DC 101 Group Session [Feb 13] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

Next up for today? Recap from my February DC sessions!

We had one of the coldest days ever for our session so we weren’t able to do any outdoor shooting, but we had the cutest space to use for the practice session and a wonderful model so the photos turned out beautifully! 

Behind the scenes photo by Stephanie Decker

Behind the scenes photo by Stephanie Decker

____________________________________

Ready for an AMAZING before & after? Boudoir photographer, Bonita Elias attended the DC session this past weekend and walked away with stunning results!

Before our mentor session:

After our mentor session (well technically after just a couple hours lol)

I was soooo happy with how quickly she was able to apply what she learned and get these great photos of our beautiful model!

From Bonita on her experience:

“I had a blast and was pleased that Danni taught so many wonderful ways to shoot in natural light by changing just a few settings in the camera. I love the small size of the group and already began to put to use the things I learned that will save me time. Danni is also a lot of fun with a great relaxed sense of humor. Well worth the investment.”

The two photos below were taken by Stephanie Decker who previously was very hesitant about sharing her work… but in one day we got rid of that! ;)

Such gorgeous shots! What I love most about these programs is that I don’t teach how to shoot like me. I teach how to honor YOUR vision and how to use the techniques that I do to get a well-exposed photo every time (I say well-exposed because what that means is up to you- everyone’s eye is different so what’s correct to me, may not be to you and vice versa)and bring to life what YOU see.

From Stephanie on her experience:

“I decided to reach out to Danielle because she has a very unique and consistent style. Her images are clean, colorful, and I wanted to learn from someone I find inspiring. I highly enjoyed working with Danielle. She had a simple, yet very effective approach to teaching. I found myself excited, and enthusiastic about my images soon after learning how to use the natural light readily available. She was professional and encouraging. I left with a new sense of pride in my work, and I’m excited about my future shoots! I am looking forward to session 102 :)”

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

ATL 102 Group Session [Feb 6] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

Happy Monday loves!

I hope everyone is enjoying the fact that we’re *finally* having Spring weather :) I can’t wait until these 70 degree temps are the norm!

I have mucho mentoring recaps to share today so this will be a true Mentor Monday :)

Last Monday I shared the recap from my first session of 2015 in Atlanta and today I have the recap from Session 102! Since the second day was added just this year, this was actually our first official Session 102 and it was absolutely wonderful! 

We covered all things business- branding, marketing, pricing, what to offer, taxes & insurance,  social media, contracts, and anything else you can think of!

It was so great working with Traci again who was part of my very first group session last year in Little Rock! She is one of my founding mentees x2! ^_^ 

And it was great linking up with Nicole again as well! I worked with Nicole the last time I was in Atlanta for an unexpectedly intimate group session :) 

Ebony was my very first two-day mentee and she had nothing but awesome things to say after attending:

“I was a little hesitant that the workshops may be geared more towards photographers with less technical and business experience. However I think you did a brilliant job at adapting the sessions to meet the skill levels of everyone in the group. I liked the pre-questionnaire because it forced me to sit down and really think about what I wanted most out of each session. I really appreciated your candidness and sincerity; as well as your openness in sharing the real work that went (and continues to go) into building your portfolio and your business. Many photographers seem less open in that regards and that was EXTREMELY helpful for me and really helped me be a peace with where I am in my photography journey… I also noted, and appreciated, all the other small details that made the experience even more enjoyable (i.e. the icing details)- branded study guides and notebooks, pens, LOTS of snacks -winning!!-:), the complimentary headshots- option for make-up. You thought of everything- and please know that it did not go unnoticed. Thank you!!”

Ebony, I can’t thank you enough ♥ Hearing and seeing how beneficial these sessions are makes all the work that goes into it, more than worth it!

Here are the rest of the headshots from our session!

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

Tausha | Washington, DC Lifestyle Photographer

Happy Wednesday and welcome to a brand new month!

Three posts, 3 days in a row? *I told you guys the blog hiatus was over!* :D

It’s finally Spring and the weather is TRYING to get warm, but winter isn’t going without a fight! The slightly warmer weather has me in mind of Spring Minis! Which are actually happening later this month :)

So I want to share a Spring Mini session that I never did from last year!

Tausha is a very talented model in the DC area and wanted some new lifestyle commercial photos for her portfolio and I think we did a marvelous job bringing her idea to life and capturing that look for her :)

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: May and June 2015.

Inspiration or Imitation? | Truthy Tuesday

Happy Truthy Tuesday!

I wasn’t planning on doing Truthy Tuesday today, but I read this post by Krystal on The Feisty House that inspired me to write :) 

This will by no means be a rehashing of that because truthfully, she writes on this much more eloquently than I could have so I encourage you to go read her post. As a blogger, she writes from the blogging perspective, but it can absolutely be applied it to photography style, business structure, design decisions, etc… That’s kind of the mindset I read it in.

Last week, I posted this on instagram:

Along with this caption: “I truly want nothing more than folks to honor *their* creative vision… Yes, nothing is new, but *you* haven’t done it. Be the best YOU you can, not the second best imitation of someone else.”

Because I was tired of seeing the same things… where you can tell absolutely where someone’s “inspiration” came from because it’s nothing more than an imitation. But over the past week, and after reading Krystal’s post, I completely agree with her sentiments: 

What I had to learn about copying and blogging was (1) inspiration belongs to us all, and (2) what is for you is for you. 

110% Agree.

If we are moved by the same things, we will inevitably end up pulling inspiration from similar sources, so although it’s hard, we should try not to feel slighted if someone does something similarly to us. 

Why? Because no one can be you. No one can be me. And what an empowering thought that is! You have something that NO ONE ELSE has- your ability to be YOU! So despite my initially being bothered by seeing imitators, it’s a comforting thought to know that in the end, no one can do me, like me :) 

And truthfully this is why imitation should be avoided, because in doing so, you’re stifling your ability to be yourself. You’re shutting off that thing which sets you apart from everyone else!

So how do you deal with it if you find yourself with imitators?

This is how to deal with copycats in blogging: remain authentic. Continue to blog in your unique voice. No one can copy your passion. Keep writing from your passion place and you won’t even notice the copycats anymore. Stay true to your own uniqueness.

This is how to deal with copycats in ANYTHING lol. Continue to be your fabulously unique self :)

That’s all for today! ‘Til next time ♥

-Danni

ATL 101 Group Session [Feb 5] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

*peeks in*

Happy Monday beautiful people!

I have been on an unplanned haitus from the blog this month, as it ended up being way busier than anticipated! But I’m back with loads of newness to share :)

So since it’s Monday, let’s make it a Mentor Monday post :) I have so many recaps to share with you guys because this year kicked off way more teaching than ever!

This session from February in Atlanta was my first group session of 2015 and I had SUCH a great time with all of these ladies! Here are a few snaps from our
day together :)

Photo by Mecca Gamble

Photo by Mecca Gamble

Photo by Mecca Gamble

So what did the mentees think of the experience? I’ll let them tell you in their own words ;)

“The experience was invaluable! it was a relaxed atmosphere where all participants could not only ask Danni questions but also learn from one another on a professional level. There is nothing that compares to hands on experience- I loved It!”
-Tracey White

“My experience with this workshop opened my eyes to a new technique for shooting and editing, and gave me the courage I needed to continue learning and growing. I’m excited about putting these new skills to use for all of my future sessions. I totally appreciate how willing Danielle is to share her knowledge and techniques to help us become better photographers, and I look forward to investing in her future workshops!”
-Mecca Gamble

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