Check Out Nada Khalaf-Jones Story

Hi Nada, so excited to have you on the platform. Before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

Struggle is how I got here. Or at least, that’s how it started. I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall ever feeling ‘normal’ or like I was 100% part of the community around me – welcome among the people I grew up with. Maybe that’s why I’ve been in the USA for 26 years, and not in England where I was born. Parents who are refugees & immigrants have that effect on you.

Yeah. It does – no one really knows you or gets your background — and you don’t either.

Or at least that’s what I thought. As an avid athlete and team captain, it may have been obv to others that I fit in, but it wasn’t to me. I needed to make my own way and follow my burning need to travel. And as I grew up, I discovered writing and journalism were my ways to connect with the stories of others.

The foundation of my Florida Keys video, photo, and drone business is intense, long-term cultural exposure through travel. I was raised in London, attended University in Northern Ireland, and did scuba work in Egypt and Dubai.

Meeting the man of my dreams in the Persian Gulf put me in the arms of U.S. military life. We went from NAS Miramar and NAS Kingsville to the Air Reserve Base in Homestead. And then, we landed in Key Largo. I followed my husband with his career, which was odd since I’d been doing ‘me’ solo for so long.

In South Florida I discovered to win in a saturated scuba market and a saturated freelance journalism market you must flow like water going around or through obstacles to find your niche. So I morphed into a droner, photographer, and filmmaker. That makes total sense, right?! Ha!

Cameras, Sony Alpha’s, and DJI drones are my third most favorite tools of engagement! Scuba gear, diapers, and strollers were my first and second. I am proud that in 2016 I became the first lady in SoFlo to earn a Remote Pilot FAA Part107 license. Licensed and insured, I’ve flying ever since.

Editing film is a slow and beautiful process. I love to capture and tell stories. Photography and perfecting lighting are their own magic too. I enjoy all aspects of my video, photo, and drone work 110% every day! I also love being my own boss. No more editors’ —my clients are my editors. And as the head of my company, I am tough to please, so there are no shortcuts here. I believe you have to be an expert – across your skill range.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I’m a storyteller with four kids, I love to model and a have enjoyed a universe of travel to fuel my creative engine. Technology is so sexy, and I’m an ‘early adopter’ and a niche market gold digger. While a pro scuba and free diving instructor, I took all my underwater photography and GoPros to the next level… and new depths — tech diver 200 feet deep to be exact.

But then, with kids, life dried up a bit, and I had to stay busy on land, so I took to learning iMovie – remember that tool? Well, that morphed into Final Cut Pro and now Adobe Premiere Pro! I funded SONY ALPHAS with paid drone work. I really love offering 4K, 6K, and Apple Pro Res 4:2:2 10 bit. All the drones we use to shoot offer top quality. DSLRs just need to try and keep up.

Taking superior quality wedding photos, videos, and the widely loved portraits got the attention of some wise professional wedding companies. A few printed magazines and photographers’ associations – they let us join them and featured my work too. Good move on their part!

I’m a mad fan of tech, which helps me create and tell stories. Doing what I do with a heavy emphasis on new tech lets me harness brilliant creative skills faster and better. Efficiency, in addition to and not instead of quality, is important.

We offer:

• Real Estate Photography, Drone, and Video. I love the gimbals for my cameras and LIDAR, 3D, and ThetaZ1 for real estate scans that yield precise measurements for rooms so people can really know what they are virtually looking at.
• Wedding & Elopement Cinematography and Photo with a Drone. Editing has gone to a new level for me. Color grading is soooo yummy. I describe it as eating a delicious meal at a table savoring the atmosphere and flavors instead of gobbling the food in a rush. Color grading lets you savor.
• Social Media Marketing Photo and Website Header Videos. This is where all the wild travel adventure and war zone anguish is sharpened into a super keen skill. We take NO prisoners. A social story is a powerfully democratic medium. With our help, ANYONE can have a great story out on the web. I also offer SEO, ALT, and META tag guidance. And blogging, well, it’s what makes me feel good! I also love to eat, so taking photos of food is something I enjoy.

What changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?

I expect massive changes. Creatively we are seeing so much imaginatively-made content. Look at anime! I mean, wow! And I’m in love with film, skills, and learning new stuff. Capturing the angles – not just straight on, but down low, up high, in the middle..etc.

Also, cultural behaviors and traditions seem to be changing. With mini weddings and more elopements weddings, we’re seeing more ‘un-traditional’ stories. More creative ideas being asked for. I love the elopement weddings with a blended family and variety of kids and how we can capture that visually. The joy. The fun. Humor.

In real estate, content is getting immersive w 3D, Oculus and FPV (first person view) and sharper, literally, with Adobe Lightroom and their amazing AI constantly evolving.

If I was a realtor, I’d learn that tech and skip paying someone to make my stuff for me.

YOU JUST NEED AN IPHONE 12 or better to make a LIDAR or 3D scan.

TECH & AI – Elon Musk is driving the future I drive a Tesla Model X, and my husband a Model S. Camera tech on board our self drive ev’s and SpaceX’s vehicles are now so common. We expect to see it ALL.

DJI is the front runner for smaller production companies and large professional film and content industry in general. They are making things like ‘modular’ gimbals with 8k cameras built in! It’s mind-blowing! For nerds! Ha.

You can bet uploading and processing are getting more massive and faster too. I’ll let you know how it goes when my NEW MACM1 and STARLINK are up and pumping at 100% capacity.

Pricing:

• $795 hourly for film
• $595 hourly for photography
• $2500 website header
• $5000 website header & social content
• $395 drone photo hour