First Time For Everything | Little Rock, AR Natural Light Photography Mentor

Fair warning: This is a LONG post. Full of good stuff though, so dig in! ☺

A little over a month ago, I took my first business trip of 2014- Little Rock, AR for my first group mentor session! Last year I decided that I didn’t just want to be a DC photographer… I wanted to travel, and I did! Just a little bit, but it was amazing to get out of DC and actually meet the faces behind the names I see on facebook, instagram, and twitter. I wouldn’t have imagined that I would be traveling this time around to TEACH, but this past year led my business in a different direction and I couldn’t be happier :)

I got together with 5 talented ladies for a photography mentor session and we had such a good time learning and sharing- it was a wonderful day! Why was it so wonderful you ask? Well, below they will share why in their own words, but for me? I really enjoyed it because I was able to see in real time, these 5 photographers improve their shooting style over the course of just a few hours! Helping them streamline their shooting process and really embrace what THEY like was a beautiful thing ♥

So what did we do? We got together over breakfast and covered the first part of the agenda- making sure that we hit on the various areas that each of them needed assistance with. What’s great about the group setting is that there is always some overlap so you walk away learning more than you expected! From there we went out to put those things in practice!

With a typical one-on-one mentor session, we have models but with a group, we are the models :) During this time, we location scout as I photograph each member of the group and explain what I’m doing along the way. Everyone has a chance to take their own photos as well and because it’s a small group, no one has to fight for space :)

“I absolutely LOVED the mentor session! I really appreciated the group size & how Danielle took time for each of us. We all felt very comfortable with her & each other. Everything was extremely professional but not stuffy, laid back but not sloppy, a perfect balance. I feel it was definitely worth every penny!”

-Shira Crew

“I attended a group mentoring session with 4 other girls. The experience was fantastic. I felt like Danni was very engaging to everyone in the group. The information was plentiful and the materials that were handed out were very helpful as well. I’m also thankful that we actually got to shoot together as it added a tangible element to the workshop. This was definitely a great opportunity for me, someone who doesn’t live in the DC area, but wanted to attend a mentoring session. I walked away from the session with a feeling of confidence that I could improve my work based on the techniques that I learned that day! :)”

-Selyna Buie

“My experience with DFinney Photography & Design was absolutely AWESOME!  I loved the professionalism from the inquiry to the end of the session.  I also loved the detailed information and hands on learning experience of the technical aspect of photography and also shooting photos of the other group members.  DFinney’s workflow and outline of events, has allowed me to feel confident in remembering what to do the next time I shoot.  Also I have developed my own workflow of how a photo shoot session should have a timeline and to always be consistent each time.  Thank you DFinney for giving me that push to take my business to the next level.”

-Traci Reid

So… did I mention it was cold? I don’t think I mentioned it was cold. Well let me tell you… It was COLD! Lol. It was in the 30’s but it definitely felt like the 20’s with the wind chill. So we happened to stumble upon this cute little cafe and we finished up this part of our session indoors. So thankful we were able to shoot in here!

“I had such a great experience at the group mentor session. Interacting with everyone eased my anxiety about my communication style with my clients and streamlined the way I see light and find my exposure. I appreciated the intimate feel and size of the group. I truly felt like I walked away with a budding sisterhood. I’ve never experienced that at any other workshop. We learned, we shot, we explored and encouraged one another. Wonderful experience wish I could do it again lol.”

-Keyonna Renea

“I had a great time during my group mentoring session. It was great being with other photographers on the small scale and learning not only from you but from them as well. I’m so happy that it worked out for you to come here, because it was truly at the right time for me and my business. If I could only take away one thing from the session were the fail-proof systems that I learned. For awhile, I’ve been struggling with creating systems for myself to keep me on track and help with my shooting flow and workflow. That alone was worth the price of admission (fortunately I learned way more than that!).”

-Kortney Hinton

After our practice session, we grabbed a late lunch, did some editing and discussed a little business. So now these ladies know just how simple I keep things editing-wise and that what you see here is pretty close to what comes out of the camera. When all was said and done, our group session was about 7 hours I think? I can’t remember lol. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better group to kick this off with and I can’t wait to see their photography businesses flourish even further ♥

If you’ve made it to the end, yayyy! Let me know what you thought of the recap :)

Interested in attending the next group mentor session? Check out the upcoming dates and email me ASAP to secure your spot!

Courtney & Donnell | Alexandria, VA Lifestyle Photographer

Ok so this wasn’t a planned post but when I did Lauren’s recap just now, I remembered that I never shared Courtney & Donnell’s full set of photos from Tiffany’s mentor session back in October!

To refresh your memory, I broke my lens just before this session took place so the majority of the photos you see here were taken with Tiffany’s 50/1.8 (thank goodness she was a Nikon shooter too!) and a few were taken with my 20/1.8.

These two are just much too cute to stay hidden in the archives :) So here are the photos from their full set!

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

Lauren | Washington, DC Natural Light Photography Mentor

Next up today is Lauren!

Lauren came down from NYC for her session back on February 1st and to say we had an interesting day would be an understatement lol. We had so much fun running into characters on the streets of DC and telling people all day that we weren’t sisters… So much so, that we just decided to embrace it and we are now officially sisters lol.

Lauren was looking to gain more confidence with her photography style and consistency with the look and feel of her images… even though improving confidence is never an immediate thing, I think by the end of our session, she was well on her way :)

After meeting over breakfast and going through the first portion of our session, we headed out to do a little location scouting and take her headshots!

For someone who never takes pictures, I’d say she’s doing a pretty good job :)

We then met up with our lovely models Setarra and Charles. When I say these two were the perfect models? They were the perfect models! So in love and just easy as ever to photograph :)

We started their session in the National Portrait Gallery because it was a bit chilly then we headed back outside once it warmed up a tad.

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

“Professional, Comfortable, Fun, & Informational. I found Danielle from googling her work online and when I met her in person, we instantly clicked. From the time we started our early AM mentor session to the very end, I felt like I was working with a friend I’ve known for years. Instantly I was put at ease and I was able to soak up all the knowledge. I learned SOOO much from Danielle by observing her at work in person and found the materials that she gave me for her mentor session extremely useful. The couple she choose was PERFECT! They were a delight! Hope to join another one of her workshops one day and look forward to being a better photographer for 2014!”

If you’re interested in booking a one-on-one mentor session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me today to secure your date! Currently booking: June & July 2014.

Sandra & Andrew | Washington, DC Engagement Photographer

Good Tuesday morning!

This weekend I realized that while life has been happening for the past few months, I haven’t been blogging much of what’s been going on! So I’m going to try and remedy that this week with lots of posts to bring you up-to-date on some of my latest projects.

First up? A lovely engagement session with Sandra & Andrew that I shot at the end of January.

These two lovebirds met at Cafe Asia so what a fitting spot to kick off their engagement session :) We started there and then ended up at the National Portrait Gallery. Thank goodness we had a couple indoor venues because it was COLD the day of their session! Much like it has been this entire winter -_- But I digress lol… I had a great afternoon with these two and I look forward to shooting their wedding in July :)

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

Finding Your Style | Truthy Tuesday

It’s time for Truthy Tuesday! I’m a bit late because I hadn’t planned to post anything today, but I was inspired late this afternoon and had to write this while it was still fresh on my mind.

As a photographer… new, kinda new, or established… have you ever given much thought to your style? Why your photos look the way they do?

A running theme this past month throughout all of the conversations I’ve had during my mentor sessions and workshop has been embracing what YOU like and finding YOUR style. 

I hear so often that photography is such an over-saturated industry, it’s so hard to get noticed, everyone thinks they’re a photographer so it’s hard to convince someone to book with you, yada yada, etc, etc… There are indeed a lot of photographers and everyone loves being able to capture their own moments themselves, but I think of it this way- there are also a lot of restaurants too, right? And you don’t think the restaurant industry is over-saturated. Everyone has a kitchen in their home, but that doesn’t stop the restaurant industry from flourishing, does it? 

It’s just the nature of things… if you focus on the negative that’s what you see, whereas if you focus on the positive, you’ll have a different mindset. Honestly I really don’t mind those perceived “negatives” because even with that being the case, there is still enough business for everyone! There are a lot of photographers, but there are also a lot of people… and everyone isn’t looking for the same thing. Just like there are a restaurants that appeal to one person and not another, the same is true when it comes to photographers- and any service-based business, really.

What’s going to make someone book with you and not another photographer? Your style. So this leads me back to my original question: Have you ever given much thought to your style? Why your photos look the way they do?

If not, I think now might be a good time to do so. When you clearly know your style, you’re in a much better position to have a genuine brand that truly reflects you and market yourself effectively. I kind of got sidetracked above, but my original point in writing this today was to share this: I want us as photographers to understand why our photos look as they do. What is it about your work that makes it yours? Are you happy with how your photos look or are you settling because it’s the best you could come up with? And if your answer to that last question is yes, that’s okay! We all have to start somewhere.

When I started taking photos, I didn’t really know what I was doing, I didn’t know what “good light” was, or what made a good photo. If I liked it, I did it. And you know what? Surprisingly, some other folks did too because I had clients early on that were attracted to something about my work lol. But that wasn’t enough… As I kept shooting, I started becoming frustrated with the fact that I couldn’t produce what I wanted to, and I realized I was “settling” for a style that wasn’t truly mine because I didn’t know what to do to get the photos I wanted. So what did I do? I learned! Lol

I’ve always loved this quote! In this case I’m applying it to photography, or really any endeavor you’re pursuing… If you know that what you’re producing is not your best and you’re settling, now is the time to learn how to improve. Don’t settle for imitating someone else’s style because it works for them, find YOUR style!

I can say that learning and embracing your style is a wonderful feeling… It feels great when you’re able to produce just the kind of imagery that you’d like to… BUT it doesn’t happen overnight. Just look at one example below with my lovely client Desiree over the years. 

Desiree (2009)

Just starting out and I thought these were pretty good. They were tricky to shoot in full sun so I had more editing to do to compensate for that. I wasn’t happy that I couldn’t get the blurred background effect but at this time I wasn’t aware that achieving that look had to do with the lens I was using.

Desiree (2010)

I hadn’t yet learned how to correctly use white balance, and I knew these looked weird, but I didn’t know how to fix it. So I threw filters on it and made it black & white.

Desiree (2010)

Because I didn’t have sharp/clean images to begin with, I thought making them extra contrasty made them look better. I was beginning to see my composition style change and that I was happy with. 

Desiree (2011)

My color and clarity were improving, but there I was again in full sun which I don’t really love.

Desiree (2012)

And here we are today! Or well a couple years ago, but this is a much more accurate reflection of my style. Clean and crisp with bright color.

So this post ended up being wayyy longer than intended, but I want to wrap up just saying that finding your style can take time and sometimes just defining it can be tricky. But I can guarantee that once you do, you will be happy you did :)

Let me know what you thought of today’s post!

Until next time,

-Danni