BLINK Conference + Models Needed!

There’s so much excitement in the air around these parts because in less than one month, I will be in Nashville speaking at The BLINK Conference!!!

Speaking of which, this is the LAST WEEK to register for The BLINK Conference and I have one registration to offer at a discounted rate of $495.00! Its a speaker special and is good until October 15th. This covers cost and materials of the conference and all meals (lodging is NOT included).

All you need to do is email info@blinkconference.com, tell them Danielle Finney sent you and they will take it from there!

You will get to hear from leaders in our industry speak on some great topics! Plus me! Lol I’ll be holding a break out workshop on effective branding on Sunday :)

I’m so excited about this and I can’t wait to see and meet everyone going!!

A little closer to home: I have a couple mentor sessions coming up and WE NEED MODELS! :)

If you’re interested in modeling for the upcoming mentor session and are available, we will need a couple (married or engaged) for a photo session to be held Sunday, October 27 at 3p in Alexandria, VA. 

For your participation you will receive a complimentary digital gallery of your images and a mounted 11x14 print.

Please email danielle@dfinneyphoto.com with a photo for consideration. Must be able to pay $70 for professional makeup artist (your only cost).

I think that’s it for today!

Until next time,

-Danni

Artist Spotlight: Tosha

It’s time once again for one of my favorite blog features- Artist Spotlight! This time you’ll be getting to know my good friend and fellow photographer Tosha a bit better. I’ve known Tosha for… hmm how many years has it been? I feel like I’ve known her forever but I think we’ve probably known each other for the past 4 years at least. You’ve definitely seen her work around here already :)

Tosha is one of the sweetest people I know and an amazing photographer! She is always so helpful and actually has a lot to do with how I deal with other photographers. (Let me explain lol). Prior to knowing Tosha, other photographers I’d come across would be very guarded with information and take a “figure it out yourself” approach so I unknowingly adopted that mindset as well. After coming to know Tosha and seeing just how helpful and caring she is, I decided that was how I wanted to be as well. There is no harm in helping and she proves that time and time again :)

Well let me stop gushing about my friend and you guys can read for yourself lol. Meet Tosha!

What is your name?
LaTosha Joseph or Tosha… Only my mama calls me LaTosha when she’s upset. LOL

Where are you located?
DC Metro Area, Upper Marlboro, MD

What do you do?
I collect anything yellow and gray and oh yeah I’m a professional photographer at The Captured Life Photography.

How long have you been a photographer?
Over 10 years… Wait let me see, my oldest is 17, so 17 years a photographer, 10 years a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER :)

How did you become interested in photography and when did you know you wanted to be a photographer?
Well it all started when I was in the womb, nah just kidding! LOL. I used to be an avid scrapbooker, then turned digital scrapper. My photos were looking sucky but my layouts were the bomb so a light bulb went off and I thought HEY! I need to do better. So I started learning about photography, took a class at USDA Grad School and from then on practiced on anyone who would allow me… MAINLY my children. Poor things won’t even let me photograph them anymore unless I pay them SMH.

Who are some of your influences/inspirations?
I am influenced by photographers who use bold colors and natural backgrounds. Beth Jansen, Audrey Woulard, David LaChapelle. I also like to try to make something that looks so high fashion and couture into everyday magic like Vogue Maternity/Newborn. That is my goal.

What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on so far?
My couture sessions. I want to make mamas look couture and high fashion- giving a certain edgy look, but also keeping it clean and editorial when necessary. The best of both worlds and do the same when the baby arrives. Work in progress!

What other types of creative work do you do?
I still love to digital scrapbook but never have the time!  

What inspires you?
Happy people and yellow and gray

What keeps you motivated?
God… My family… God.

Any advice to fellow creatives (in your industry or otherwise)?
Learn to stay in your lane. Be confident in what you are good at and stay away from that you are not. You cannot be a master of all. Try to specialize in something you really love and have a passion for and have good referrals for the stuff you are not good at or do not like to do.

Any other fun tidbits we should know about you?
I’ve been married to my boo for 15 years (I think? hmmm yeah, Dec 7 1998 :) I have three kids, 17, 13, 11. I have a serious addiction to yellow and gray for no real reason. I think I need help! I love thrift store shopping and I am a true hippie at heart (and sometimes in dress LOL) I am anti black…clothes. I tried to wear black before and my skin crawled, I must have color somewhere! ANYWHERE! Preferably yellow and/or gray. I secretly think I am Chef Ramsey and am an avid pinner!

Where can we find you online?
website | facebook | instagram | pinterest | twitter

Just a side note: this is who I refer everyone to who is interested in newborn photography! Her work with babies is phenomenal and I’d even be willing to part with a maternity client if I knew they were going to book with her lol.

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Tosha better! She has a great instagram so go follow her :)

‘Til next time,

-Danni

My Nieces & Nephew | Washington, DC Child Photographer

Happy Tuesday lovelies!

Autumn is officially upon us! Thanks to the rainy cold front that came through yesterday, Summer is now in the rear view mirror. I’m a little bummed because I really enjoyed this summer. I didn’t do terribly spectacular things, but I did enjoy spending time with loved ones and that’s just who I’ll be blogging about today- my nieces and nephew!

I think I’m going to make this an annual thing where I take photos of these guys every summer to see just how much they’ve grown. I didn’t think the change would be so evident in just one year. 

I didn’t take as many photos this time around because we were running behind and ended up racing the sun :( These photos were taken about 20 minutes after sunset but I’m glad we were able to get quite a few great shots in :)

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

Fall & Winter 2013 Sessions: Limited Availability

Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Just wanted to share a quick heads up regarding my availability for the remainder of this year:

OCTOBER
NO WEEKENDS LEFT. If you’d like photos in October, Fridays are your only option. There are a couple spots left for the Fall Mini Special so grab those up while you can! 

NOVEMBER
TWO WEEKENDS AWAY ON TRAVEL. As was shared in the last news & updates, in November I will be presenting at the BLINK Conference in Nashville, TN! Mid month I will also be traveling to Cleveland, OH for business as well. Extremely limited availability for this month so please email me ASAP if you’d like a November session.

DECEMBER
TWO, POSSIBLY THREE WEDDINGS. Surprisingly December is going to be my busiest wedding month! So that I can take care of my lovely couples in a timely manner, the only date I have available is 12/7.

Please please please EMAIL ME ASAP danielle@dfinneyphoto.com* if you’re interested in booking before the end of 2013 so we can get you on the calendar. Otherwise, we’ll see you in 2014!

*My site (and as a result email) was down on Monday and some of Tuesday so if you sent an email during that time and it bounced back, that’s why. I will be moving my domain so as not to deal with these issues any longer, but just so you know- NEVER use Bludomain.

Well that’s it for today guys! I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day :)

-Danni

Truthy Tuesday | Professionalism is not an option

Happy Truthy Tuesday!

So I was supposed to have been picking back up with my every other Tuesday posting LAST Tuesday, but clearly that didn’t go so well lol. So I’m back at it now and I have a great topic for you guys today.

A few weeks ago I posed a question on Facebook and Instagram to get feedback on my brand and aside from the other descriptive nouns and adjectives related to my work itself, surprisingly “professionalism” was a common response. 

I say surprisingly because as a professional in any industry you SHOULD conduct business in a professional manner, your business should have a professional appearance, and you should deal with your clients in a professional manner… SHOULD. But all too often with small businesses (and even large companies) we see those thing aren’t the case. Why?

While there could be many reasons, it really boils down to two reasons/excuses: 1) You don’t know how or 2) You don’t want to. Here are the solutions: 1) Learn or 2) Don’t be in business. There is never a legitimate reason to justify a lack of professionalism. Even a rude client is no reason to do so. Why? Because a lack of professionalism reflects poorly on you and your brand, not the client.

For those struggling with this or who desire to improve their professionalism here are a few tips :) They’re going to sound so simple when you read them but you’d be surprised at how many are not being done.

Honor your commitments. If for some reason you can’t, inform the parties involved as soon as possible so appropriate arrangements can be made. No shows = burned bridges.

Be on time. I feel silly for even putting this here because if you know me, you know I struggle with this, but it is very important. Punctuality helps others gain confidence in you. This is true regarding physical meeting/appointments and also when promising to meet deadlines. Running behind with something? Again, inform the parties involved.

Be knowledgeable. As a professional, by definition you should know what you do, but can you answer client questions clearly and efficiently? 

I could go on, but I don’t want this post to get any longer than it already is lol. In short, professionalism hinges heavily on communication. This includes contracts, follow-up emails, thank you notes, etc… Letting folks know what’s going and following through makes all the difference. Don’t think that’s necessary in your industry? It may not be, but there’s never any harm in being “too” professional :)

Professionalism helps you gain the trust of your potential clients and the confidence of those you already work with! All of this just helps you to see that if you’re running/operating a business/ dealing with the public in any way, professionalism should not be an option.

Sorry I got a little long-winded today :/ Let me know what you thought of today’s post!

See you next time :)

-Danni

All Photos in this post were shot by Elle Danielle Photography.