Spring Natural Light Workshop | Recap

Hey there! *waves* 

I’m in a great mood today because tomorrow at this time I’ll be on my flight to Miami to enjoy a bit of rest and relaxation :) But for now (before announcing the details for the upcoming workshop in October), I have a super special post to share with you- the recap from my first Natural Light Workshop back in April! 

Putting this post together totally gave me the warm and fuzzies remembering what a great day this was :)

This was my first all day workshop and it turned out wonderfully! I had the best attendees and models so everyone really enjoyed themselves as we learned just how simple shooting with natural light can be. 

We started the day with breakfast and an interactive presentation all about the basics of natural light photography.

Then we headed out to practice the new skills :) The hotel had great spots for pictures so we were able to practice with both indoor and outdoor settings.

“From the very beginning of the workshop with Danielle, I felt a kind of warmth and welcoming feeling when she introduced herself and gave me a hug. She really personified the entire course and left a lot of room for questions and comments. I loved the presentation; Danielle was extremely knowledgeable about the mechanics and concepts of natural light photography and I felt very comfortable sharing my work with her and experiencing her insightful mentorship while critiquing my work. I was very pleased with the result of the workshop, especially the photoshop editing tutorial, as I have never properly used photoshop before. Danielle really knows what she is doing and she should definitely continue these workshops!”

-Sara Malas

“Danielle’s workshop provided a foundation that was both simple and intuitive. It allowed for me to be as creative as I wanted. It also helped rekindle my love of photography.”

-Lawrence Perkins

Then we headed across the street to a location more similar to one where I would normally shoot. With each location change, I explained why the selection was made, checked in with everyone to be sure they were getting what they wanted with their photos, and explained any composition decisions I made.

 

“I thoroughly enjoyed the class! Started on time! (I’m a stickler for time). The class was intimate enough where I felt comfortable asking questions and actually was able to get them answered. I also enjoyed the hands on approach.”

-Joaquina Braithwaite

“I was so surprised that the workshop was so easy. That ease was all due to how well Danielle was able to teach. Her hands on approach as well, was very helpful because she gave you space and artistic freedom, but checked in constantly one on one with everyone to make sure they were getting the shots they wanted. I’ve already seen difference in my photography so I’d say the workshop for me was a complete success!”

-Sarah Johnson

After our practice session, we headed back in for lunch and editing! But not before we snapped a group photo :)

Wasn’t that fun?! Lol I can’t wait for the next one in October which will be even better!

Thank you so much to these beautiful people for investing with me and making this workshop a memorable one. Thank you also to our wonderful models and makeup artists for participating and being just as much apart of the fun :)

And a special thank you to my friend, mentee, and sistog Tiffany for being there and taking these great behind the scenes photos!

Want to attend the next one? Details are coming right up!

-Danni

Remie | Washington, DC Lifestyle Photographer

Happy Wednesday loves!

I promise I’m going to start blogging more than once a week again lol. I have lots to share so hopefully I can catch up soon :)

Today I have a wonderful session with the beautiful Remie to share with you! Denyelle did a fabulous job on her makeup and really helped showcase those gorgeous eyes of hers.

I remember this like it was yesterday because it was a late spring session, but the weather didn’t get the memo and it was FREEZING! Remie was a trooper though and you wouldn’t know any different by looking at these photos :)

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

Let's Talk About Entrepreneurship | Truthy Tuesday

Good morning!

It’s Tuesday again and this time I remembered to write a Truthy Tuesday :)

This is actually a topic that’s been on my mind for a while, but seeing this article last week reminded me that I wanted to write about it.

The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship

It inspired me to open up the dialogue with my fellow (and aspiring) entrepreneurs about these not-so-glamorous issues on the other side of entrepreneurship.  I’ll include a few excerpts from it, but definitely read the full article when you have a moment.

While I am by no means aiming to have a multi million dollar company, I still share some of the feelings mentioned in this article and would venture to say a lot of us do. Regardless of your business’ size or goals, starting and running your own operation is no easy task. 

Successful entrepreneurs achieve hero status in our culture… But for many of those entrepreneurs… Before they made it big, they struggled through… times when it seemed everything might crumble. Until recently, admitting such sentiments was taboo. Toby Thomas, CEO of EnSite Solutions, explains the phenomenon with his favorite analogy: a man riding a lion. “People look at him and think, This guy’s really got it together! He’s brave!” says Thomas. “And the man riding the lion is thinking, How the hell did I get on a lion, and how do I keep from getting eaten?”

Lol that is such a perfect analogy. Sooo accurate! Folks always say “I wish I could have my own business!” or “You seem to have it all together!” Let me be the first to tell you that that is indeed not the case lol. While I do see the progress that’s been made from where I started to now, that still does not take away the feelings of uneasiness that will inevitably greet you at every new stage of your business development. 

Entrepreneurs often juggle many roles and face countless setbacks… Complicating matters, new entrepreneurs often make themselves less resilient by neglecting their health. They eat too much or too little. They don’t get enough sleep. They fail to exercise. “You can get into a startup mode, where you push yourself and abuse your body,” Freeman says. “That can trigger mood vulnerability.” …The same passionate dispositions that drive founders heedlessly toward success can sometimes consume them.

This hit home. Big time. I know this is a major culprit to my feeling the way I do but it is SO hard breaking these bad habits. It’s really quite a vicious cycle. Poor sleep and eating leads to poor concentration and low energy. Which means it takes longer to do things you could get done in a shorter period of time if you had more energy and mental acuity… Then you stay up late. Eat the wrong foods… And the cycle just continues.

I also found the last sentence of the quote above very interesting. In light of the recent news of Robin Williams’ death, I’d been reading articles about how a lot (if not all) artists suffer with their dark side. While I know this is not new information, seeing it worded so perfectly really made things click. The same disposition that makes us awesome at what we do can be just as harmful to us on the flip side. Add to that mix the additional elements of being an entrepreneur in a creative field because we tend to be a little more sensitive. This isn’t a bad thing though, because this is what makes it possible for us to be awesome artists!

This post isn’t supposed to be all doom and gloom, but I did want it to be enlightening to those considering entrepreneurship and a bit of support to my fellow entrepreneurs because you are indeed not alone in having these feelings. I could really write/talk about this all day, but I will end the post today on a brighter note :)

Though launching a company will always be… full of ups and downs, there are things entrepreneurs can do to help… Most important, make time for your loved ones, suggests Freeman. “Don’t let your business squeeze out your connections with human beings,” he says… Relationships with friends and family can be powerful weapons. And don’t be afraid to ask for help–see a mental health professional if you are experiencing symptoms of significant anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, or depression… Cardiovascular exercise, a healthful diet, and adequate sleep all help, too. 

Wonderful suggestions that I will be taking to heart! Having a million and one things to do can make it so easy to put off getting together with friends and family but getting away and having those connections is so important. Also really important but not mentioned, is quiet time with yourself. I just thought about it today and often the only times I’m by myself are when I’m working and when I’m in transit. So scheduling out purposeful down time is really important. I’ve just started doing this recently and it really helps.

At the top of my list to improve: eating and sleeping. And I know I will surely see an overall improvement. I have been eating better, I just need to eat more regularly. I know you all know that struggle of not wanting to stop to eat because you’re on a roll, but it actually does the opposite of help lol. I think I’m going to have to set reminders for myself to eat because I will surely forget :/

Anyway this post ended up being super long, but I wanted to be truthy! And truthfully, this entrepreneurship thing is hard. But I do love it and I want to make it work. So, I’ll do what I can to improve little by little :)

Thanks for hanging in there with me for this long Truthy Tuesday this week. So now I wanna hear from you! What did you think about that article? Are you a fellow entrepreneur who can relate to these feelings? And what have you found to be helpful? Let me know what you thought of today’s post!

That’s it for today. ‘Til next time,

-Danni

April & Fam | Washington, DC Lifestyle Family Photographer

Happy Monday loves!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and got a chance to get out and enjoy the gorgeous weather :) The weather in DC this summer has been great! This weekend I had a couple fun sessions (sneak peeks will be posted both on facebook and instagram) but for now I have a sweet family session to share with you from this past spring!

I have been knowing this beautiful family for quite some time… since April and I were in early double digits lol. We kept in touch loosely over the years, so I was very happy when she reached out to do a family session with her husband, parents, and grandmother!

We had a great time together and they walked away with not only gorgeous photos, but wonderful memories to go along with them. Preserving memories is what it’s all about :)

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

Flaco Shalom + Mentoring + Sneak Peeks

Happy Tuesday loves!

Just wanted to stop in with a quick update on a few things going on!

FLACO SHALOM

Last week I blogged about my situation with artist Flaco Shalom and surprisingly he reached out via email after reading my post. We chatted a bit and he apologized and explained his situation. Honestly I still took the explanations as excuses that a contentious business owner shouldn’t give, but I am truly appreciative of him reaching out and trying to correct the situation.

I’d chalked this up as a loss- both my money and the art so I was willing to give him one last opportunity and if that’s not met, I’ll just get my money back and be done with it. Flaco said my portrait should be complete at the end of the month and if at that time it’s not done, I’ll receive a refund.

For all others who have purchased art from Flaco but didn’t receive it, PLEASE EMAIL HIM FOR YOUR REFUND: flacoshalom@icloud.com

Major lesson learned for me and I won’t be recommending anyone in the future unless I know they are a trustworthy business to deal with.

SUMMER  + FALL MENTORING

*My lovely group for the Chicago mentor session*

Summer is finally slowing down a tad for me this month, but not for long because next month will begin a busy stretch of fall travel and teaching!

I’m also super excited about teaching in LA this November! Two spots were gone the first day i announced it last week, so there are only two left!

These spots are going fast so please EMAIL ME ASAP if you’d like to snag one of the dates above and read all about what is covered in these group sessions HERE!

WEEKEND SNEAK PEEKS

I haven’t been doing a whole lot of portraits lately with everything else going on so I really enjoyed “getting back to my roots” this past weekend :)

This lovely family came down from NJ for their family session and we had a blast! As their pictures show lol.

This beautiful couple came to me for their engagement photos and I couldn’t have been happier! I also couldn’t have been happier that this wall was soooo perfect for them!! I really had a moment yesterday when I edited this photo. This pleases the OCD within me immensely. The colors, the symmetry, the light… ahh! It’s just all so good lol.

Well that’s it for today :) I hope you have a lovely Tuesday despite the rain!

‘Til next time

-Danni