Summer DC Mini Session Special | Recap

Happy Tuesday! This week there is a lot of good stuff heading your way on the blog so make sure you stay close!

To get things started, I need to share the Summer Mini Recap! I just realized I never shared these and I’m getting ready to roll out the Fall Minis tomorrow :/ Better late than never :)

Late July, I got together with these beautiful folks and here are a few sneak peeks from their sessions. I will share full posts from each in the coming weeks.

All of the lovely makeup you’ll see on this post was done by Denyelle.

First up, is Lynda! I was in love with her photos from the moment we started taking pictures! She wanted fresh headshots that really showed her personality and I think we delivered. She is absolutely glowing!

Next up, we have the Ellegood Family! I had the pleasure of photographing their engagement photos a couple years ago and a few weeks before this session, they celebrated their one year anniversary! They are such a cute family and I look forward to capturing more memories in the years to come :)

Then we have the adorable Hancock Family! How cute are they? I love Duncan! He definitely kept us company and protected us from any other dogs we happened to come across during the course of our shoot ;)

And after an hour-long thunderstorm, complete with heavy rains and all, we finally got to photograph Erica, who traveled all the way from Philly for her session!

All in all, I’d say it was a very good day :)

If you weren’t able to take advantage of these Summer Minis, don’t fret because now you have the opportunity to book a Fall Mini before they run out!

Details are coming up right… NOW! 

-Danni

An exciting end to 2013 for DFinney Photography!

Good Thursday evening to you! 

I hope your week has been going well! It’s been nonstop around these parts, but I can’t say that’s a bad thing :) It’s been a while since I’ve done an update, so I figure now’s the perfect time since there’s so much to share!

Some things may be a repeat if you’ve been keeping up on the blog, facebook, instagram, etc… but if not, everything is here for you :)

Last week, I had the privilege of working with Paul Carrick Brunson of Oprah’s Lovetown, USA on a new series called the #GoodPeopleProject! I shot the photos for the first feature and you can check them out here!

So pumped about two back-to-back features with Munaluchi Bridal Magazine!

Last week, this fun anniversary session with Jasmine & Adrian was featured.

And yesterday, our Mint + Purple Styled Wedding Shoot was featured!

‘Tis the season of giving here at DFinney Photography!

There are currently TWO giveaway contests running (click the photo for more details on each).

Fall minis are coming!! Tomorrow actually! IF you are on the mailing list, that is :) Details for specials are shared exclusively with mailing list subscribers first, then the general public has their chance to book remaining spots a few days later. Want to make sure you don’t miss your opportunity? Sign up for the mailing list today! 

You guys… I am soooo excited (and a bit nervous) about this… I’m going to be presenting at the Blink Photography Conference in November!

I’m looking forward to meeting and learning from all of these awesome talents in the industry… AND I will be holding an effective branding workshop on Sunday! Starting to get things together now for it and I am super pumped!

Check out this promo video for the conference and you’ll be excited too! Lol

I think that’s all for today! This is probably the most exciting news & updates that i’ve done so far. Hopefully there’s more great news to come :)

-Danni

Giveaway | Celebrating 5 Years! [CLOSED]

UPDATE 9/12: The winners chosen by the Random Number Generator are:

46: Maryam Roz and 33: Danielle Finney (No this is not me lol. But seriously what are the odds?!!)

Congratulations you two!! I can’t wait to work with you!!

And thanks SOOO MUCH to all who entered with their comment below. I really enjoyed reading these. Truly. Some were very touching and just really helped me to see just how far-reaching a little photography can be :) I am sooo thankful to all of you for your support and if we haven’t had a chance to work together yet, please don’t hesitate to reach out! I look forward to working with you all in the future :)

—-

You guys! I JUST realized something yesterday… Next week will be FIVE years since the unofficial start of DFinney Photography!!!

I was fired from my job just before my 22nd birthday in September 2009 and from there decided I’d give this thing a try… Thanks to Facebook’s handy timeline feature, I can look back on that exact moment :) 

Here are a few of my first client shoots from my humble beginnings in 2009:

Clearly I loved the sun, funky colored actions, photo effects, and didn’t have a great handle on color.

Fast-forward a few years and here we are! I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I’m happier than ever that it led me here :)

I’d say I have a better handle on color now lol. I still love the sun but I've found my style to be much cleaner now than it was a few years ago. Who knows what it will be 5 years from now :)

Over the weekend we reached 3k fans on instagram so I decided to do a little giveaway! If you’re on instagram and would like to enter for your chance to win, check out the post, take care of the 3 necessary steps, and you’re all set!

Once I put that up and realized we were getting ready to hit 5 years, I just knew we had to do a HUGE giveaway to say how thankful I am for your support over the years. So here it is!

DETAILS:
The winners can use the $250 towards ANY service offered- $250 off a mentor session, a standard portrait session, a wedding package,  a mini session ($250 covers the mini session fee + a complimentary 5x7 print), or if you’ve recently taken photos with me, the $250 can be put towards additional prints and products- whatever you’d like! This giveaway is for everyone :) 

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Simply leave a comment below and share how you learned of DFinney Photography!

*BONUS ENTRIES*

1. Share this blog post on your favorite social media platforms
2. Follow @ dfinneyphoto on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter

That’s it!

The winners will be chosen at random from the comments left on this blog post. Results will be posted on September 12, so you have two weeks!

Thanks again for your support over these past 5 years and happy participating! :)

-Danni

Truthy Tuesday | Do YOUR Thing

Happy Tuesday!

If you’ve been keeping track, you’ll know I missed last week :( So that just means I’ll have two in a row for you this and next week!

This week I’ll be chatting with you guys about trusting your creative instincts.

I’m apart of a few photography groups on Facebook where photographers of all skill levels are members… Often I’ll see newer photographers post photos for critique and sometimes it just makes me cringe! Don’t get me wrong, constructive criticism is definitely awesome for improving your skill and technique with any craft, but it can also be discouraging. 

Art, by its essence, is subjective. This is something that a lot of creatives forget. I understand trying to master a specific technique and reaching out for assistance in that regard, but too much critique can stifle your creative instinct. How will you be able to discover what  YOU like if you’re constantly asking for critiques? It’s important to learn to be confident with your style (while still striving to improve) and understand that not everyone is going to like what you do. And that’s okay!

Especially is this the case when it comes to photography. Do you know how many different styles of photography there are? I don’t, but I know there a lot! Lol. I also know that they all don’t appeal to me, and that my work doesn’t appeal to everyone either. Someone who is more drawn to studio fashion photography may not be interested in my work- and that’s okay. Does that mean I need to change my work to suit them? Not at all :) It just means that I’m not for them.

Likewise with new photographers, it’s sooo important to find your creative voice. Otherwise your portfolio will be all over the place (which is how a lot of us get started anyway so no shame if that’s where you currently are :) In order to attract your ideal client though, your work should be a genuine reflection of you and what you like. That way, when someone is drawn to your work it’s because you both enjoy the same types of things.

It IS a process though, and definitely one that takes some time so don’t be too hard on yourself :)

I can’t wait to share what I have for next Tuesday! Be sure to check back in next week :)

‘Til next time,

-Danni

Danyelle | Alexandria, VA Lifestyle Photographer

Good Thursday evening lovelies!

I’m doing a rare evening post because it just can’t wait until tomorrow! Lol. I am so excited to share this with you guys that it had to be posted tonight :)

Paul Carrick Brunson of Oprah’s Lovetown, USA has just launched a brand new series on his site called the #GoodPeopleProject and I had the privilege of shooting the very first one! Thanks to Danielle Belton for the lovely recommendation :)

I won’t go into too much detail here, because I want you to check out her interview, but I will say that Stephanie (makeup), Bianca (styling), and I had such a great time working with Danyelle for this photo session! She has a wonderfully infectious personality that just makes YOU happy by being around her!

Take a look at her session below for a look at what I mean. I think these perfectly capture Danyelle’s beautiful personality :)

How cool is this wall?! Quite fitting :)

Interested in your own session? Email me and schedule yours today!