Lydia | One-on-One Mentor Session [February 12-13] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

Good Monday afternoon to you!

I'm stopping in today with a brand new Mentor Monday recap! It's been a while, but I fully intend to catch up with my 2016 mentoring recaps before the year is out lol.

So let's throw it on back to an EXTREMELY cold two day mentoring session with Lydia back in February! When I say it was cold, it was FRIGID! Literally that is the one of the top things that stands out in my mind when I think about this day lol.

Day 1 of her session was all about natural light shooting. We went over the basics and some not so basics before heading out to photograph our models to put into practice all she just learned!

I am so thankful for our beautiful models, the Stanley family- they were some serious troopers as we quickly shot our way through Lydia's practice session :)

Lydia wanted to work on her senior photography, with a focus on incorporating the family into a few shots because it's important to show the senior's family support system. I absolutely loved that idea, and we had the perfect family to bring her vision to life!

Check out a few of my favorite shots from our practice session:

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Makeup for mom and daughter by Denyelle D. Beauty.


Day 2 was all about Lydia!

Lauren Dew came through with beautiful makeup for Lydia's headshots- which we opted to do indoors because it actually snowed that morning!

Here are my faves from her headshot session:

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Afterwards, we touched on just about every area you can think of for business. Lydia had an excellent system in place already, so it was really just a matter of tweaking her existing operations, and seeing how best to move her forward to reach her goals!


What did she think of the session? Hear from Lydia directly on her DFinney Mentoring experience:

"I absolutely loved learning with and getting to know Danielle during our two-day 1:1 mentoring session! Danielle shared explicit tips and strategies she uses to effectively find great light every.single.time.

I was SO excited that our session included models, and that Danielle ensured that the models fit my goals for the session. The session format allowed me to get hands-on experience with Danielle's techniques immediately after reviewing them - super helpful!

Day 2 was also extremely useful. Getting my own makeup session and photoshoot was fun on its own, and also helped me connect with how my own clients experience portrait sessions. We talked and WORKED through the business areas I had prioritized, and I walked away with a solid plan to continue building my business, in excellence.

Thank you, Danielle, for an amazing experience my business and my clients will continue to benefit from!"
-Lydia

Thank you soo much Lydia! I had a great time working with you and have been so happy with how amazingly your business has progressed this year!


If you would like to have the DFinney Mentoring Experience yourself, check out full details hereEmail me today if you’re interested in scheduling your own one-on-one session!

Richardson Family | Washington, DC Family Photographer

*peeks in*

Good Wednesday afternoon to you! It's almost been a clean month since my last post... so now I'm going to share a bunch of photos to try to make up for it lol.

Today I have a beautiful fall family session from last year! With one of my favorite families- The Richardsons :)

Our first session together was Fall 2014, and I actually blogged my most recent 3 generation session from Spring 2016 a few months ago, so you're seeing today's post out of chronological order, but this was too good not to share! 

I absolutely love seeing the littles grow and capturing them at different stages each year, so I can't wait to see how much their baby girl has grown for our next session :)

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2014 vs. 2015 :)

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Aaaand, just in case we weren't sure, she still doesn't like this lol

If you’re interested in a session with your family and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today! Currently booking: (very limited) November & December 2016 dates.

7 Years of DFinney Photography | Truthy Tuesday

Good Tuesday Afternoon to you ❤  

I just wanted to pop in with a quick (and overdue) Truthy Tuesday!  

Earlier this month, I quietly celebrated 7 years of DFinney Photography. And by quietly, I mean did nothing at all lol.  

There was no big celebration, no business special, no event... just thankfulness that I've been blessed with wonderful clients who have helped ensure the longevity of DFinney Photography.

It is no small thing to have an idea and to see it through to fruition- not solely because of your own efforts, but largely due to the consistent support of friends, family, clients, and even those "silent" supporters who may not have ever worked with me themselves, but who have referred folks my way. I see you ALL and I appreciate you tremendously!

Each year when my business anniversary rolls around words fail when I try to express just how grateful I am... and this year- well, today, specifically- I don't even have the mental energy to try lol.

Soo I'm going to share a quick look back at my 2009 vs 2016 :) A small sample of images from a few different portrait sessions where you can get a good look at how far things have come in the past 7 years!

If you'd like more information on HOW I was able to improve so drastically, check out this recent Throwback Thursday post on "Seeing the Light", and you can also check out my mentoring programs if you'd like to improve your natural light photography as well!

Back to the topic at hand :) Even though my earlier work (now) leaves much to desired when compared to the new, at no point during these past 7 years did I feel guilty for work I presented, because at the time, it was my best! So I am extremely thankful for the clients who have grown with me and who have allowed me the space to do so.

So thank you, thank you...

and I look forward to many more to come :)

-Danni ❤