Regina | Washington, DC Senior Photographer

Happy Wednesday! Today is unofficially Senior Day on the blog because I have three lovely senior sessions to share with you :)

First up is Regina!

Regina’s sister Desiree has been a long time client of mine so I was super happy to work with Regina this time to take her senior pictures! 

Regina graduated last month from Stephenson University with a degree in Psychology and is ready to take on the world! 

Love this shot :)

Peace out school! Lol

So I don’t officially offer design services anymore, but I do offer photo based designs from your photo session including announcements, invitations, and/or thank you cards. Here’s a look at Regina’s double-sided graduation announcement design!

If you’re interested in a session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today! Currently booking: July & August 2014.

Tips & Tricks? | Photography FAQ

A rare late night post :) I just posted this on Facebook, but then figured it should probably be on the blog so here it is.

Photo by Tosha Francis of The Captured Life

Often I’m asked if I have any photography tips and tricks to share… that’s kind of like asking a chef if they have any cooking tips to share. Yes, there are tips and tricks, but it’s SUCH a huge topic filled with so many nuances that this “tips and tricks” statement kind of gets to me lol. 

I know folks don’t mean any harm, but there are so many different ways to go about learning and perfecting YOUR photography that I never feel right indulging this statement. What level of understanding do you have of basic photography already? Do you understand what the exposure triangle is? Do you know why a DSLR is called a DSLR? Are you interested in taking better pictures or do you not know how to take pictures at all? I could tell you to always make sure you focus on the eyes, but what if you don’t want to pursue portrait photography? What if you want to get creative with your compositions and not focus on the eyes? What if you don’t even know how to use the focus points on your camera? What if your camera doesn’t have focus points?

Lol clearly you see there are a lot of facets to this thing and this hasn’t even scratched the surface! I love teaching, but I love teaching with direction. I don’t like talking just to talk. I like providing specific assistance and actionable steps that you can implement right away.

So I guess I say all this to say that although I would love to help everyone with their photography questions, it’s not always possible. I encourage every photographer that I mentor to be an advocate for their own education. Don’t wait for information to be handed to you. Research and try to find out things on your own. This is not to say that you shouldn’t ask for help when you need it, but don’t be so dependent on help and direction that you lose your own voice. Photography, just like any other artistic endeavor, is all about personal expression and the best photographers are those that are truly doing what they love. 

Just my 2 cents… or 3 ;)

-Danni

Natasha & Kenny | Alexandria, VA Maternity Photographer

Continuing with the catch-up posting, here is Natasha & Kenny’s maternity session!

These two were the lovely models for my mentor session with Yolonda and they were such troopers. It was a random frigid day in late March, but they stuck it out for their mini session and it resulted in beautiful photos to remember this time in their lives ;)

And guess what? They had their beautiful baby boy the VERY next day! Ahead of schedule but healthy as can be (I secretly think he wanted in on the photo action) lol.

Here are a few faves from their maternity session:

If you’re interested in a session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today! Currently booking: July & August 2014.

Yolonda | Alexandria, VA Natural Light Photography Mentor

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! This weather is FINALLY cooperating and giving us beautiful days to enjoy :) I have soo much catching up to do with posting sessions to the blog and I plan to catch up a bit this week so keep checking back for newness EVERY day- especially Wednesday, I think I’ve made that unofficial Senior Day on the blog because I’m going to share 4 senior sessions!

But right now? It’s all about Yolonda!

Yolonda and I got together on a crazy cold afternoon in March for her session, but she has such a warm spirit, we didn’t even mind the cold ;) Ok, we definitely DID mind the cold, but she does have a warm spirit lol. 

Our initial session had to be rescheduled because of snow… one of the last major snowfalls we had fell just before we were supposed to meet :( But thankfully we were able to reschedule and we had a great time! I can’t explain how much I enjoy getting together with fellow creatives and helping them simplify their photography lives- Yolonda’s session was no different :) I really enjoyed hearing about her photography goals, philosophy, vision, chatting with her about family and business… It was a very encouraging session for us both. Yolonda has such a beautiful personality and it shines through brilliantly in her work.

Here are a few faves from Yolonda’s headshot session:

Then we got together with our lovely models Natasha & Kenny to take a few maternity photos. Their session ended up being a mini due to the cold! They were troopers but we didn’t want to keep them out too long :)

I think I’ll give them their own post for their mini session :)

Here are a few words from Yolonda about her mentoring experience: 

“My experience with Danielle was delightful. I had a great time and left her feeling clearer and more confident about my photo work. From our first online communications to finally meeting in-person, I found her to be professional and thorough as well as endearing and cool. She seemed to be thinking of everything, and I loved that. It made me feel safe to entrust my money, time and creativity with her. Before 1/3 of the day was over I had already learned so much! I’ve been photographing professionally for about 4 years. Danni related patiently and attentively with me from our first contact through to our wrap-up and departure to access my personal goals and then equip me with simple theories and actionable steps to elevate my current work; provide tips for more focused professional and creative endeavors both now and into the future; and drastically simplify my overall workflow, freeing me up to shoot even better photos straight-out-of-the-camera more and edit less. Money and time well spent. I would take advantage of other instructional offerings from Danielle and encourage photographers at any level to do the same.”

Also check out her recap on her blog! 

If you’re interested in booking a one-on-one mentor session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me today to secure your date! Currently booking: August & September 2014.

Le Quan | Washington, DC Lifestyle Photographer

Happy Tuesday loves!

I hope everyone enjoyed their extended weekend! The weather was absolutely beautiful and if even you didn’t have plans, the weather was enough to make you happy :) 

Things have been super busy lately so I’m going to try and catch up a bit on some blogging this week… First up today is Le Quan!

We got together for her session back in April on a semi-warm day (back when winter still wouldn’t let go) and had a great session. Le Quan mentioned that she began following me about a year ago and made it a goal to shoot with me! I was so honored and happy that she followed through and we got to work together :)

I love these “just because” sessions because we can make them whatever we want! Le Quan wanted to capture a few things with her session: the feel of DC (as a native Washingtonian), her 5 year seminary journey in a non-traditional way, documenting her breast cancer journey, and her personality of course! I think we did a wonderful job bringing each of those elements to life :)

Just last week Le Quan underwent a breast cancer procedure and I’m happy to share that the surgery went well! Sending more positive vibes her way and praying she makes a speedy recovery!

Check out Le Quan’s session here:

If you’re interested in a session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today! Currently booking: July & August 2014.