Dearborn Mom Turns Hobby Into Successful Photography Business

Dearborn resident Tracy Besek is about as organized as a small business owner can be, especially when the business owner happens to be mother to two young children and a caregiver of three household pets.

Besek is a custom portrait photographer for children, high school seniors, families, pets and businesses — working in her home studio and throughout the Metro Detroit area.

"I have used a camera for most my life, although just for vacation fun. It wasn’t until I had children — my son specifically — that I even had thoughts of doing portraits," she explained.

Besek’s youngest son, Thomas, was born in 2006, and fidgety whenever the family scheduled professional photo appointments.

"As an infant he was very introverted and afraid of anything outside the normal routine. It was stressful and nearly impossible to take him in for portraits, so I started taking his photos,” Besek said. 

"I found that I had a natural ability to measure the light/shadow ratios and manual camera settings to produce pleasing portraits. At that point I was self taught, but started going to workshops to refine my skills," she said.

Besek enjoyed it so much, she decided to make a career out of it.

Nearly seven years later, she has made a name for herself as owner of Besek Photography. Some of her clients include Varsity Ford in Ann Arbor, Varsity Lincoln in Novi and Century 21 in Dearborn.

Besek is known for her friendly and professional photo shoots that help customers feel more relaxed.

"Tracy creates a very personalized experience from start to finish for families that is her signature effort, including arranging make-up sessions for those who want them," Dearborn resident Mallak Beydoun said. "She asks thoughtful questions about interests, personalities and culture that no other photographer, which I know of, takes the time to ask.”

Besek said her favorite subjects are people and animals. She recently volunteered her time photographing adoptable dogs for The Buster Foundation in Belleville. 

The nonprofit rescued several pit bulls from a fighting ring in Monroe County. The county wanted to euthanize the dogs, however The Buster Foundation gained custody of two of the younger dogs named Monroe and Riley.

"They learned that humans could love them and they could trust their humans," Besek explained. "They were just great dogs."

A few weeks ago, Monroe was diagnosed with lymphoma, and doctors determined any treatment would only extend his life for a couple of months. The nonprofift opted to let Monroe live out his life the best he could. Besek was asked to do a special portrait session with the dog and the co-founder of The Buster Foundation. 

Now that October is in full swing, Besek has been busy scheduling high school senior portraits. Sessions start at $175. Prints are purchased either a la carte starting at $35 for gift sized prints (8x10 and smaller) or in collections starting at $499.

While customers may spend more for a session and prints versus going to a big box photo studio, Besek assures her customers top notch work.

"I am pretty flexible as far as scheduling sessions. I offer onsite portraits in your home or office depending on the need. Some special needs children or pets do better in an environment familiar to them," she said. "Closer to the holidays, family come from out of town and need a specific day to be photographed while everyone is present. I try to do my best to accommodate while considering my own family time."

As part of that flexibility, Besek said she is usually willing to travel anywhere a customer asks as long as it's safe and legal for a photo shoot.

"I won’t photograph on train tracks. It’s not only highly illegal, but I cringe when I read about accidents where photographers or subjects have actually lost their lives trying out this trend," she said. "I’ve used the buildings all along Michigan Avenue in west Dearborn, the parking structures, and have even traveled out to Manchester and Saline. If the location is special to a client, I’m game."

Besek is accredited by The Professional Photographers of America, The Professional Photographers of  Michigan; Special Kids Photography of America, The National Association of Photoshop Professionals, and is a member of the Dearborn Area Chamber of Commerce.

For more information on Besek Photography and for scheduling appointments, visit besekphotography.net, or e-mail tracy@besekphotography.net.