Maternity Monday: Spring Edition! | Washington, DC Photographer

Happy Monday to youuuu!

I am on a real countdown this week... to what? To the official start of Spring next week!! 🎉

Although the weather is still a bit chilly, I'm not letting that stop me from celebrating the upcoming return of greenery, warmer weather, longer days, and generally happier moods lol. Nice weather just FEELS good!

So how's this countdown going to work? I'll be blogging every day until the start of Spring! 😱 I know... I know! I barely keep up with blogging as it is, but I'm challenging myself and you get to benefit lol.

To kick things off, I'm starting with the mamas- it is Maternity Monday after all :) And this is a special Spring edition, recapping a few Spring maternity sessions from the past couple years!

I hope you enjoyed these sweet maternity photos! Stay close because I'm blogging ALL WEEK in celebration of the return of Spring next week! 

Interested in a Spring Mini Session? Booking opens on March 19 at 10a- for subscribers only! Join the mailing list to book yours first! Not interested in a mini? No worries! To schedule a maternity session this Spring, shoot me an email! Currently booking: April, May, and June.

Studio 78 Podcast with Naché Snow | Features

Happy Wednesday loves, I hope your week + month are starting off wonderfully!

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Mine has been kind of meh... I'm a bit overwhelmed with life at the moment and my anxiety response can sometimes be to shut down, so I'm trying to keep myself from sleeping the days away because that's all I want to do!

I am however, looking forward to this weekend when we will be regaining one, beautiful, precious hour of sunshine! Until then, I gotta hang tough.

This past Sunday, my wonderful client Naché emailed to let me know that my feature on her podcast would be going live this week and I was so nervous and excited! I don't think I've ever opened up in a forum like this before... which is a testament to Naché's warm interviewing skills :) It just felt like a nice chat with a good friend, and I'm thankful to her for having me on.

I feel like our episode is a bit like taking a peek behind the curtain. We talked about everything... how I got started with photography, impostor syndrome and how it’s taken time for me to fully own my artistry, finding my style... I also #talkaboutuncomfortablethings regarding about my personal struggles with mental illness and how I don't have it all together. 

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...Then, this week ends up being a hard one 🙄 .

One of the questions Naché asked during the podcast was how I am able to push through/find balance dealing with my mental health and running a business and I shared my "secret" (hint: it's not one lol): I "push through" when I can, and rest when I can't. And although unplanned, thus far this week has been a "rest when I can't" kind of week... I'm headed to therapy this evening so hopefully that helps a bit.

I'm getting sidetracked though lol, I want to thank Naché again for having me on her wonderful podcast, Studio 78! She has interviewed 40+ women with businesses of all kinds- from fellow artists, creatives, and makers, to attorneys, business coaches, financial advisors, and more! But  like my episode, not all of them just cover business. Trust me, you will really enjoy subscribing and listing to Studio 78! 

Well, that's it for today! Check out my feature and let me know what you thought!

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Spring Countdown! | News & Updates

Happy Monday!

Can you believe that in three weeks, it will be the first day of Spring?! I don't know about you, but I'm counting down! 

I wanted to pop in to make sure you stay up-to-date with everything that's coming up!

ATL Booked! Limited CHI Availability

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Just a heads up that all Atlanta sessions are booked! And a bit of bad news: unfortunately due to a scheduling conflict, the Houston dates have been cancelled. If you are in Houston and we weren't able to work together this time, stay tuned! The dates will be rescheduled.

The Chicago visit in May is still on, and there is limited availability! So if you're in Detroit, Indianapolis, Cleveland, St. Louis, or Kansas City... and would like to work together, meet me in Chicago! Check available dates here, and shoot me an email if you have any questions prior to booking!

Spring Minis: On the way!

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Important dates ahead: Booking for Spring Minis (to be held on May 5 & 6 this year) will open on Monday, March 19 at 10am EDT for the mailing list, and Wednesday, March 21 for everyone else.

Ya'll. Spring minis go SUPER fast! If you're not already, join the mailing list! Normally there are only one or two remaining spots left by the time booking opens to everyone, and sometimes there are none, so I don't recommend that you move slowly on this when booking opens up.

Spring Availability 

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With all this talk about travel, what's up with DC availability?

DC dates for the spring are available, but going fast. Currently I am booking mentoring, engagement, family, maternity, business, and just because sessions for April and May!

So I'd love to get you on the calendar (sooner rather than later) for your session! Because if you wait until the season you'd like to take photos in, chances are, availability will be slim to none :/

So! What's next?

Shoot me an email if: 1) you'd like to get on the calendar for a spring session in DC, 2) you'd like to snag a Chicago session, or 3) if you're curious about something and just have a question! I'd love to hear from you :)

That's it for today, have a great Monday!

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It Takes Time [Maternity] | Truthy Tuesday

Happy Tuesday! I hope your week is off to a wonderful start 💛

For Today's truthy, I want to look back. In an effort to maintain transparency, I love sharing old photos from early in my photography career to drive home the point that one does not become awesome overnight, it takes time!

Back in 2013, I shared the story of how I got started (originally appearing here), which was supposed to be a multi-part series, but apparently I got busy and never finished it lol. Maybe I'll add that to my list of things to do (an updated series :) 

A couple years later in 2015, I created a short guide of sorts on how to prepare for your photo session (originally appearing here) that included quite a few progress photos relating to location, wardrobe, makeup, and session planning. I actually still share this with my clients so that they have an idea of the elements that make up a successful shoot!

Today? I'm going to share what the (session specific) progress looked like in real time, so let's get started with maternity sessions!

2009

Though I had been shooting on and off for a couple years, 2009 is my starting point because this is when DFinney Photography officially was born :) I didn't provide any direction or suggestions (wardrobe, makeup, location, etc) to my subjects, nor were my photography skills where they needed to be (posing, focus, sharpness, etc).  

2010

In 2010, I took wayy more maternity photos, but each was very different because at this point, I was letting my clients dictate my style. Bare bellies were very much "in", so I bought fabric and had it on-hand in case maternity clients requested it. I wasn't a fan of this style of maternity photos, but I also didn't yet realize that by sharing images that I wasn't a fan of (just because I shot them), I was inadvertently advertising for more of that work. 

2011

I became disillusioned with maternity sessions. In 2011, I was no longer interested in photographing bare belly sessions, but it seemed that it was all potential clients requested. I photographed a few sessions, but did not publicize much of the imagery.

I didn't photograph any maternity sessions in 2012 or 2013. 

2014

In 2014, I decided to approach maternity sessions once more, but with a fresh outlook. By now I'd began providing my clients with more direction prior to the session (including seeing their wardrobe beforehand) so that we were crafting more cohesive portraits.

2015

Because I was out of practice with them, 2015 was more of a mental shift for me- to approach maternity sessions as no different from my others. Meaning, not being so "stuck" to traditional posing and composition.

2016

I carried the goal of the previous year into my 2016 maternity sessions, and stepped it up a notch. Bold colors, backgrounds, and focusing more on capturing meaningful interactions defined the maternity sessions from this year. 

2017

Having shot more maternity sessions in the new style I felt confident with, in 2017, I was inspired to get creative! Color harmony is a staple of my work now, so crafting visually appealing portraits that are cohesive all the way through is a goal of mine for every session.


So... this post ran longer than I intended it to, but I hope you made it to the end and enjoyed seeing the shift over the past 8 years :)

Interested in seeing more progression photos? Check out this post where I go into detail on the different factors that impacted my work from year to year.

If you've found yourself at a "stuck" point, and would like to improve your natural light shooting, I'd be more than happy to help! Check out my mentoring programs (upcoming sessions are now being booked for Atlanta, DC, Houston, and Chicago). Just shoot me an email if you'd like to attend!  

-Danni