Hi! In case we haven’t met yet, my name is Rob Greene. I’m the owner of Square 8 Studio, a Fort Worth Wedding Photographer who travels the globe taking pictures of beautiful people in beautiful places. Today is our 4th Annual Square 8 Day, so I thought I’d share our story! One of the questions I get asked all the time is, “Why the name Square 8? What does it mean?” It’s one of my favorite questions to answer, because it explains a lot about me, and about our company, and why we do what we do!

I grew up in Marietta, GA, about half an hour north of Atlanta. I’ve got 1 sister, Jill, and 2 amazing parents, Beverly and Steve, who just recently celebrated their 48th anniversary!!! Growing up in our family was awesome. Mom and Dad always made sure we knew we were loved and supported growing up. They genuinely wanted our days as kids to be special, because they loved us so much.

That was never more evident than on birthdays.

Before I was a Fort Worth Wedding Photographer…

Long before I ever knew I wanted to take pictures for a living, I was just a kid who loved celebrating his birthday. Birthdays in my family were always special days, mainly because of my parents. I’ll never forget the year my parents converted our entire garage into a jungle so my friends and I could have a scavenger hunt… it was magical. Or the way Dad made sure Mom, whose birthday is just a couple days after Christmas each year, always felt loved and celebrated. It would have been easy for her birthday to get lost in the shuffle of the Holiday season, but Dad refused to let it happen! And then there’s the birthday that stands out the most in my mind: my Dad’s birthday when I was in 4th or 5th grade.​

Dad wouldn’t let us buy him presents that year. We all hated it, and we fought him on it, but it was his birthday, and he insisted. All we knew was we were supposed to meet him for dinner after he got off work.

As an elementary school kid, this all felt kinda lame, because what’s a birthday without presents? But when Dad got to dinner, something truly magical happened that shaped my life forever. One by one, Dad pulled out wrapped gifts and handed them to my Mom, my sister and I. On HIS birthday. As we opened them, we quickly realized they were all gifts that meant the world to us. Dad had been taking note of our wants and needs in recent days, and wanted to give us something special to us.

I thought this moment was pretty cool at age 9 or 10, and now I see it was formative.

The Lessons Learned

It taught me two critical lessons:

(1) People matter.

(2) Giving is better than receiving.

What does this have to do with Square 8 Studio? Today I celebrate my birthday. August 8… or 8/8… or 8-squared. The name is a tip of the hat to my awesome parents, because they made every birthday special in our family growing up. It reminds me that we are not in the photography or videography or design business. We are in the people business. People matter. Their stories matter. Their hearts matter. That’s why we use a portion of every paid shoot we do to provide free and discounted photography to people and organizations who are making a difference around the globe… like this amazing couple! If you’re looking for a Fort Worth wedding photographer who will serve you well and use your investment to do good in the world, you’ve come to the right place!

Each year for Square 8 Day, I love to continue my dad’s legacy of generosity in a fun new way. This year for Square 8 Day – my birthday – I’m announcing a giveaway for photographers: a free seat in our soon-to-launch Online Flash Workshop!

The giveaway will launch on Monday and run all week, so tell your photographer friends to give us a follow on Instagram at @square8studio to learn more!