Fran Doggrell
Fran Doggrell began her career in 1973 as a commercial photographer’s assistant in Hilton Head, South Carolina. She soon became a partner in the business, and for the next decade, Fran photographed everyone from the top names in golf and tennis (Arnie and Ilie) to visiting families and dignitaries alike. In one public event, she almost got arrested for telling the secret service that she was there to shoot Henry Kissinger, and learned early on that the the word “shoot” should never be substituted for the word “photograph” under any circumstance. Opting to be closer to her family, Fran moved back home to Memphis, Tennessee and opened a studio in the flagship building of the reviving Cooper Young neighborhood in Memphis. There she enjoyed a happy decade as a portrait and event photographer. The best part of the wedding photography business became, to her surprise, the fabulous babies being produced as a result. From then on she became the biggest fan of her smallest subjects. Fran has developed a client base in many (no coincidence) great places to visit: Charleston, Telluride, Aspen, Highlands and Sea Island, to name a few.
She has also been star struck by some celebrity requests for portraits which she managed to accomplish without gushing (hello Hillary, Tiger and Margaret Thatcher and an unnamed movie star or two). Never quite leaving South Carolina in spirit, Fran married her Hilton Head love, Bob Sanders, and moved with him back to their beloved Lowcountry farm. After a lovely stint in the backwoods, Fran and Bob came home to Memphis where the children she photographed early in her career were asking her to photograph children of their own. Fran continues to be delighted by the next generation and considers her legacy subjects the privilege of her career.
