Mark & Maxine | Washington, DC Engagement Photographer

Happy Wednesday! 

Today is the first official day of “New Post Every Day December”! I need to find something that has a bit more of a ring to it than that lol. But anyway, it’s Wednesday, that means it unofficially Wedding Wednesday!

So I have a gorgeousssss engagement session to share with you! I kid you not, I had several moments during the course of this session because the light was THAT gorgeous! Mark and Maxine met with me back in September to book their wedding and specifically mentioned how they wanted golden light engagement photos. They are both fellow artists (Maxine is a photographer and Mark a video editor) so they knew exactly what they wanted! They also understood that we were at the weather’s mercy because we can’t get golden light with no sun lol.

Thankfully mother nature was on our side that day because despite the cold temperatures, the LIGHT. was. phenomenal! Mark & Maxine are such an adorable couple and I can’t wait to photograph their wedding next October :)

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 2015.

Denisio | Washington, DC Lifestyle Photographer

Next up on the blog today? A wonderful “just because” session I did with beautiful fellow artist Denisio!

Denisio and I met up in late June just before her move to New Orleans! I’d been meaning to photograph her for a while so when I heard she was moving, I knew we had to make it happen! I’ve always found Denisio to be just as sweet as she is talented, and her work reflects nothing less. She has such a beautiful spirit so I’m glad I was able to capture that before her move :)

Since her move, she has done amazing things with her company DOPEciety and it has been so great watching the business take off!

So with that brief introduction to this talented lady, check out our 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 2015.

December Updates

Happy Tuesday beautiful people!

I hope the day is going well so far for you :) I’m back in action after an unplanned month long blog hiatus with lots and lots of things to share, so let’s dive in to it!

December: Blogging All Month Long

The end of 2014 got here so much faster than I realized and I have so many things still to share from the past few months! And I don’t want to carry too much over into the new year lol. So, I’ll be sharing new posts every day! So be sure to check back to see everything that’s new!

Teaching Programs for 2015

This year has been an amazing one for teaching! I was working on something a couple days ago and it just hit me how many people I’ve taught this year and it gave me such a warm feeling :) I really love that this element has been added to my business. My motto is always simplicity so I’ve implemented a new (simplified) teaching program that I will dedicate its own post to next week. I just wanted to kind of give you a heads up :)

End of the Year Special

I didn’t participate in Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday this year because I’ve been swamped! But I didn’t forget about doing an end of the year special :) This special is fairly exclusive though as it is for my 2013-2014 clients:

For any of my 2013-2014 clients who weren’t able to place an order before their gallery expired, you can now! If you email me during the month of December and wish to re-open your gallery to place an order, the re-archival fee will be waived! I always want everyone to be able to enjoy their images so please make sure you take advantage of this!

Availability: No Remaining 2014 Dates

December 2014 is officially booked! Unless we are already in communication, I will not be accepting any additional bookings for this month and I will also be taking January 2015 off, so your next available dates to book are February and March 2015. Thank you so much for all of your awesome support this year and I look forward to more wonderfulness in 2015!

Early 2015 Travel

Though 2014 has been a wonderful year and I am beyond thankful for being able to travel for work, it has taught me that I don’t like being on the move constantly. So unless it is absolutely necessary, I will only be traveling once a month- but not every month because it will depend on existing commitments here at home :) So, for early 2015, I will be visiting the following cities:

February- Atlanta, GA
March- Houston, TX
May- Chicago, IL

Specific dates and details will be announced later in the month when you will be able to secure your spot to attend a mentor session or have a photo shoot.

This was the longest news & updates that I can remember! Lol I need to do these more frequently so they don’t end up so long. Anyway, stay tuned for a couple more posts today and let me know if you’d like to see your city added to the list for 2015!

-Danielle

Effective Branding Workshop: December 14, 2014

Happy Thursday loves!

As promised, TODAY is the day that you get to secure your spot for the upcoming Branding Workshop in December!

Prepare for 2015 by learning about how you can create or improve your brand for maximum effectiveness in growing your photography business!

On December 14, we will meet at an awesome location in Washington, DC for a half-day branding workshop!

This workshop is $350 and it includes:

• Pre-workshop exercises so that you are prepared for what will be covered
• A fun and interactive branding presentation
• Personal brand critiques for all attendees
• Branding workbook
• goodies from my wonderful sponsors Miller’s, Shootproof, The Branding Muse, and Britney Jeanine Designs!
• Breakfast & snacks will be provided as well!

You will walk away with concrete steps you can take to improve or create a brand that is effective and truly you! I am actually in the process of a mini rebrand myself so in addition to the current curriculum, I’ll also be sharing new lessons learned and helpful resources that you’ll be able to use in helping build or improve your brand!

Is it worth it? Hear what attendees of my previous branding workshops have to say:

“I started photography back in 2011.  At that time I didn’t put much thought into branding.  I was about “what looks pretty”.  This led to multiple purchases… blogs templates, new website templates, logos… if there was something pretty on Etsy I had to have it!  While attending BLINK and DFinney Photography’s workshop I learned so much that will help further my business and cut down on all those unnecessary purchases…most importantly I found ME.  I am MY brand and now my blog, social media and website reflect that!”

-Katrina Amburgey who implemented what she learned and now has a great new look and feel for her brand- Katrina Amburgey Photography.

“I was tired of being the ‘Everything Photographer’ and wasn’t sure how to break the mold, but knew I had to invest more thought into branding.  When I heard that Danielle was offering an Effective Branding For Your Photography, I knew had to attend. I walked away with a greater awareness about what branding was and was not. Before this workshop, I thought branding was "just” about the perfect logo and my favorite colors. I walked away thinking, it’s time to go hard or go home. If I wanted to move away from the “Everything Photographer”, I had to do a complete overhaul on my brand and identity within the Photography community. That’s when Britney came into the brand equation, she was able to capture my personality and design a platform to convey exactly who I am and what my brand represents.“

-Tee Kent who implimented what she learned both from the branding workshop AND her work with Britney Jeanine Designs to come up with the great new look and feel for her brand- Tee Kent Photography.

I’m so excited to be partnering with Britney for the workshop because she is the perfect next step after attending. I will provide you with a great foundation for how to create or improve your brand and she will help you design it!

Ready to book your spot?

REGISTER ONLINE RIGHT HERE!

Please don’t hesitate in deciding whether or not you’d like to attend because these seats are going to move fast. I will always keep the workshops small because I want to make sure everyone gets the attention that they need. So if you’re ready to register, you can do so here!

I look forward to working with you and helping you see just how you can bring your brand to life!

-Danni

Maternity Fashion | What to Wear

Happy Tuesday loves!

Sharing those maternity sessions yesterday made me realize something- maternity fashion is not talked about enough! A big area of concern when folks reach out for pictures is wardrobe- what do I wear?!

While I have a portrait guide that I share with my clients after they book, it’s not specific to session types, so I don’t have a specific section for maternity outfit ideas, couples coordination, family color palettes, etc (even though that is a good idea… I’ll get there eventually lol). So I think I will start to do posts like these from time to time as a good reference when I need to point folks in the direction for their session.

I will say that although I love fashion myself, I never dress anyone for their session. Why? Because then your photos wouldn’t be a true reflection of you! My goal is always to capture the real you- just a more refined version :) So when folks ask for ideas, I have them show or tell me the kinds of things that they normally wear, then I can make educated suggestions for outfit ideas that would be a good fit for them. This kind of assistance is not always necessary though (or required). In the end, what my clients wear, is what they want to wear. I can simply suggest what will and will not photograph well :)

Bringing it back on topic… this is what I’ve run into from lot of momma’s to be envisioning for their maternity photos: bare bellies galore! Lol while there’s nothing wrong with this, I loveeee the amazing outfit possibilities that being pregnant affords you!

And since sometimes folks don’t have a visual, that’s what I’m here for :) Just like you can outfit a non-pregnant body in any number of ways, you can do the exact same for your baby belly! I want this post to inspire momma’s to be to think beyond bare belly maternity photos :)

Here are a few of my suggested faves:

Flowy maternity looks are some of my absolute favorites! I love the bohemian feel to these.

Not into that much material? No worries :) You can opt for a more chic maternity look!

Have a more edgy look in mind? I love when momma’s to be aren’t afraid to be funky! 

Not into any of that dressing up business? No worries! Please don’t feel like dressing up is mandatory for your photos! Remember, your photo session should be an accurate reflection of YOU! If dressing down is your thing, casual looks can still be done very nicely for photos.

And if you don’t remember anything else… I beg of you: please don’t be afraid of color and prints! They do amazing things in pictures and just help bring life to the overall image!

So… these are just a few ideas to help you think about your maternity photos in a more fashionable light ;)

Oh! And each of them link to the respective pins (all photos are courtesy of Pinterest). Interested in checking out more maternity looks that I love? Check out my maternity board here!

Let me know what you thought of this post and if you’re looking forward to more like them!

Have a great Tuesday!

-Danni