We were so excited to have our very first drone giveaway in December and are now thrilled to announce that Brandi Tressler is the winner from our Drone giveaway! She was lucky enough to win a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ Drone!
With a passion for photography that started when she was a little girl, Brandi now loves using her young daughter as the subject in many of her photos. She has a love for capturing real people and the real emotions they have and enjoys exploring the world around her so she can showcase amazing architecture, landscapes and even animals in her work.
We want to introduce you to Brandi and tell you a little about herself and how she got into photography.
How did you first get into photography?
“As far back as I can remember, I have had a camera in hand. I was always the friend at sleepovers in junior high with a camera, or on trips, or just hanging out. I got my first DSLR about 9 years ago and vowed never to shoot in Auto. I haven't looked back.”
What is your favorite thing to photograph?
“I have a 5 year old, so she's often the subject of my photos. I love photographing architecture, landscapes, animals, etc. Vacations for me are all about photography, when everyone else is usually all about activities. I want things to look at and explore so I can capture them. I'm pretty addicted to Instagram.”
What type of style would you say fits you best?
“I have a pretty straightforward style - I like to photograph what I see. Candid shots are my absolute favorite. I love to capture people as they are, with real emotion. I'm not much for posed portrait work and shoots. Not that they are bad, and I've done a few here and there, but that isn't where my heart is when I'm behind the camera. I don't like to manipulate images too much in Photoshop...just a few tweaks here and there to fix things that I didn't get right in camera. I'm always learning and trying to better my skills so that I don't have to tweak too much.”
What is your most favorite shoot you have ever had and why?
“As far as people go, I was asked to photograph a friend's adoption when they got their last child - talk about candid and emotional. It was a special day and I was honored to be able to share it with them. (It's a little more challenging to shoot photos with tears in your eyes, by the way.)
As for for other types of photography, I've been able to go explore abandoned houses and buildings in small Texas towns with some members of my photography club, and those have always been a blast.”
What was your first reaction when you found out you won the drone?
“I was shocked, and then I was like, "wait, what is that??" I'm more familiar with your DSLR giveaways, so I had been in the habit of entering to win every day, so I don't even know that I was paying as much attention when I entered for the drone. Once I googled it, I was completely excited! When it arrived, I was completely intimidated!! LOL”
Are there any other fun facts about you that you would like to share?
“I just want to thank you so much for hosting these giveaways, and for introducing me to the world of drone photography that I otherwise probably would have never explored on my own!”
See Brandi's drone first flight video here:
Congrats again to Brandi!
We are so happy that winning has given her the opportunity to branch out and use this new and exciting piece of equipment that is gaining so much popularity with photographers.
Click here to check out our past winner stories!
Enter our current camera giveaway here>
We're always hosting new camera giveaways so be sure to like us on Facebook. You could win a brand new Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon D800 or other fun prizes!
