[A]

So then there's more jobs, more campaigns that might come up and that's how you generate revenue, is that way.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. I mean it makes sense. So it makes sense. Especially when people leave a company when you're not like, I'm very loyal.

[B]

I am too.

[A]

Long term. I prefer long term relationships, I guess in business, in personal life they don't happen very often. But in business it's. I rather work with these companies long term because you know how each other works and you feel some loyalty there. But then what happens when people start leaving? The whole dynamic shifts and then you're like, you know what? It doesn't really matter as much anymore and you can make the shift. And it makes sense wanting to get into printers because Nikon doesn't have printers. Canon has. Are they going to send you a 4600 to your house?

[B]

I hope so.

[A]

That's the 46 inch one.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Or the 44 inch one.

[B]

That would be incredible because I want to make massive, massive prints. I mean, this is all very new. So, you know, I'm just scratching the surface of getting into it all. And this switch, I mean, I will tell you, it has been the most heart wrenching thing I think I have ever gone through in some ways.

[A]

What's missing on the Canon front that you had on the Nikon front that you would want?

[B]

If anything? Nothing. I just mean heart wrenching in the fact of like you build relationships with people and that loyalty and that's, that's all I mean is like, you know, I'm such a loyal person and I've been such a fiercely loyal to, to the brand and you know, but you also have to follow where your career is headed in. Mine's headed towards fine art and that's like my passion in the printing and the ecosystem and the color science. I know you hate that word, but it is definitely factors into it.

[A]

Yeah, it makes sense that sometimes it's just time to make the shift and pursue something different and try something. Evan Vucci, who's a photographer for the. He was at Getty and he just switched to go to AP and so wait, or did he. No, he was at the AP and he switched to Getty. So he was a White House photographer at doing flying all over the world. So he went from using Sony to now having to use Canon and he's just like, it's fun to learn something new. He's like, it's just, it keeps it real and I'm not stagnating and doing the same thing. He just like, I wanted to change the scenery, I got to change the scenery. Like every once in a while you just need to change it up. I think we all fall into that after a while.

[B]

I mean everything is backwards. So it's been an adventure. I feel like what's been the hardest

[A]

thing to pick up in the Canon ecosystem for you?

[B]

Ooh. You know, I've gotten. It took me a while to master the focusing and because it's in a different spot than the Nikons are the Nikons, it's like right next to like the toggle and there's just the. So I kind of have to hold my camera a little differently, which has been interesting.

[A]

But it depends on which focus mode you're using.

[B]

Well, yeah, that's. See, that's.

[A]

The other thing is, like, I haven't shown you the different boxes that I like to use when it comes to it because you also have the touch sensitive pad. You don't have to use the. The joystick. And you would prefer an R1. The problem is the R1 for you as a fine art. I mean, it's 21. Sorry, 24 megapixels. Not that megapixels even matter.

[B]

It doesn't matter.

[A]

Really doesn't matter. It's just the feel of that pro body is. So it's lighter than an R5 Mark II with a grip and all the batteries in it.

[B]

Right. Because I use the grip on the R5.

[A]

Yeah. Have you tried an R1?

[B]

I have, yeah. Great.

[A]

Do you have one?

[B]

I do, yes.

[A]

Oh, you have it all. You have a 100 to 300?

[B]

I do, yes. That is an incredible lens. Incredible.

[A]

Yeah. It's the one I made.

[B]

That's the one you made?

[A]

I have the one that I made in Japan. When I was in Japan for Canon, I got to drop in one element into a 100 to 300. It might be yours. It might be yours.

[B]

What? That would be so cool.

[A]

It's probably not.

[B]

I shot, when I was in Marfa, I shot a Bronco vehicle next to a horse.

[A]

They're like, oh, see, I thought it was a Bronco bull.

[B]

Well, I shot that afterwards. But they're running at me and I'm using that 100 to 300 lens and tracking them. And it was. It turned out such a cool shot. I can't wait to share those soon. Yeah, just killer. That's a killer lens.

[A]

I'm assuming we'll see one day a campaign done for Canon that you've done.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And all of that. Have you pitched any specific jobs or any specific shoots you want to do yet?

[B]

Not yet.

[A]

Not yet.

[B]

Not yet. But I've got a ton in the works up here. It's because it's so new. I mean, it's been. It was April 1st, essentially.

[A]

Yeah, well, you couldn't announce on that day.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

People would have thought that it wasn't real.

[B]

Very true. Yeah, that's very true. Little April Fool's Day. I think people still wondered if it was April Fool's.

[A]

Late April, not when it happened on April 16.

[B]

But people asked me that.

[A]

What if you just were playing a joke?

[B]

Yeah. I was like, no, this is. This is for real. This is for real.

[A]

Think things change People change, times change.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Situations change. And you. And, and it really comes down to we are, we are business people, just like athletes are. It's a business. Yes, there's some loyalty, but there absolutely is loyalty. But also you have to look out for yourself at the end of the day because this is a business and you do need to do what's right for you. And so if making that switch is right, then you made the right choice. I don't get the people wanting to give you shit for doing. People get so tied up with a brand. I was an icon since I was 15, until I was like in my 30s. And it just wasn't the right tool. And when it's not the right tool to get the job done, then it's not what you use. You have to use the right tool. If something else exists, that's better.

[B]

Absolutely. And I think also, you know, the gear doesn't make the photographer. I mean, I could be handed a point and shoot and create work that I love, you know, and I think you just got to go with what suits, how you shoot, what your goals are. I mean, I'm getting into the printing and that whole ecosystem and you know, I'm just, I try to go with the flow of how my career is going and I don't want to ever stagnate. I want to obviously try new things as I'm moving forward. And this just felt like a whole new adventure I get to embark on. So it's pretty surreal because such a, such a huge honor. The Canon team has been completely amazing throughout the whole process.

[A]

So I will tell you it's going to be much easier to get the gear you want when you want it. You make a phone call, you drop an email, hey, I need a 600. Hey, I need an 800. Hey, can you send me the 1200? Sure, let us check. Yep, it's in the mail. Like that wasn't going to happen on the Nikon front anymore. What? What? I mean, I can say it.

[B]

Well, that's exciting. What's your favorite lens?

[A]

You're just trying to deflect from these hard hitting questions.

[B]

I know I'm the least controversial person you will ever meet.

[A]

The 28 to 70 is what brought me over from Sony at the time. A while ago, the 28 to 70 brought me because it was such a unique. It was what I call a fuck you lens that Canon made. It was what they did when they released the EOS R, they put out the 51.2, a fuck you lens and the 28-70 f2 was a fuck you lens. What I mean by that is it's a lens that no one's ever seen. It didn't exist. Like, that stuff was so different. A 28-70 F2, you're like, wow, better than 2.8. And it just has a look. It still has a look and a feel today. It just needs to be lighter. They need a new version, just like Sony came out with the version. But that, that is one of my favorite lenses, my favorite focal length. I'll answer that. I'll ask myself and answer. It is like a 35 if they had a 35 1.2. I love the feel of it. I just love a 35. Not too wide, not too tight. It's just, in my opinion, a really solid choice.

[B]

I like the 35 too. It's a great focal length.

[A]

Yeah. And they do have a 35 1.4 VCM cannon in their VCM lineup. I'm sure you're learning all of these things.

[B]

Yes, all of the names. And they have a 14 too.

[A]

They have a 14, 1.4. We just put out a video on that. So before we, we wrap it up, do you have any canon obligations coming up where people can see you?

[B]

So. Not yet. Not yet, but I'm sure there will be. I've got, I've actually, this past year I've gotten into Airbnb and then also I have a shooting ranch. Do you know what that means, a film ranch?

[A]

Oh, I thought you were going to shoot guns.

[B]

Well, I do do that too, but no.

[A]

What's a shooting ranch?

[B]

So a movie ranch is essentially where movies set up sets, you know, long term, where they can film. So it's called the Thunderbird Film Ranch. And it's five acres of outdoor film sets where I can set up, shoots videos and anyone else can, can rent the ranch to shoot at. So I'm going to be doing a lot more shooting out there. You know, Taylor Sheridan's productions are in Fort Worth now, and the western is kind of becoming really popular.

[A]

So, so, you know, own this property. Okay. So now we're a business person buying property.

[B]

So it's been a fun process because I can create these sets and then I, you know, airstreams and for all these brands. So boot companies will shoot out there and music videos and people have flown from California to shoot at the Texas Film Ranch, you know, and I don't know, I called it the Thunderbird Film Ranch. I like the Thunderbird icon. So it's been a whole Other fun project I've been working on.

[A]

I'm going to have to find the listing to see what, something like, what, five acres in wherever the hell this is. Goes for in Weatherford, Texas.

[B]

Yeah, Texas is very, very reasonable.

[A]

What does a film ranch that's five acres cost?

[B]

I think like 750.

[A]

And that came with the house and stuff that's there already. And the pool.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Jesus Christ.

[B]

I've been putting. I put two Airstreams on it, a tiny cabin, a cowboy motel, and some other random sets on there.

[A]

That's awesome. So you. So when you do your own shoots there, you also collect rent?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

From the shoot, you get paid. This is smart business shit. This is awesome.

[B]

Yeah, you should come shoot there.

[A]

Do I have to pay?

[B]

No, no.

[A]

750. Maybe I'll just buy one right next door.

[B]

There you go. There's some cool properties out there.

[A]

The Thunderbird film. Okay. All right. See, this is good business stuff. Just listening to you diversifying across the way and having all these other opportunities to make your way. Photography is one thing, really. People think that a lot of successful photographers make livings in multiple ways. You have your photography, but you diversify into the real estate world. But smart. This is really smart. This is really cool. We're learning quite a bit about Dixie here.

[B]

Absolutely. Well, I think it's really good to diversify your income because you never know how the business is going to go with all the things. The photography world right now is like the Wild west as far as navigating AI and all these things coming out. So it's. I think it's good to diversify and also to focus on your passion and getting back to the soul of photography and what makes photography so interesting. Because if you look at AI ads, it doesn't make me want to purchase things, but when I see actual photography selling something, it actually gives me more. It's like the human element is missing in so much of today's world. And I think the more we can insert that soul and that human element into what we do, the more that's going to make your career take off, the more that authenticity is going to come alive and the more you're going to be successful, essentially. So I think that film ranch is kind of like, it's just a fun, soulful project for me, you know? So it's been a crazy adventure, but

[A]

we're going to leave it there. We've taken enough of your time. I really appreciate you coming on and sharing a little bit more about yourself. The business behind Your photography and giving tips for everybody to pursue what they want to pursue and then also hearing why the switch happened.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for taking the time with me. You are such an inspiration and the way that you run your business. And it's very inspiring to watch over the years and it's an honor to be here. Thank you.

[A]

You're welcome. Dixie, thank you for coming on.

[B]

Awesome. Appreciate it.

[A]

I told you you guys would learn a lot about Dixie. I was fascinated to learn about her business. The fact that she has different properties and how she markets herself and how she gave herself different assignments to go out there and do things on spec that could lead to the jobs that she wanted. That, to me, is what it's all about. And it shows you. Photography isn't just the only gig that successful photographers have. There are very few photographers out there that are just straight up photographers making a living. I know there's photographers out there that do that, but there are a lot of photographers that also parlay their photography into other outlets, like real estate. I don't know the other things they do. I just know myself and sounds like Dixie having a bunch of different real estate properties is helpful because it also takes out some of the fear of what we're doing. We can invest in the photography side by having this other thing over there that might generate revenue. Now, it's not something. Look, I'm 45 years old. I don't know how old Dixie is at this point, but I'm 45. I know in my 20s, I didn't have any of that. So it's all a work in progress to get to a point where you are secure in what you do and that you can just elevate and skyrocket and keep putting jet fuel behind the things that you do. And it just starts to expand exponentially as you get older. I mean, you learn more, you make more money, and money begets money. So I want to thank Dixie for coming on and being so open and sharing. I know she's nervous. I know she's an introvert and gets a little anxious for these things. I totally get it. I don't get nervous. I really don't. Not for these. I enjoy them. I like having conversations and I think that was a really, really cool and eye opening conversation. So thank you to Dixie for jumping on with us today. Guys, I'm going to leave it there. Thank you very much for listening to a special interview edition of FroKnowsPhotor Raw Talk. Jared Poland, FroKnowsPhoto.com. see ya.