Reggie Bell
~Fashion/Event Photographer~
By Darise S. Deal
Copa: Where did you grow up?
Reggie: I grew up on the west coast in Los Angeles, California.
Reggie: I grew up on the west coast in Los Angeles, California.
Copa: What schools did you attend?
Reggie: I attended Susan Miller Dorothy High School in Los Angeles, California.
Reggie: I attended Susan Miller Dorothy High School in Los Angeles, California.
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Copa: How did you get your start in photography, and what’s the name of your company?
Reggie: I started my business in 2014. The name of my company is Bell Photo and Model Studio DC, LLC. Basically, I got started because I didn’t have anything else to do in Washington, D.C. I always did something in my spare time, and in D.C. I couldn’t do what I was doing in Europe, so I had to find something else to do. It took me a while to find that something else. So photography seemed to be it. |
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Copa: What inspires you and keeps you motivated? Reggie: What inspires me is beauty...beauty inspires me as far as photography goes. All sorts of beauty in different shapes, sizes and spectrums. So I just try to find the beauty in everything and capture that. |
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Copa: What kind of services do you provide for your clients?
Reggie: I provide a wide range of services. It depends on what you want me to shoot. I will shoot if unless I tell you I can’t. If I can’t do something, I’ll let you know. I don’t want to waste your time or mine. I haven't shot children yet, but I’m sure that will be a blast.
I do a few weddings every now and then, but mostly I shoot events, fashion shows, Boudoir, bikini shoots, head shots, etc. If you have something you want done, just give me a call, and we can work it out.
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Copa: You have the opportunity to attend some of the most exciting and philanthropic events around town! How did you make those connections?
Reggie: Usually, I get calls from other media sources like DC Hot Spots. They seem to be out there getting these connections with these events. Once I get in, I build off of those connections and meet the event organizers. Once they see my pictures, they pretty much want me to come again.
Copa: Has photography afforded you the opportunity to travel outside the DMV area or even abroad? Please share a little about those experiences.
Reggie: I have shot New York Fashion Week (NYFW) for the last three years. So that’s always good. NYFW is very tier oriented. There are top-tier shows and second-tier shows. So I have yet to crack the top-tier designer shows, but I am very well placed in the second-tier shows. I’ve had a chance to see some amazing venues like Madison Square Garden, the Gotham Theater and the Manhattan Theater. They have some very nice shows there. I’m very happy with the shows that I’m allowed to shoot. Some amazing designers are there that people just don’t know about. Some of the stuff that I’ve shot there is just beyond amazing.
I also just traveled back from Miami, Florida where I shot the “Ms. Bikini USA” Pageant. That gave me the opportunity to travel with the newly formed DC bikini crew.
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Copa: What are some of the organizations that you’ve worked with? Reggie: Oh wow, I can’t even list them all. We Will Survive Cancer, Lolly’s Locks, there’s been so many charity events...Arts for Autism, Art Soiree, etc. Copa: For our #CopaList, can you please provide your preferred venues for photography? Reggie: I did a fitness shoot with Elena Skinner at the Lincoln Memorial, and it was pretty awesome because we had the columns and the views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Also, the women’s museum in downtown D.C. where I shot a few embassy events in amazing. Lolly’s Locks had an event there a few years back. The Gotham Theater for NYFW was awesome. They really hooked that place up. I like events where they have a truly awesome production value, which means they spend money on the presentation of the event. That’s one of the things about D.C. that lacks sometimes. The production value is not what it should be. I make the best of it when I can, and I try to present everything in an upscale manner when I shoot my photographs. |
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Elena Skinner
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Photographers of DC Bikini Crew: Rodney Mitchell, Ben Huynh and Reggie Bell
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Copa: If you could share one piece of advice about business for our readers, what would it be? Reggie: It depends on where you are in business. When I first started, photography was a hobby. I picked up a camera, and I thought I could do something with it. I wasn’t really looking to be a business. I was just looking to find something else to do besides being a DJ. I’ve always had a creative attitude and mindset. I just needed an outlet for that creativity. If it wasn’t music, it was photography. If you are just starting out, just get out there and shoot. The more you shoot, the more you learn. Find yourself a mentor. I know when I first started, I found a mentor in Marcus Bennett. Marcus helped me out and introduced me to the people at DC Hot Spots. Later on, that blossomed into a friendship with Adam and Brian Silver. A lot of people say that I’m everywhere. That’s true. But I just show up. That’s all I can say. I take my pictures, and I let my work speak for itself. If you like it, great; if you don’t, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My style is bright, colorful and [my photographs] pop. I want you to look at [my photographs] and feel overwhelmed by them. So go out, find out what you want to shoot, be seen, talk to people and make those connections. |
Copa: Do you have any upcoming events that you would like to share with our readers?
Reggie: Me personally, I really don’t know what I’m going to shoot until two days before I shoot it. If somebody really wants me at an event, they’ll request that I come out in advance. The only thing I know for sure is when I shoot NYFW...that’s like a month or two advance notice. For D.C., there’s so many events. If I did them all, I would be out every single night, and I can’t do that. I really don’t know what’s coming up.
I know that I do shoot a lot of models who want portfolio photographs and head shots. They contact me all the time and I am very busy with that. Usually, I do not post those photographs. If we are shooting and a client asks me not to post [on social media], then I honor that. I believe in total trust between the model and the photographer. It’s like a lawyer client relationship. We see stuff we shouldn’t see sometimes...it’s on our cameras. So I don’t post unless all parties agree that it should be posted. If it doesn’t look good, I don’t post it. That’s one of my caveats. People always ask me where are the pictures. Sometimes photographers just download and post, for speed sake, and they don’t review the photographs. I don’t care about being first; I am not about speed. If it isn’t right, I don’t post it. I would rather have a quality photograph than quantity.
Copa: What does the future hold for Reggie Bell?
Reggie: I am just looking to get out there and be known as a photographer who offers nice photographs. I want to grow from there. Right now I have a regular 9 to 5 job working for the government. After retirement, I’ll be ready to do photography full time. Right now I have to work on a job that pays the bills, until this gets a nice foothold, and I can kiss the government goodbye!
Reggie: I am just looking to get out there and be known as a photographer who offers nice photographs. I want to grow from there. Right now I have a regular 9 to 5 job working for the government. After retirement, I’ll be ready to do photography full time. Right now I have to work on a job that pays the bills, until this gets a nice foothold, and I can kiss the government goodbye!
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For more information about Bell Photo and Modeling Studio DC, LLC, send Reggie Bell a friend request on Facebook, "like" his business page: www.facebook.com/BPMStudioDC, follow him on Instagram @bpm_studio_dc or call (240) 993-9600. In the near future, Reggie will be launching a brand new website, so stay tuned!
For more information about Bell Photo and Modeling Studio DC, LLC, send Reggie Bell a friend request on Facebook, "like" his business page: www.facebook.com/BPMStudioDC, follow him on Instagram @bpm_studio_dc or call (240) 993-9600. In the near future, Reggie will be launching a brand new website, so stay tuned!
~Copa
(Layout by Rodney Wayne Branche)