Tina Caron was 14 years old when she received her first camera as a Christmas gift from her dad. She said she fell in love with photography, but as she got older, she shelved that activity until an unlikely new hobby buoyed the interest back to the surface.

“I started learning how to scuba dive,” Caron said. “Everybody was asking me what I saw and what it looked like, so that rekindled my interest in photography.”

She thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of photographing tiny creatures underwater while floating, but said she had to face reality.

“If I was going to make any money at photography I needed to learn how to work with people,” Caron said. “Fish were not going to pay me.”

The setup


To learn more about taking her hobby to the next level, Caron joined Professional Photographers of America and the Dallas Professional Photographers Association. Through these groups she met mentors who guided her along the journey. She started a part-time photography business in her home in 2014, went full time in 2021 and moved from her home to a brick-and-mortar location in 2023.

The approach

Caron works as a custom concierge photographer and describes her style as "very classic."

“I like to incorporate what the client wants along with my sense of how we can produce a quality image that's timeless,” Caron said. “My goal is to have my clients hang their portraits on the wall. I want that portrait to still look like it’s in the right place in 10 or 20 years.”


What’s special about it?

Meeting with clients prior to the photo shoot is crucial to Caron.

“A really big key to the success of my sessions is that I have an in-home consultation where we go over everything related to the session,” Caron said. “My success relies on building relationships with at least the person who hired me and, preferably, the other people who are going to be in the portrait, especially if it's a reluctant husband or kids.”

During the in-home consultation, Caron guides wardrobe selection and assesses what the style and scale of the finished portrait should be based on how the client lives in their space.


What else?

In addition to creating custom portraits, Caron offers headshot sessions, painted portraits, game-face portraits and Dreamweaver portraits.

“A Dreamweaver portrait is a collaborative effort between me and the person who has commissioned me,” Caron said. “If they can articulate an idea to me, then we collaborate together to expand that idea. I photograph the main subjects ... and create everything else digitally after the fact.”

Quote of note


When asked what her favorite thing is about owning this business, Caron couldn’t stop at just one answer.

“It's twofold — It's the freedom to craft my day however I need to,” Caron said. “It's also bringing what I love to other people, helping them capture their best selves, and leveraging that, whether it's for the enjoyment of their family in their home or for their business.”