Business Profile: Rockwell Studio of Photography Captures Memories

Rockwell Studio opened its doors in January of 1998, just two doors down from its current location at 191 Church St. in Naugatuck. Since then, the small family business has grown in size, expanding to serve much of the surrounding community and adding new services to continue to meet their needs.

“We looked at Naugatuck and thought we could provide a good service because there was no studio in Naugatuck,” said Dave Hughes, owner of the studio. “We opened our studio and decided to serve the local community.”

offers a variety of photography services, specializing in portraiture for families, children, individuals interested in modeling and more. In addition to photography sessions, the business provides specialty printed products, framing services and photo retouching as well as photo restoration.

“Our primary business is high school seniors,” Hughes says.

In the summer before their senior year, high school students come to the studio for standard yearbook photos, but most choose to purchase an additional portrait package that allows for changes in clothing, multiple backgrounds, the option to bring props or a friend, and more.

But it’s not just the NHS senior photos that decorate the lobby of Hughes’s Church Street studio. After servicing Naugatuck High School for several years, Hughes bought into a contract with Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury and he now serves Oxford High School as well.

“It’s a fun time in life for a senior, and it’s a great time to capture personalities,” Hughes said. “I think it’s really fun.” It’s his favorite of the multiple photography “seasons,” he said, and it typically lasts from May until October.

In late August, the photography season changes and, in anticipation of the upcoming holidays, his sessions become more dominated by family portraits. After the holidays, the season tends to shift toward children and babies. Not long after Valentine’s Day, he does more engagement photos and wedding shoots.

Hughes said that themed weddings, destination weddings and ceremonies in various denominations have given him a unique experience and allowed him to photograph under a variety of conditions.

“I think every session and every situation is unique in its own way,” Hughes said. “If I can get their real personality to come out and have a great interactive session with everybody, I always take something away from it personally as well as giving the client the best experience for them.”

Another thing Hughes has taken from every session, since the day Rockwell Studio of Photography opened, is an opportunity to improve. He is his harshest critic, and has always been looking for ways to improve his skill, his equipment and the final product.

“I’ve always had an interest in photography. Since I was around 16, I always had a camera in my hand,” he said, “I think it being a passion of mine is what drove me to strive for better photography, not just to settle for what I got. So every time I looked at an image, I was never happy about it… I could never be happy about it. I always saw something that could be different or better.”

But improvement has also been driven by changes in the industry. The rise of digital photography has definitely changed expectations and demand, Hughes says, particularly with regard to weddings.

“With the age of digital photography, it’s easier to have Uncle Harry photograph your wedding,” he joked. Still, Hughes is confident that his service appeals to customers who want to focus on the photography as a quality lasting memento of their big day.

“I still think if we produce great images, use unique lighting features and be creative, and use the things that are available to us and stay up on our photography, on the cutting edge, that we can still produce great work for people and be unique,” he said.

Staying on the cutting edge hasn’t been a problem, as Hughes has a background in electronics. He worked for Xerox for 10 years, educating himself in photography all the while.

Keeping up with changing technology, maintaining steady quality amidst change and meeting a growing demand can be difficult to juggle, so change and help are two things that Hughes has embraced.

“Our volume is to high to print on our own,” he said. By exporting some of their printing to a professional facility in Kansas and producing specialty products in-store, Hughes is able to take advantage of available technology while still closely controlling quality.

Dave’s wife Debbie started working full time at the studio just three years after doors opened, and their two children, Danielle, 14, and Christopher, 12, enjoy being in the studio and always want to help out. In recent years, Hughes has added non-family support to his growing business too.

“I do have two digital artists, a couple of production people and an assistant that works with me in the camera room which helps with the sets and whatnot,” he said. Many times, the applicants for these jobs are seniors who have recently been photographed and want to join the team.

“I can only employ so many, which is a bummer because there is so much talent,” he said.

Despite having expanded to the surrounding community and adding staff to accommodate the growing demand, Rockwell Studio of Photography remains a family business firmly rooted in Naugatuck.

“I just like to be a good service to the community and it’s really important to me to provide them a service in return for them providing business to us and keeping it local,” he said. 

For more information, visit Rockwell Studio's website: www.rockwellstudio.com.