April & May Happenings | News & Updates

Hello loves!

It’s been a couple weeks since my last post, and even longer than that since I’ve shared some newness with you guys! But I have lots of new things to share in the weeks to come :)

But first I want to share what I’ve been up to over the past few weeks- A LOT! Lol

I visited Chicago mid April and photographed these wonderful people! I was so happy to work with new clients, make new connections, and spend time with family :)

Just realized that all of these sneak peeks are headshot type shots except for Karmie’s fitness photo… I guess I was on an unintentional theme lol. 

The following weekend I held the sold out Spring Mini special here in DC! With a few clients traveling for quite some distance for their sessions!

Next up? I visited Brooklyn this past week for teaching and shooting and captured major photo awesomeness with my clients :)

I even got in front of Lauren’s camera for a few shots :D

So this week? Major editing! Lol. Also I’ll be holding 101 & 102 DC mentoring sessions this weekend and preparing for my Chicago wedding and mentor sessions in a couple weeks. So I guess you could say I’ve been busy lol.

On that note, I will OFFICIALLY be posting an announcement regarding an assistant VERY SOON! If you’ve emailed recently and lamented at my response time, I have too lol, and I certainly apologize. Things got hectic before I realized and now that I’m here, I realize I don’t have to do everything myself as I’ve been used to operating. So if you are interested (and in the DC area), keep your eyes peeled for that info (it will be emailed as well so don’t fret if you miss it elsewhere).

That’s it for today! 

I hope you guys have a great Wednesday :)

-Danni

Models Needed! Brooklyn, DC, Chicago

Happy Wednesday loves!

Quick post today to share a model call:

Are you interested in being a model for one of my upcoming mentor sessions? Dates needed are as follows: 

Brooklyn, NY
Thursday, April 30 & Friday, May 1

Washington, DC
Friday, May 8

Chicago, IL
Thursday, May 21

Just two requirements: weekday availability & ability to pay $75 for professional makeup- your only cost.  That’s it!

Shoot me an email danielle@dfinneyphoto.com with at least one photo (you’re free to send more if you’d like) + indicate the city and date you’re interested in participating. 

Note: Please don’t prevent yourself from being considered by not following these simple directions :)

You will receive a full set of high resolution images for compensation. Due to the high number of participants, I will not be able to respond to everyone individually- only those that will be chosen to work with will be contacted.

On the fence about participating? I received this awesome review from one of my models from a recent DC session:

“One of the things I loved most about the experience was seeing how excited the students were about Danielle’s lessons. They immediately saw improvement in their work, and kept oohing and aahing over the natural-light images. It was an honor (and fun!) to be a part of their learning process. Danielle is so easy to work with, and has an innate sense of how to put together a look and shot. I’d recommend her to anyone.”
-Virgie Townsend

Thank you so much Virgie!

So you see- not only do the mentees have fun, but you will too as our model :)

I look forward to possibly working with you!

-Danni

Spring Mentoring | News & Updates

Happy Tuesday loves!

Just wanted to share a quick news and updates post with you guys :)

In the next few weeks I will be holding mentor sessions in Brooklyn and DC and there are still a couple seats left remaining!

The dates are as follows:

Brooklyn, NY
Session 101: Friday, May 1
Session 102: Saturday, May 2

Washington, DC
Session 101: Friday, May 8
Session 102: Saturday, May 9

This week is the last week to book a spot for these dates, so please EMAIL ME ASAP if you’d like to snag one of those!

The next DC dates will not be scheduled until the fall because my summer is travel heavy and I probably won’t be returning to Brooklyn for teaching until next year, so please take advantage of these opportunities while they’re available.

The next city after Brooklyn and DC? Chicago- and that date is sold out!

For the full list of cities and mentor session dates, click RIGHT HERE!

Also of note: The Richmond date has been removed. Why? Simply put, there was not enough interest :) Folks ask all the time if I can come to their city and I am absolutely open to it- as long as there is interest. But since Richmond is so close, those that are interested can make the 2 hour drive up the road to the DC session if they’d like to attend in the future :)

Still on the fence about booking? Check out what one of my mentees, Melena, had to say after attending a recent DC session:

“Several words come to mind when I think of Danni- light, color, vibrant, bubbly, gifted, but the one that sums it all up for me is Amazing! Not only is Danni down to earth, but she is an excellent teacher and that easy going spirit translates into her teaching. I was wowed at the simplicity of her teaching style. I mean how can something so simple produce such amazing results? 

Being a part of a DFinney mentoring session has truly changed my life and has already taken my photography to the next level. To see instant improvement in the quality of your work is an indescribable feeling. And not just a minor change, I’m talking marked improvement. 

I would recommend DFinney’s mentoring session ten times over! It’s a high like no other! If you’re serious about investing in your craft, her mentoring sessions are a must!”

Thank you sooo much Melena! Your review warmed my heart! We had so much fun during our session and I can’t wait to recap on the blog :)

Well that’s it for today, but I hope to hear from a few of you to snag the remaining BK & DC spots!

Have a great Tuesday!

-Danni

DC 102 Group Session [Feb 14] | Washington, DC Photography Instructor

Last but certainly not least today is the recap from our February DC 102 session!

It was yet again a freezing (and actually snowy!) day, but we had a great time learning all things business and shooting headshots *inside* with natural light :)

Photo by Tiffany Josephs

I’m really growing to love these sessions and more importantly, the ongoing assistance that happens afterwards- because great businesses aren’t built in a day! Not very many photos are taken for these sessions since we’re learning most of the day, but I can share the headshots! 

The light lent itself very well to some great black and whites :) 

I even (semi-reluctantly lol) got in front of the camera for a few shots :)

Photos by Tiffany Josephs

It’s always weird being in front of the camera lol, but I had a great day with these guys :)

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Hear directly from two-day Mentee, India, on her experience:

“My experience at the DC Mentoring Sessions far exceeded my expectations! Danielle was not only a warm and gracious host but an exceptional instructor as well. From beginning to end there was nothing but great vibes followed by awesome snacks. These session have boosted my confidence and I can not wait to apply the many “secrets” we discussed to my own business. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at DFinney’s Mentoring 101 and Mentoring 102 sessions. It was unforgettable!”

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! 

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

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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!