Who she is: As a photographer for more than 20 years, Miami photographer Donna Victor has shot images for publications such as Architectural Digest, Florida Grand Opera, and Haute Living Magazine.
What she does: “I got started in the business thanks to my dad, and mentor, Mel Victor, who was a professional photographer in Miami Beach for decades,” she explains. “As a kid, I would assist him on photo shoots whenever possible. After attending the Art Center College of Design in California for a more structured education, I realized I couldn’t have a better career than partnering with my dad.”
Why she does it: Mel passed away in 2003, and Donna says she misses him very much. “But one of the most valuable lessons I learned from him was to approach any job, big or small, with tremendous enthusiasm and professionalism,” she says. “So I have continued on with our work.”
Putting on the Dog
By Hope Gibbs
author
Truly Amazing Women
Like her father, my passion is portraiture. It has offered me the opportunity to photograph many distinguished and prominent individuals, and has now led me to a new-found passion: dog portraits.
“Dogs, like people, have such diverse personalities, which is why photographing them is so much fun,” says Donna, who shares some of her favorite photos from over the years, below.
Joyful Ann
Ann had a rough life that landed her in prison for awhile. But with a little help from a program sponsored by Barry University, she was able to pull her life together. Today she is proud to be working and self-sufficient.
Pictured here, she’s celebrating her new reality in Barry’s Chapel, where she’s also giving thanks for having found religion behind bars. “It has helped me a great deal,” she shares.
Don King
After spending an entire day photographing Don King for Haute Living Magazine, I happened to find this room in a corner of his home that had this incredibly huge chandelier.
When I saw all this glitz and bling, I knew this was the perfect spot to get a great shot of the boxing promoter known for his fabulous hairstyle and flamboyant personality. The man who famously promoted “The Rumble in the Jungle” and the “Thrilla in Manila,” was happy to comply.
Dr. Ronald DeMeo
Dr. DeMeo is a world-renowned surgeon and the inventor of Demron™, the new standard in personal radiation protection. The revolutionary technology is currently produced as full-body suits, gloves, and boots.
“It only protects against particle ionizing/nuclear radiation (such as Beta and Alpha), but it does what no other full-body radiation protection can do: shield against X-ray and low-energy Gamma emissions,” he explains.
Lucas & Rosie
Meet two of the sweetest dogs I know. These are examples of some of my many dog portraits, which is one of my favorite subjects to photograph because my goal is to capture their personalities.
The two top things to remember when working with these canine friends is to work fast, and have tons of tasty treats in your pocket—just in case you need to get your subjects to cooperate. But it is worth all the sweat when you see the final results.
For more information, visit www.DonnaVictor.com.