A Little Summertime Fun | Washington, DC Senior Photographer

Happy Tuesday!

As promised, I have a little summertime warmth to bring your way on this cold afternoon. I can’t believe it’s not even officially winter yet! After Saturday we’ll officially be in winter, although it’s felt like January for almost the past month!

Anyway, let’s take our mind off the cold a bit and remember the warmth and sun of September!

I had been wanting to take pictures at a carnival for a while now and I finally was able to make it happen this year! Thanks to these lovely ladies for being available for my last minute idea and to Denyelle for their beautiful natural makeup. Reva, Anna, Emily, and I had such a great time that afternoon! They were the perfect group of friends and embodied the exact feeling I wanted to convey with a shoot like this :)

Aren’t they adorable? Thank you again to Reva, Anna, and Emily for helping me out with this!

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

Tiffany & Alonzo | Washington, DC Engagement Photographer

Happy Monday!

I’m soo happy to share this post with you guys today because it is about a couple I love dearly.

A few months ago Alonzo proposed to Tiffany and it was the sweetest thing! Since Tiffany helped design her ring, she knew it was coming, so when the proposal was happening had to be the surprise. Alonzo did a great job with orchestrating it all!

The week leading up to her proposal, he gave her a charm to add to a charm bracelet. Each one was representative of a significant aspect of their relationship, how they met, or her personality. And each time he gave her a new charm, she was expecting a ring, but of course she didn’t get it lol. So he was keeping her in suspense but also wearing her down at the same time (smart thinking ;)

Friday rolls around and he’s planned for the family to be at a family member’s house to do the actual proposal. Everyone parks down the street (including him) because Tiffany thinks she’s just dropping by to do something with her mom. They are waiting inside and as she’s walking up to the house, he comes out to meet her with her last charm :)

Here’s what happens next (i was hiding behind a tree lol)

How sweet are these two! Tiffany just knew she wasn’t going to be surprised when the proposal happened since she knew it was coming, so I’m glad it ended up being a genuine surprise.

A week later we got together for their engagement session! These two are true troopers. We’d already planned their session for this weekend and it would just so happen that it was the COLDEST day ever!! It really felt like the dead of winter this Saturday, but they endured for the sake of art :)

Tiffany’s new last name will be Mack ;)

So now the wedding planning is in full swing and I’ll be pulling double-duty as one of her bridesmaids and the photographer! My brother and our assistant will be taking the majority of the photos while I’ll be taking the prep photos and portraits if you’re wondering how that will work lol.

Looking forward to their big day! Just three months to go :)

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

Maryam | Washington, DC Natural Light Photography Mentor

Next up this morning is Maryam!

Maryam was the second winner of the last giveaway (the first was Danielle Finney :) and she decided to put her winnings toward a mentor session!

She was excited about her mentor session but a little hesitant at first because she wasn’t sure if it would be beneficial. I assured her that since each session is customized, what we would cover would be just for her. In the end, she more than agreed and we had a great time :)

We covered everything from how to find the light, client relations, managing client expectations, preparing for photo sessions, how to make sure you take a well-exposed photo every time, business & branding, post-processing, and everything in between! Definitely a great mentor session. I love helping empower fellow photographers and seeing their eyes light up when they “get it”!

Here are a few of my favorites from Maryam’s headshot session.

We then met up with our adorable family who was modeling for us and Maryam & I took turns shooting :)

Gone with the wind fabulous! Lol

Little Nick is a true nature lover :)

I will do another post just for this cute little family so you can see their full session :)

Here are a few words from Maryam about her mentoring experience:

“In one word… Awesome. At first I was skeptical about the mentoring session as far as "would I get my money’s worth”? What could she really teach me that I didn’t already know? I eventually did the mentoring session and honestly left with more knowledge than I had gotten from many articles and books and even other photographers put together. Danielle was extremely informative and her personality was so easy and bubbly that it made learning so muh fun. It was definitely worth every penny and I would recommend her a million times over! Don’t think twice like I did. Just do it!“

If you’re interested in booking a mentor session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me today to secure a 2014 date! Currently booking: February & March 2014.

Jacklyne & Edgerton | Alexandria, VA Engagement Photographer

Happy Thursday!!

I hope your week has been going well so far… And if it hasn’t,  Friday is almost here so that’s a plus :)

I have tons and tons of pretty pictures to share with you today!

First up, a fun engagement session with Jackie & E! We met up on what ended up being the last warm day of November and their session couldn’t have been any more perfect! These two needed no direction- all of this awesomeness is their own- I just captured it :) Just a beautiful couple having fun with each other!

We got rained out a bit towards the end of the day, but we ducked in a restaurant while it rained and finished up shooting their last outfit in the dark and a bit of a drizzle (thank goodness for shooting full frame!).

I couldn’t be happier with how their session turned out! Soo many beautiful colors :)

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

Bianca | Artist Spotlight

Happy Wednesday loves!

I’m slowly but surely bringing my blog back to life after a busy busy past couple months :) And I’m super excited to bring you another talented creative today with the artist spotlight!

Bianca is one of my faaavorite wardrobe stylists! I’ve known her for a few years now and I can honestly say that every one of our projects together has been amazing! She can bring any look to life and has an incredible talent for helping people look their best.

What is your name?
Bianca Cerise

Where are you located?
The DC area

What do you do?
I’m a wardrobe stylist.

How long have you been a wardrobe stylist?
Since the day my parents let me dress myself! I used to always sneak into my mom’s closet and borrow her clothes… but “professionally”, about 6-7 years

How did you become interested in styling and when did you know you wanted to be a wardrobe stylist?
I was always very interested in fashion, once I grew out of a short phase of being a follower in middle school- early high school, (what a travesty that was).  I thought for awhile that I wanted to be a full blown designer while I was in college… but when friends always asked to borrow my things and for advice on what to wear, it dawned on me that I really enjoyed dressing other people! And more than that, I had a natural talent for it.

Who are some of your influences/inspirations?
Karl Lagerfeld. He’s probably influenced the world of fashion in ways that people still haven’t fathomed yet. I also constantly wish for Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s closets to have at my disposal.

What has been your favorite project that you’ve worked on so far?
I got a call from a photographer in London that contacted me but he was only going to be in the DC area for a week! We had about two phone convos that blossomed into a cool idea. I had pretty much NO time to pull anything but he completely trusted my judgment and my ability with only my portfolio as his evidence… and it all worked out! it turned into a FANTASTIC shoot and ended up being my first successful magazine submission!  I work best under pressure and deadlines and this was just more proof. 

What other types of creative work do you do?
I curated a gallery exhibition earlier this year of my work. I’m also currently working on an accessories line with my younger sister.

What inspires you?
Anything can be inspirational depending on how you see it!

What keeps you motivated?
Constant change. Everything is always evolving and changing and so do my ideas and tastes. My passion is driven by my own curiosity and  the innate need to explore and push boundaries for myself and my work.

Any advice to fellow creatives (in your industry or otherwise)?
Surround yourself with other creative people! They will inspire you and push you to follow even what seems like the silliest of ideas. They will connect you with other people that may be able to help you. They support. They listen. They understand. It’s invigorating and the encouragement you need when you feel a little lost.

Any other fun tidbits we should know about you? 
I’m a runner newbie! Ran my first half marathon a couple months ago and it was an amazing experience. 

Where can we find you online? 
website: http://biancacerise
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/biancacerise
instagram: @biancacerise
twitter: @biancacerise
tumblr: @biancacerise
…and probably any other social media, BIANCA CERISE, lol

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Bianca a little better! Interested in working with her for your next photo shoot, event, or other creative project, please reach out to her! Her email address is biancacerise@gmail.com and I know she would be happy to help bring your ideas to life :)

I have another artist spotlight coming your way this month as well too so keep an eye out for that!

‘Til next time,
-Danni