It’s not every day that Becki Whitman gets an opportunity to photograph the cover art for the CD of an up-and-coming musician.
But earlier this year, the owner of Becki Whitman Photography in Frisco found herself in a downtown McKinney alley staring through the lens of her Canon 6D Mark II camera at Dallas music artist Rock Garneaux.
“He had two guys with him, and they had all of these props and guitars and different jackets and vests for him (to wear),” Ms. Whitman recalls of the photo session. “It was seriously so much fun. Some of the pictures I have of him from the session are just killer.”
One of the photographs taken that day – of Mr. Garneaux peering from behind a pair of wide-rimmed, reflective sunglasses and gripping the neck of a guitar – was selected as the winner of Frisco STYLE Magazine’s 2021 Cover Photo Contest. The photo, which was among more than 200 submitted for the contest that was judged by members of the Frisco STYLE staff, appears on cover of the magazine’s August Arts issue.
Ms. Whitman says she was “so excited” to learn that she had won the first-place award. A full-time IT sales consultant, she founded her photography business six years ago. “This is just my creative outlet,” she says.
The majority of her clients are high school students and their parents who request that she shoot photos commemorating the teens’ senior year. The Becki Whitman Photography Facebook page also features numerous stunning portraits of young girls posing in fanciful dresses.
Some of her best photo sessions result, she says, when she is able to pull even the most introverted subjects “out of their shell. When I know I have something awesome in my camera, I go home on top of the moon.”
While she has plenty of what some may consider more conventionally beautiful pictures that she could have submitted for the cover photo contest, Ms. Whitman says she went with the decidedly edgy portrait of Mr. Garneaux because “to me, it doesn’t seem like a conventional Frisco STYLE picture. But Frisco is so different now than it was … 10 years ago, so this is the look of Frisco now.”
Mr. Garneaux – with his vibrant red hair and colorful, sleeve-length tattoos – was an ideal photography subject, she says. “The reflection in the glasses, the look on his face, catching his red fingernail, which most guys don’t have – it was just the details of it that I loved.” Also, given the issue’s Arts theme, “I wanted (the submission) to be artsy.”
The winning photo was one of several that Ms. Whitman entered into this year’s contest, which is a popular annual Frisco STYLE Magazine feature. As well as a large plaque featuring the magazine’s August 2021 cover, she was also awarded a $200 gift certificate for Dallas retailer Competitive Camera.
