Sophia | One-on-One Mentor Session [June 29] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

Happy Mentor Monday!

I’m not sure about you but I’m really enjoying these Mentor Monday posts :) It gives me a sense of accountability to ensure that no matter how busy things get, there is at least ONE guaranteed post each week!

This past weekend was a busy but very enjoyable one- more mentoring! Lol I can’t wait to blog about my two-day one-on-one session with Ayasha in the coming weeks, but for now the quick sneak peek (linked above) will have to suffice :)

Today though? I actually do have a one-on-one recap from my session this past June with Sophia! She scheduled a one-on-one session here in DC while she in town visiting family and we had a great day together! 

Sophia requested a small family for her practice session and Shannon and her boys were just wonderful! Her boys are FULL of energy and these photos certainly provide the proof lol.

Next on the agenda? Sophia’s headshots! I absolutely love photographing photographers. We aren’t initially the most comfortable in front of the camera but getting them to loosen up is one of my favorite challenges :)

If you would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself and participate in the next group mentor session, check out full details here, including upcoming cities and dates, and email me today if you’re interested in attending or scheduling your own one-on-one session! 

Philadelphia 101 Group Session [June 25] | Philadelphia, PA Photography Instructor

Happy Mentor Monday loves :)

I hope you all had a great weekend and enjoyed the official return of football! Lol I’m not a huge football fan, but I am a fan, and I’m happy about the return of relaxing fall football Sundays :) 

Today though? Another fun recap from a summer session! This time it’s Philly! There had been spotty interest in Philadelphia last year so a date wasn’t scheduled there, but this year they came through and I was happy to bring #dfinneymentoring to Philly :) I was also happy that Denyelle was able to come with me to do the makeup so we had a great time!

Hear from Traci (pictured above) on her experience:
Danielle sessions were well thought out, professional yet relaxed and flexible. She was willing to answer questions even though the topics may not be part of the mentoring session. She is definitely invested in her mentees’ growth and success.

Thank you so much Traci for such a sweet review! I can’t say enough about how much I enjoy teaching and seeing my mentees grow not only in regards to their work itself, but also in seeing their confidence improve! There’s nothing like it!

Well I feel this has probably been the longest intro ever, so let me stop talking and get into these photos of our gorgeous model Kamry :)

Photo by Keith Layne

If you would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself and participate in the next group mentor session, check out full details here, including upcoming cities and dates, and email me today if you’re interested in attending or scheduling your own one-on-one session! 

Year 6 Reflections | Truthy Thursday

Happy Thursday lovelies!

Back in action from vacation this week with a very special post- a late Truthy Tuesday, so we’ll call it Truthy Thursday :)

DFinney Photography has officially been in business for SIX years! The official anniversary date was last Thursday, September 3rd… I still remember being laid off right before my 22nd birthday and deciding to do a little more with my photography until I found another job… Fast-forward to now and sometimes I am in utter disbelief at how far things have come from those humble beginnings.

I am quite simply amazed. Amazed at not only my growth as a photographer, but also as a business owner, and now instructor (what?!) The fact that I teach others is still something I can’t believe sometimes. I have so much more to learn and share and I am so ready for the lessons that the next 6 years will bring.

Since I’m calling this a year 6 reflections post, I think it’s fitting that I share a few! And not just facts regarding the story of how I got started- which can be read here :) So in no particular order, here are a few musings that reflect the current state of where I am as Danielle the person and as Danielle the artist and business owner.

Over the years I’ve learned many things about myself and now more than ever, I am becoming more okay with being introverted. I can be somewhat of an outsider and instead of seeing that as something I have to change (as I once did), I’m learning to accept it. Everyone doesn’t have to be “in the mix”- sometimes an outsider’s viewpoint is needed to tackle problems in a new way. I like to think of myself in that light :)

Something else I’ve learned? It’s okay to not “want it all”. It’s okay to not have the goal of expansion, building an empire, or traveling the world- instead, just being content and happy with what you do. That has honestly been my goal for a long time, but for a while I felt bad about it. I felt like I was missing something by not having a grand vision for the future. But now, especially since I began traveling more, I realize that what I truly crave is stillness and simplicity.

Being a sensitive artist and business owner is hard. I am responsible for everything that goes on with my business and the older I get, the more sensitive I’ve become. Learning to manage these feelings while still being productive is quite the struggle at times. This is partially some of what I planned to cover in Part 2 of my Superwoman post, but still fitting for this one…

In short, I am extremely humbled, appreciative, honored, grateful, and quite emotional about how far my (not so baby :) business has come! There are many more lessons to learn I’m sure, but even more awesome experiences to have, and beautiful people to meet. So, regardless of when you joined this journey, I’m happy and thankful you’re here ♥

-Danni

Miami 102 Group Session [June 13] | Miami, FL Photography Mentor

Next up for today? Day 2 with Session 102 where I got to talk business with Eboni, Eli, and Latoya!

Eboni & Eli flew in from the Bahamas for their session and I seriously could not feel any more honored! It always moves me when folks travel any amount of distance to work with me, but to make a special trip?! Sigh. I really love these two.  

Latoya actually attended my first Miami group session last year, so this time we linked up for business! 

Now… Miami is hot. I know this, but I kind of am never really prepared for it until I actually experience it lol. Heat is exactly what we experienced when we ventured for the headshot portion of our session. We actually had to go out later than planned because we were about to get caught in a rain shower, but our second attempt was successful and you’d never know how sweltering it was given how beautiful these folks look :)

Hear directly from two-day mentee Eboni on her experience:

“I was extremely excited for the workshop. I saved up for over a year to go. And Danielle definitely made it all worthwhile. From the moment I met her I knew the class was going to be awesome. Her personality was very warm and inviting. Her style of teaching was something that truly enjoyed. She kept everything simple and to the point. When we went out to practice what we learned I was in complete shock that I was able to apply what I just learned so quickly. As I reviewed the images on the back of my camera I just couldn’t believe that I took those images. I have been working as a photographer for a few years but felt that something was missing in my work. I wasn’t able to show and capture the image the way I saw it in my head. But with Danielle’s help I finally could! It was such a great feeling. Words can’t even describe how that moment felt. The two days I spent with Danielle have changed my life and business in ways that I couldn’t imagine.”
-Eboni Bullard

Thank you sooooooo much Eboni! It means a lot that you were able to greatly benefit from our time together! Especially given that you invested so much to be in attendance! I really look forward to working with you in the weeks and months to come to help you further your business goals ♥

If you would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself and participate in the next group mentor session, check out full details here, including upcoming cities and dates, and email me today if you’re interested in attending or scheduling your own one-on-one session! 

Miami 101 Group Session [June 12] | Miami, FL Photography Mentor

Happy Sunday loves!

A Sunday blog? Yep! Bringing you Mentor Monday a day early today because I missed last Monday AND because tomorrow officially begins my week long vacation! :D *excited* doesn’t even begin to cover it lol.

So today? My group session recaps from Miami! This 101 session was actually one I did a giveaway for and it turned out super awesomely :) We all had a great time and our beautiful model Eugenia was the best! She’s actually a flight attendant and flew from Atlanta just for our session! It was definitely worth the trip as she absolutely worked it for the camera!

Hear directly from one of the attendees on his experience:

“The mentoring class was excellent. It was intimate so everyone had a chance to ask questions and give experiences. Danielle spoke candidly about her ideas and experiences, and answered all of our questions! It definitely helped me to gauge where I was and to see what changes i needed to make.”
-D. Davis

If you would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself and participate in the next group mentor session, check out full details here, including upcoming cities and dates, and email me today if you’re interested in attending or scheduling your own one-on-one session!