I was going through our old blogs and I realized it had been so long since we had done a little introduction. So here is our FIRST 2015 behind the camera file of Coty Ray. So I think only his family and I call him Coty Ray but when I say it, I feel southern and I like it that way. I’d like to introduce to you Coty, the other half of Henry Photography. My researcher. Equipment purchaser. Lighting master. Ashley Tamer. 70-200 mm shooter. Just pretty much the better half | Don’t tell him I said that!!| . I asked him a few questions below and here is what he had to say.

By the way… he is a man of few words, unless talking about football, cameras & guns!

Where are you from?  Why are you asking me questions you already know? {Because you might answer them differently-me}  Indiana

How old are you? 29

What made you want to work with your wife?

I thought it would be better being able to spend as much time with my wife and family.  I knew that in the long run being able to spend this time with Ashley and our kids would outweigh so many other aspects of 9-5 jobs.

Best & worst part about  working with your wife?  

Best-getting to spend time with my wife and build not only our business but our marriage together.  Worst- getting to spend too much time with my wife, we sometimes get stressed out with each other. {SO TRUE, its a bitter sweet relationship}

What are some of your duties in the business?

Well other than client meetings, engagement shoots and shooting the weddings with Ashley, I do the majority of the editing.  I also handle all the back end business stuff.

{He is being modest. He does all of our finances, he does all of our seo on our sites, manages the Luxe Booth, manages the upload for pixieset & our plus sites and he handles me. Poor guy has to deal with my crazy ideas coming at him every other day. I also like to rearrange the furniture a lot.}

Favorite lens & why?

70-200mm 2.8 VRII It has great image quality and it allows me to get the intimate close ups because typically Ashley is shooting with more of a wide angle lens.

Favorite vacation you ever took?  

Probably to Colorado.  I love the outdoors and being able to hike in the gorgeous snow-capped Rockies one day then go to Colorado Springs and get that red rock desert feel, love it.

If you could live anywhere, and the security of our business and personal life was not a factor, where would it be?

Again probably Colorado because of the outdoor lifestyle. Or Texas because again the weather allows all year activity, and I could go see more Cowboys games.

Favorite outdoor activity?

Hiking.

Best place you’ve shot?

Probably either Key West, or Utah.  Both were really fun and had amazing weather and scenery, well Key West was maybe a little too hot.

Favorite moment while shooting a wedding?  

Probably the first look if the couple does one.  It’s seeing that original raw emotion of the couple when they first see each other with no distractions.  If they don’t do a first look then I would say the time we get alone with the Bride and Groom for their photos.   Again we are able to get to see the love and emotion they have for each other come to life when it is just the two of them which makes for great photos.  We also get to know them and build a relationship with them, which we always value.

To be honest, I don’t know where I’d be without Coty. He tends to let me lead when it comes to weddings and meetings but in our personal life, its the opposite. I like the fact that I can take charge at a wedding and he respects that but I prefer for him to take the lead at home. Because we work from home and we aren’t the daycare/nanny type, you’ll typically find Coty editing with one hand and a baby in the other. We’ve mastered the skill of multitasking. On a personal note he loves the cowboys, he’s a burger & fries kind of guy, he loves working on our lawn, he’s passionate about his faith & adores his kids. He tends to want to go off a list when buying me a gift but its the gifts that I don’t ask for that I love most. He’s the most amazing dad to our kids and he’s been such an amazing support through our tough times. Over the last 3 years Coty and I struggled with infertility and we are blessed with 3 beautiful kids on this earth and 3 sweet babies in heaven. Our marriage was far different before we lost our second baby and God changed us forever. We have a new found love of life and we know how precious our kids are because they are truly little miracles. When we found out we were pregnant with twins, I think Coty shifted his attention onto taking care of me. He took on more of the business and he took care of me. Everyday twice a day he gave me shots, every friday he gave me this huge shot that would have sent most men running for the hills and he was by my side at every ultrasound. I tend to need to stay calm in escalated situations because if I show any type of crazy, he starts to go into survival mode! Coty takes on my feelings ten fold and he doesn’t know much I love him for that. He is protective, funny and irreplaceable. I didn’t intend on totally gushing about him but I think sometimes he deserves it. So today, I believe he deserves a world of accolade.

I hope you enjoyed our first post of our behind the camera series. I have had a list of all these amazing topics I’ve wanted to share and I’m happy my first one is about Coty! We have learned so much over the years and I’m thrilled to give a little insight of our experiences!