By Donna Victor
Photographer, Miami
Donna Victor Photography

As a photographer for more than 20 years — for publications such as Architectural Digest, Florida Grand Opera, and Haute Living Magazine — my style and interest in what I photograph has gone through many iterations and changes.

I got started in the business thanks to my dad, and mentor, Mel Victor, who was a professional photographer in Miami Beach for decades. 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.

He passed away in 2003, and I miss 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. So I have continued on with our work.

Like my 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.

Following are some of my favorite photos from over the years. I hope you enjoy them!

For more information, visit www.DonnaVictor.com.

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.