2015 Group Mentoring Dates [New Cities Added]

Happy Friday!

As promised, this week I’m announcing the new dates that have been added for late Spring and Summer 2015!

The original dates were listed here, and the full list of upcoming mentor sessions, including the recently added cities, is viewable below!

Note: Since I am based in the area, Washington, DC sessions will be added as needed throughout the year. If you are interested in attending a DC session, email me and I will form new groups. So far, the dates that are crossed out are full and the remaining dates with limited availability (one seat left) have been italicized.

Atlanta, GA 
Session 101: Thursday, Feb 5 
Session 102: Friday, Feb 6

Washington, DC 
Session 101: Friday, Feb 13 
Session 102: Saturday, Feb 14
Session 101: Saturday, March 7

Houston, TX 
Session 101: Friday, March 13 
Session 102: Saturday, March 14

Washington, DC
Session 101: Friday, March 20

Brooklyn, NY
Session 101: Friday, May 1 

Chicago, IL 
Session 101: Thursday, May 21 
Session 102: Friday, May 22

Miami, FL 
Session 101: Friday, June 12 
Session 102: Saturday, June 13Charlotte, NC
Session 101: Friday, July 24 Los Angeles, CA
Session 101: Friday, August 14
Session 102: Saturday, August 15
Full details and pricing for these sessions are viewable right here! Wondering if it’s worth it? Rightfully so :) I can tell you it’s worth it, but that wouldn’t mean much coming from me, would it? Lol so here are a few words from one of my previous mentees: “Though I was a little nervous the morning of our mentor session, that quickly changed when I reached our first location and everything got started. Danielle is so down to earth, and her warm personality and genuine smile made me feel super comfortable. Her teaching style was very thorough and she really made sure to give each one of us individual attention throughout the day. She helped me to discover functions on my camera that I didn’t even know were there, and showed me various tips and techniques for shooting and editing which have made things so much easier for me…and it has only been a week! I’m so glad that I was able to participate in this mentor session and would definitely attend future workshops with Danielle.”
-Latoya Osborne You can check out the recap of our session together in Miami right here! and all of the recaps from my mentor sessions right here in the mentoring archive if you have a little time on your hands :) If you are interested in participating in Session 101 OR both sessions, email me ASAP and we can get you secured for the date(s)! All that’s required to secure your seat is a $100 retainer. So if you’re interested in just one day, your retainer would be $100, but if you are interested in both, you retainer would be $200. Once your retainer is paid, your seat is secured! The balance can be paid in one or two payments as long as it’s cared for no later than two weeks prior to the session. If you have any questions, please let me know and I’ll be happy to answer them for you! That’s it for me today and I hope to hear from you and work with you very soon :) Have a great weekend! -Danielle

Los Angeles Group Mentor Session [Nov 13] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

Happy Tuesday loves!

No Truthy Tuesday post today, but I’m happy to be sharing the last recap of my 2014 group mentor sessions! Yay! Lol

In November I traveled to LA for my last group session of the year and we couldn’t have asked for a better day- the weather was perfect and the group had a wonderful chemistry!

I’ve really come to love these group sessions because I’m able to have a full day building with the participants and we all leave with a bond and great memories of the day :)

These headshots make me so happy because within a few blocks, we were able to find surroundings to perfectly compliment everyone!

      

Beginning this year, headshots will no longer be offered with the 101 course, so this is actually the last recap of this type (sadface). There will be lots more photos of the attendees in action for 101 and headshots will now be included for 102 :) What’s this 101/102 business? Check out the revamped mentoring programs here.

So what did the mentees think of the day? Hear from one in her own words:

“Your session restored my motivation to shoot! I felt myself smiling during and after the learning experience, and feeling more confident than ever. Your professionalism, willingness to share your time, and talent speaks volumes for what the future holds for you!”
-Tarsha Jones

If you would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself and participate in the next group mentor session, email me today!

Yodith | Artist Spotlight

Happy Friday beautiful people!

I hope your week went well despite the freezing subzero temps! Mine was okay- it could have been better, but I will not complain :) I AM happy to share this post with you guys today though! I’m sharing another one of my talented friends with you ^_^

Today’s artist spotlight features fellow photographer- Yodith! She and I actually only recently met in person a few months ago, but because social media makes you feel like you know people, it was like catching up with an old friend. So I asked to shoot her and feature her on my blog and she kindly obliged :) I enjoyed getting to know more about her and her art and I hope you do as well-

Meet Yodith!

What is your name?
Yodith Dammlash  

Where are you located?
Prince George’s County, MD  

What do you do?
I am a photographer (more specifically a photo-based artist) and archivist. I am also a part of Mambu Badu, a photography collective for self-identified women of African descent.

How long have you been a photographer?
Ten years now. Time flies!  

How did you become interested in photography and when did you know you wanted to make a career out of your passion?
I’ve been interested in photography for as long as I can remember. When I was little I always wanted to use my mother’s little film camera and my uncle’s professional camera. I took classes my junior and senior years in high school and my mentor insisted I apply to a few visual arts colleges along with regular universities. It wasn’t until I saw the exhibit “Ethiopian Passages: Dialogues in the Diaspora” and I saw Aida Muluneh’s work that I really felt like I should also take my art seriously and pursue photography after high school. I subsequently attended Corcoran College of Art + Design where I earned a Bachelors in Fine Art Photography.  

Who are some of your influences/inspirations?
My family. Visual artists Gordon Parks, Aida Muluneh, Chester Higgins, Carrie Mae Weems, Lorna Simpson, Richard Avedon, Kebedech Tekleab and Margaret Bourke White. Writers like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Langston Hughes, Edwidge Danticat, Khaled Hosseini, Warsan Shire and Audre Lorde.  So, so many music artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Kendrick Lamar, Donny Hathaway, Robert Glasper Experiment, NaS and Meshell Ndegeocello, to name a few.   

What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on so far?
My favorite project is probably Placement, a photo series about my grandmother. I originally started documenting my grandmother for a photojournalism class assignment. I started considering the quiet in her life and how different her life may be if she still lived in Ethiopia, as oppose to my family home for the past 18 years. She is so interesting to me, in just her day to day life. Her movements, her chores in the house, her belongings. The older generation who leave their homelands to join their adult children and families overseas is a part of the African diaspora that you rarely see documented. I wanted to shed light on that usually more stagnant life.  

What other types of creative work do you do?
I’ve become something like the documentarian/historian of my family. I’ve always been interested in my family lineage and stories my grandmother and parents would tell me about their families. I’ve accumulated and archived over 300 photos, negatives and slides of my parents families and their time in Ethiopia. I’ve been incorporating them in my current project The Names We Bear so I fancy myself a creative archivist. I’m also a closet writer (shhh!).  

 

What inspires you? 
All of the aforementioned people as well as my Ethiopian culture. Natural light. Smoke as an aesthetic. The human face. Spike Lee Joints.

What keeps you motivated?
Surrounding myself with other creatives. Having a community of other artists and photographers to bounce ideas off of and collaborate with helps in moments of self-doubt and exhaustion.  

Any advice to fellow creatives (in your industry or otherwise)?
They say there is there nothing under the sun that hasn’t already been done. I say it still hasn’t been done by you. Your vision, your narrative, your art can only be done the way you do it. There is space for that; there is space for you.  

Any other fun tidbits we should know about you?
I am somewhat of a human jukebox. I have an affinity for memorizing song melodies and lyrics after one listen and I’m able to mimic the artist almost exactly. I love coffee but never turn down bubble tea. I enjoy baking almost as much as I enjoy eating. I probably have the most organized and extensive Google Music library you’ll ever find. Most importantly, I know every Living Single, Chappelle’s Show and Boondocks episode by heart.  

Where can we find you online?
online portfolio: www.YodithD.com
twitter: @yodithnprogress
instagram: @yodithnprogress
tumblr: @yodithnprogress​ 

I hope you enjoyed her interview! Be sure to follow Yodith social media and keep up with her projects :)

I hope you have a great weekend!

-Danni

Latoya & Johnny | Washington, DC Engagement Photographer

Happy Wedding Wednesday! I DO participate every so often ;) I can’t wait to share this engagement session with you guys today!

Latoya & Johnny are my wonderful wedding clients from the beautiful (but COLD- especially now lol) city of Chicago! They came in town for their engagement session last month and as it would happen, it rained the ENTIRE day we’d scheduled for their session :( 

Needless to say we were bummed. Some of the major things Latoya loved about my work were the natural lighting and colorful surroundings- two things we can’t easily replicate indoors :/ But necessity is the mother of invention so once we knew for sure it would be raining all day, the gears started moving and I gathered ideas to ensure that they’d have the flyest indoor engagement session ever! The results? Gorgeousness.  

I had to do some heavy reassuring to Latoya because she really had her heart set on an outdoor session but as I reassured her the photos would turn out beautifully, I was also reassuring myself in the process because I was doing something new for her. But I was very excited to not only do something new, but to do it awesomely!

In the end, instead of Latoya & Johnny getting something similar to what I’ve done previously, they got their very own unique engagement session and I think that’s much better than colorful walls and natural light ;)

The rain let up just in time to sneak a few outside shots in their last outfit!

If you’re interested in booking a session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today! Currently booking: February 2015. 

On Being a Black Photographer | Truthy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday loves!

I’m back with another Truthy Tuesday today! Two weeks in a row?? I know! Don’t get used to it though lol.

Today I want to share something a little personal that I just recently realized a few months ago after talking with a couple of my clients…

When I first started my business over 5 years ago, I was a little bummed that I didn’t have more diversity in my work. I live in a predominately black area, but that is not to say that I only work with my race. One of my friends a few years back told her co-worker about my photography business and her response after looking at my site was “oh, but she only works with black people”. If you can imagine, I was somewhat hurt by her co-workers feelings, but I was thankful to my friend for sharing them with me. I thought, well she can’t be the only one who feels this way… she’s probably just the only one who SAID it! Thus began my quest for diversity. I never wanted anyone to look at my site and be hesitant to work with me because they thought I only worked with one race over others.

Well fast-forward to this year and I will say that my mindset towards this whole “issue” has changed slightly. Let me tell you why: In speaking with a number of my clients this year, one of the reasons they decided to go with me was because of how beautifully I photograph people of color. It was shared that in their search for a photographer, they saw lots of options, but weren’t sure how well the photographer would be able to capture their skin tone because they didn’t see very many (if any) minorities in their portfolio.

I have mixed feelings on this because while I’m glad their search led them to me, it made me realize that having a diverse portfolio is not something every photographer deems as necessary. I actually stumbled across someone tweeting about this very issue a couple days ago.

It absolutely does take skill to be able to photograph different skin tones well, so I do understand the concern of my friend’s coworker initially because I did only have clients of one race at that time. However, I will say this: I work hard to make sure that everyone I photograph is captured in their best light, regardless of their race, and if I’m able to do that well for people of color, well that’s an honor I’ll accept gladly :) Especially with the limited options available. Here’s what changed my mind about this whole thing: If someone is not willing to book with me because they think I only work with one race over others, they are not my client. If you’ve followed my work, you see that I do indeed work with people of varying cultures and shoot them all beautifully!

I do have a predominately black client base, but instead of wishing it were more diverse, I am and will be forever grateful for the support of my community over the past 5+ years and thankful for the opportunity to capture these positive images that may not have been seen otherwise!

I want prospective clients to fall in love with me and my work, and if seeing the race of my clients keeps them from booking, well I guess they’ll be missing out then :)

This has been on my heart for the past few weeks so I just wanted to share. This is Truthy Tuesday, right? Lol 

Check back in tomorrow for a fab engagement session post for Wedding Wednesday :) Be safe in the snow!

-Danni