Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dawn Wallace. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dawn , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

This is a long story but I’ll try to keep it brief. I used the other side of my brain for most of my life. I was very serious about my studies; obtained a degree in Biology and loved mathematics. It wasn’t until my mid-20’s after traveling the world as a flight attendant that I found this new passion. I would take pictures with my little point and shoot camera and spend hours editing in Photoshop(which I knew nothing about). Shortly after that job, I was hired as a school photographer(based off of my point and shoot portfolio) and I learned very quickly how to use a digital camera. I was all self taught and I say to this day(and that’s 15 years later) that I’m constantly learning on this journey. I’ve had many high’s and low’s and I’ve taken many breaks but this passion of mine always finds its way back. I’ve gone from DSLR to mirrorless and back again. I’ve hated on reels and used reels. If there is any advice, I would give; it would be to trust your creative talent and not get bogged down by the latest trends. It’s fine to explore them but to let them consume you is a different matter.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m so sorry but I think I answered much of that in the last post. I do not love normal schedules and I often enjoy living by the seat of my pants. The creative world has allowed me to explore that side of me that I never knew existed back in high school. I was valedictorian of my class and graduated college with Magnum Cum Lade in Biology. I thought I would be a surgeon or a pediatric doctor but realized how much I hated hospitals, paper work and being told what to do. Ha! I’ve always loved the outdoors and travel and that is was essentially led me into this beautiful craft. God has been my anchor through it all. I’m most proud of authentic images that tell you the story of my couples and families. I enjoy documenting joy in the chaos and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed running around downtown St. Augustine with my couples that elope. I’m no longer taking on larger weddings but I now take only elopements, micro weddings, destination elopements, and families. I’m proud of raising my beautiful children, staying home, working at home and hustling when I had to the most.
I love getting to know people on a personal level and learning more about what makes them tick.
With that, I feel like I’m able to capture their story in the best of ways with my eyes only. When it. comes to families, there is a lot of play time and documenting. With elopements, I may ask them if they want to grab a beverage before or do something fun that allows them to let their guard down a bit.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

We had just moved to St. Augustine,FL from Atlanta, GA and I was about 30 weeks pregnant. That means I had to restart my business in a new city and at that point in a pregnancy, you don’t feel like hustling. My husband didn’t have a job either when we first moved down and it was a shock to the system. I lived by the motto of ” Just Do It.” I met other local photographers for lunch; I photographed a TON for free and then put styled sessions together which is what made things take off quickly for my business. I just have to input that my husband was the glue that held us together during this time.I vividly remember taking a break in the middle of a 10 hour large wedding to pump in my hot car after I had my first child. There’s a certain grit that you experience when you go through those seasons of life when you have to push a little harder; pray often; lean in and listen. It builds a sense of intuition which I believe benefits my clients or tribe of people that trust me to observe and document their life.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I’m a lover of words of affirmation. It makes me feel good to see people happy with the outcome of their photos especially when they think their kids acted terribly and we got NOTHING.

It’s rewarding when people ask me questions about photography because I also have a heart for teaching and mentoring.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.daybreakphoto.co
• Instagram: http://www.instagram/daybreakphotoco

Image Credits
Daybreak Photo Co