Atlanta Recap

Happy Wednesday!

Well rested?? I am! Lol. I will stop eventually but for now I’m just really excited like I discovered something new- sleep really works guys! Lol

Anyway I was looking forward to this post as soon as my Atlanta trip  began last week because I could feel it was going to be awesome, and it was! Since announcing the change in my mentor session structuring, Atlanta was my first stop of 2015 and my first time holding both sessions.

The first was Mentor Session 101 on Thursday and it was wonderful! We had such a warm group and I really enjoyed working with everyone. These are some of my absolute favorite sessions to do because I loveee helping people see just how SIMPLE taking great photos can be :)

New this year is having a model for the practice session and we couldn’t have asked for a better model, Aeleise was so good! For someone who hasn’t modeled before (and doesn’t generally like taking pictures), she did a fabulous job! She was a trooper as well because it was fairly chilly, but you couldn’t tell at all from her photos! *Fab makeup by Stephanie*Group selfie time! Now I totally failed in this regard because I forgot to get a group shot with my REAL camera, but at least I got a selfie so this will have to suffice :) With a special guest appearance by Stephanie in the back lol.

Next up? Mentor Session 102 on Friday! Group selfie pictured above :)

This was my very first 102 class! So these are the founding members lol. And as Traci reminded me, she was actually in my very first group mentor session in February of last year in Little Rock! It’s so great to have such awesome clients, I really do appreciate you Traci :)

I think these sessions are going to quickly become my faves because not only do I get to work with previous clients again, but we really get into the meat of owning and operating a successful business! This is not to say that we solve all problems in 7-8 hours, but it is to say that the attendees leave so much more equipped to take their businesses to the next level. BUT don’t take my word for it! (I feel like that’s my favorite thing to say lol)Ebony, my very first two-day mentee attended both 101 and 102 together and walked away with nothing but great things to say:

“I was a little hesitant that the workshops may be geared more towards photographers with less technical and business experience. However I think you did a brilliant job at adapting the sessions to meet the skill levels of everyone in the group. I liked the pre-questionnaire because it forced me to sit down and really think about what I wanted most out of each session. I really appreciated your candidness and sincerity; as well as your openness in sharing the real work that went (and continues to go) into building your portfolio and your business. Many photographers seem less open in that regards and that was EXTREMELY helpful for me and really helped me be a peace with where I am in my photography journey… I also noted, and appreciated, all the other small details that made the experience even more enjoyable (i.e. the icing details)- branded study guides and notebooks, pens, LOTS of snacks -winning!!-:), the complimentary headshots- option for make-up. You thought of everything- and please know that it did not go unnoticed. Thank you!!
Ebony, I can’t thank you enough ♥ Hearing and seeing how beneficial these sessions are makes all the work that goes into it, more than worth it.

Not only did she write this amazing review though, she also wrote an awesome recap on her blog! PLEASE go check this out, because I honestly think this recap will put mine to shame (whenever I post it) lol. Let’s also acknowledge and appreciate the fact that she got this review up (and photos edited) in just two days following her session- homegirl is fired up and I love it! Lol 

After an action-packed two full days of teaching I was pooped! Lol but not done with Atlanta just yet, on the following two days I had a couple sessions with Kia of Without Rival 

and Mae- better known as Natural Chica! 

It was such a pleasure to work with her again as our last session together was back in 2012! And amazingly, those photos are still used for her brand today! :D I can’t’ wait to share her full maternity session because these photos are seriously perfect and this is not an understatement lol. You know my love for walls and we stumbled upon THE most perfect wall for her that we could have ever found.

Well that’s it for my long and rambling recap lol. Hope you enjoyed reading :) Stay tuned tomorrow for a brand new artist spotlight! 

If you’re interested in participating in an upcoming session, check out the details here

The Art of Doing Less | Truthy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday loves!

I hope the new week is treating you well so far, and if it’s not, there’s still time to turn it around :)

Today I got the urge to write about how I’ve been feeling lately… Calm. And though it doesn’t sound all that noteworthy. It is, for me. I normally have so much going on (not because I’m so super busy and everybody needs something from me- mostly because I’m a chronically poor manager of my time) that I am constantly walking around in a state of anxiety without even realizing it. I am a fairly mellow person so when there’s too much going on, I’m overwhelmed. I’m also easily excitable but that’s a topic for another day lol. I am quite literally a bag of opposites but somehow they work together to make me, me! Lol 

But on the matter of being anxious & overwhelmed… you know what exacerbates that? Not getting enough sleep.

Not getting enough sleep is probably one of THE top reasons why productivity suffers- mine anyway. I wake up, I’m tired… So I slowly get on the things I have to do for that day. Get distracted by non-essential things and social media because that doesn’t take much mental energy at all… Next thing you know, much more time has passed than I realize so I beat myself up for wasting that much time again. I don’t want to go to sleep without getting x number of things done, so what do I do? Stay up super late until x number of things are complete. But of course it takes me longer to get these things done because I’m tired. Then I fall into bed and wake up the next day exhausted because I went to bed too late… aaaand repeat the cycle. Because something is always due, work needs to be done, and when you’re self-employed, true breaks don’t really happen.

So how can I change it?  

I’ve been waking up lately (as in the past 7 days), not thinking about how much I have to do and how little time I have to do it all, but truly trying to move through my days a bit more mindful. What brought about this radical change? Sleep.

The only thing I can attribute to this new calmer space I’m in is the amount of sleep I’ve been getting. I was working in Atlanta for the past few days and every night I had a full night’s rest. Prior to going out of town I started going to sleep early as well, and when I came back, I kept it going! Though my diet is still a work in progress (I don’t eat horribly- probably just more sweets than I should), I am already thinking and feeling better JUST from getting more sleep.

The reason I titled this the “Art of Doing Less” is because to be well rested, I have to be okay with shutting down. I have to be okay with not getting everything done. And what this past week has taught me is that it is indeed okay. I do not subscribe to the philosophy that in order to be successful you have to work around the clock/ not sleep/ be on the “grind” incessantly. That is actually quite literally the recipe for disaster because our bodies are not designed that way. We NEED rest to think clearly and make wise decisions. All nighters are necessary sometimes, but I am really trying to make an effort to move away from that being my standard mode of operation because I can say from personal experience now that being well rested feels so much better than getting everything done :)

Sorry this post ended up reading more like a novel lol. But clearly I am passionate about this topic lol.

What’s your sleep philosophy? I’d love to hear :)

Stay tuned for the next Truthy Tuesday!

-Danni

Yodith | Washington, DC Lifestyle Photographer

Happy Friday!

I realized that a lot of the artist spotlights I’ve done, I’ve yet to share the full sessions! So I’ll remedy that by sharing them over the next few months- First up is Yodith!

You may remember her artist spotlight feature at the beginning of the month. Definitely one of my favorites beacuse I absolutely love her photo series with her grandmother.

It’s always weird for the photographer being photographed, but we had such a fun time together and her photos turned out absolutely beautifully :)

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 and March 2015.

Felicia | Los Angeles, CA Lifestyle Photographer

Happy Wednesday!

So happy to share this session with you today :)

On my last trip to LA this past November, I linked up with Felicia (you may remember her from here) and we had a lovely session at her home! I have been loving the home-based sessions lately because they have a great feel and really allow my clients to be completely themselves because they are in their element!

We didn’t forget about my first love of outdoor photography though! Definitely got some cool shots that sooo make me miss the warm LA sun since it’s currently… 27 degrees outside :/ 

Take a mini vacation, think warm thoughts, and check out Felicia’s session :) Her dynamic personality is perfectly captured in these photos ♥

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 and March 2015.

Gill Family | Washington, DC Family Photographer

Happy Tuesday!

I hope everyone on the east coast is staying warm and dry :) We didn’t get too much snow in DC, but winter precipitation always kinda slows things down around here… I don’t mind because I still have lots of indoor work to do lol.

So who do I have to share with you today? The lively Gill Family! 

You may remember Celena from her colorful headshot session last summer! This time we got together for a fun family session! As you can imagine, mom and dad have a lot going on, not only with 4 boys, but with their own respective businesses to run- talk about busy! But they manage to keep it all together AND look amazing while doing so!

As it would happen it was raining the day of their session, but they were troopers! And we made it work despite the rain :)  

Then we headed inside for the second half of their session :)

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 and March 2015.