Behind The Business: eSportsPhoto Helping Events Get Seen, Shared, and Remembered

For Byron Faudie, photography has never been only about taking a picture.

It is about catching the moment an athlete crosses a finish line. The expression on someone’s face when they see their photo seconds after it was taken. The laughter inside a photo booth. The energy of a red-carpet-style event. The sign that helps people find where they are going. The banner that makes a sponsor, team, organization, or business stand out.

That is the work behind eSportsPhoto, Byron’s sports, event, photo experience, signs, and banners business serving Mount Dora, Lake County, and Central Florida.

The business has two major sides.

The first is sports photography, event photography, and interactive photo experiences. That includes everything from athletic events and community gatherings to photo booths, 360-style booths, red-carpet-style photo events, instant branded photo delivery, on-site prints, headshots, and personal branding.

The second is signs and banners, including vinyl banners, yard signs, and specialty printed pieces that help businesses, events, teams, and organizations show up professionally.

Together, those two sides make eSportsPhoto a practical fit for races, festivals, tournaments, corporate events, nonprofit fundraisers, chamber events, school events, community celebrations, grand openings, private parties, and local businesses that need visuals people will actually notice.

“We are a sports and event photography company that specializes in getting images back to athletes and guests quickly — sometimes instantly,” Byron said.

From Photography to Full Event Support

Byron’s path into photography started long before eSportsPhoto became a full-time business.

He was a photographer for his high school yearbook, back when photography meant film, darkrooms, and developing images by hand. From there, he moved into digital youth sports photography, then sports events, then photo booths, and eventually into the broader world of interactive event experiences and printed event support.

In 2009, he photographed his first 5K. In 2010, he built his first photo booth, becoming one of the early portable, rentable party-style photo booth providers in Lake County.

At the time, photo booths for parties and events were still a newer concept. Byron saw the opportunity early and kept building from there as the technology changed.

“I built my first photo booth in 2010 and was the second portable / rentable party style photo booth in Lake County,” Byron said. “From there, as software and other fun photo experiences became popular, we were sure to keep up with and stay in front of many industry trends.”

That mindset still shapes eSportsPhoto today. The business is built around visual moments, but it is not limited to one format. Sometimes the need is a professional photographer. Sometimes it is a photo booth guests can interact with. Sometimes it is fast digital delivery. Sometimes it is a banner, yard sign, or printed piece that helps the event feel organized and polished.

Byron has built a business around all of it.

Sports Photography, Event Photography, and Photo Experiences

One major side of eSportsPhoto is built around capturing people in motion and in the moment.

That includes sports photography, race photography, event photography, headshots, personal branding, and the kinds of photo experiences that help guests become part of the event itself.

For sports and race events, speed matters. Athletes and participants want to see their photos quickly, and organizers want images that help tell the story of the event while the excitement is still fresh.

For community events, corporate gatherings, fundraisers, festivals, and celebrations, the goal may be different, but the value is similar. A professional photographer helps preserve the energy of the room, the people who attended, the sponsors who made it possible, and the moments that would otherwise be missed.

Then there is the experience side of the business.

eSportsPhoto offers photo booths, 360-style booths, red-carpet-style photo events, on-site prints, digital sharing, and instant branded photo distribution. Those services turn photos into part of the entertainment.

Guests can pose, laugh, share, print, and leave with something tangible. Businesses and event organizers can tie the experience back to a brand, sponsor, theme, or campaign.

That is where eSportsPhoto’s work goes beyond documentation. It helps create the moment, not just capture it.

Byron is also testing newer event photo trends, including AI-generated fun portraits. The concept can turn guests into pirates, astronauts, animated characters, sports stars, or other themed versions of themselves.

AI can be a complicated topic, but for Byron, this is about using the technology in a playful, event-friendly way.

“Anyone can stand in front of a camera and the picture looks like them,” Byron said. “But the newest industry trend I’ve been testing is to create AI fun portraits. The possibilities are endless.”

Signs, Banners, and Printed Event Visibility

The other major side of eSportsPhoto is signs and banners.

For many businesses and events, the photo is only one part of the visual experience. They also need people to know where to go, who is sponsoring the event, what team or organization is represented, what business is being promoted, or what message needs to be seen.

That is where eSportsPhoto’s signs and banners work comes in.

Byron offers vinyl banners and yard signs, with much of that work printed in house. For specialty fabric items, he also works with contract printers.

It is a natural extension of the business because so many of the same clients who need photography or photo experiences also need printed materials to support their event, brand, or organization.

A race may need finish-line signage, sponsor banners, or yard signs. A school or sports team may need recognition pieces. A business may need signs for a promotion or event. A nonprofit may need branded materials for a fundraiser. A chamber member may need something professional for a ribbon cutting, booth, or community event.

This side of eSportsPhoto helps people get noticed before, during, and after the event.

Why Mount Dora Works

For Byron, Mount Dora is a natural fit because the area understands events.

“Mount Dora is a party and events city,” Byron said.

Over the years, eSportsPhoto has been invited to photograph Mount Dora events including pictures with Santa, the Mount Dora Bicycle Festival, and other community gatherings. Those events have become one of the most important ways the business grows.

Byron said much of the company’s marketing happens through conversations with people he meets while working events.

“The main company advertising is having conversations with people we meet at events,” he said. “It just grows from there.”

That is also part of why the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce matters for eSportsPhoto. Byron’s business is built around recurring events and organizations that need support year after year, not just one-time private bookings.

“My business focuses on recurring events — businesses that have annual or more frequent events that need fun photo experiences,” he said. “Many photographers and photo booths reach out to weddings — but people only get married once, sometimes twice, or maybe three times. Being in front of small business owners, with decision-making power, is the only way to move into such a niche.”

For a business built around events, visibility, and relationships, the Chamber connection is not extra. It is part of how the business grows.

Building a Business Around Personality and Trust

One of Byron’s biggest challenges has been scaling.

The equipment matters. The technology matters. The delivery speed matters. The printed product matters. But sports photography, event photography, photo booths, and customer-facing event work also depend heavily on the personality of the person behind the camera.

That is not always easy to replicate.

“A big part of party photography and even photo booths is the personality of the photographer,” Byron said. “I can teach someone to aim a camera and push the button, but I can’t teach them to be me.”

That challenge has shaped the way he thinks about growth. It is not only about adding more equipment, booking more events, or expanding services. It is about maintaining the energy, professionalism, humor, and people skills that make guests feel comfortable and make event organizers feel taken care of.

Byron said one lesson he wishes he had learned earlier is that working on the business and working in the business are two different things.

That lesson is especially true for a business owner whose presence is such a large part of the experience.

From Side Hustle to 200 Events a Year

What began as a side hustle eventually became a full-time career.

Before eSportsPhoto, Byron spent 25 years in corporate life. His earlier career included managing and training managers in the grocery industry, then working as a banker, financial advisor, and trainer specializing in bank mergers in the financial services industry.

Most people who know him now may not realize this is his third career.

“This was a part-time gig — a side hustle when I built the first photo booth in 2010,” Byron said. “I was happy with one gig a month, and then two gigs a month. Success was 2014 when I could quit my job managing a bank and turn to this full time.”

Last year, eSportsPhoto completed 200 events.

That growth did not happen by accident. It came from spotting trends early, staying close to event organizers and business owners, and continuing to expand the ways eSportsPhoto can help clients capture attention.

Community Beyond the Camera

Byron’s work in the community extends beyond eSportsPhoto.

He has been involved with TEDxEustis since it began in 2016, serving as a co-organizer for the local TEDx event. TEDx is a global grassroots initiative built around sharing “ideas worth spreading,” and Byron has helped support that local platform for speakers, stories, and community conversation.

That involvement fits the larger theme of his work.

Whether he is photographing an athlete, running a photo booth, creating a branded photo experience, printing event signs, or helping organize TEDxEustis, Byron’s work often centers around bringing people together and helping important moments stand out.

Quick Insights

Why Mount Dora?
Mount Dora is an event-driven community with festivals, celebrations, business gatherings, and recurring local traditions that are a strong fit for eSportsPhoto’s sports photography, event experiences, signs, and banners.

Biggest lesson learned:
Working on your business and working in your business are different. Both matter, but long-term growth requires time spent building the business, not only doing the work.

Definition of success:
Success used to mean booking one or two gigs a month as a side hustle. Today, success means having built eSportsPhoto into a full-time business that completed 200 events last year.

Something people may not know:
eSportsPhoto is Byron’s third career. Before becoming a full-time photographer and business owner, he spent 25 years in corporate life, including grocery management, banking, financial advising, and training connected to bank mergers.

Advice to other business owners:
Write a business plan. On paper. In long form. Byron believes it saves time, helps organize ideas, and becomes a roadmap for staying focused.

The Bottom Line

eSportsPhoto is built for moments that need to be seen.

Sometimes that means capturing an athlete at the finish line. Sometimes it means helping guests walk away with a printed photo from a booth. Sometimes it means giving an event instant branded images people can share. Sometimes it means creating the banner, yard sign, or printed piece that helps a business, sponsor, team, or organization stand out.

For Byron Faudie, the goal is not just to take the picture. It is to help people remember the moment, share the moment, and make the event feel more complete.

Learn more at eSportsPhoto.net, follow eSportsPhoto on Facebook at Facebook.com/eSportsPhotoNEW, or find the business on Instagram at @esportsphoto.