We recently connected with Diana Coulter and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Diana, thanks for joining us today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

Inclusivity in the workplace has always been a… rather tender subject, if you will. When I started my journey in wedding photography in 2017, the legalization of gay marriage was very recent.

I love the gays, so for me, breaking the mold and creating an inclusive brand felt obvious. Once the political climate in the States started to attack the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community, I felt the call to dig my heels in a bit deeper.

Instead of only having inclusive language on my site, I began to work with people who also wanted to created a safe and inclusive place for couples. Who were genuinely excited about their marriage, and not an at of performance or business as usual— but instead, something to celebrate and showcase intentionally. Which then evolved to styled shoots and eventually real weddings. Because with photography, people typically have to see it did help to do a creative shoot with a lesbian couple and people of color.

I would also say that therapy has been extremely healing for me, and if you can afford it, I would recommend it. I feel like for a long time it was really hard to use my voice on this topic as well because I was exploring my own sexuality, and once I was at peace with where I stood on the spectrum, I felt so free. I felt like I could celebrate others with such passion because I understood myself and loved every part of me.

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?

Before I started photography I was actually a Family and Consumer Sciences High School teacher for 9 years. I got my undergrad in FACS in 2010, moved immediately from Chicago to a small town in Colorado and started my teaching journey.

With the encouragement of my (now) husband, I later went on to receive my Masters in Educational Psychology in 2013. I taught mainly culinary nutrition, fashion, interior design and teach cadet. Education was and is a very big part of my life and I believe wholeheartedly that learning is such a gift.

After I started to have kids, I did find the role of being a traditional teacher so difficult and I was also going through a really tumultuous time in my own life. I bought a fancy camera (DSLR) to start taking photos of my oldest daughter at the time. Well, that eventually lead to me finding friends via the rise of Instagram, meeting strangers on the internet like my mom always warned me about, and then going to the mountains at sunrise and taking landscape photos.

After taking a photographer class in high school, when asked, I always said my “Dream Job” was to become a photographer for the National Geographic, so I thought landscape was the gateway.

Well, little I know, people were paying attention, and some friends started asking me to photograph their families, engagements, and then eventually a friend asked me to photographer her wedding. So my first ever wedding was at The Garden of the Gods Club and Resort, and wow, I was so blown away and decided, yep. This is it for me. I love being present with people on the best days of their lives.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I want to say it would have been easier to play it safe. To stay on the path I’d worked so hard to build—one grounded in stability, tradition, and a clear trajectory. But I can’t, in good conscience, even start with that sentence, because it wouldn’t have been easier for me.

And life has a way of reshaping our paths.

When I became a mother, I felt the pull—the deep, unshakable realization that the life I had built no longer fit the person I was becoming. The life I was building for myself, which once felt fulfilling, became a cage. I felt trapped and I need an outlet. And what I discovered along the way is that no matter where I go, there I am.

That’s when I picked up a camera.

I want to say that things turned out happily ever after from there, but this was a call to become so much more. Because living your dreams will often cause you to become deeply self-aware— a gift and a curse.

After I shot my first wedding I realized that I had a LOT of work to do. Breaking into the luxury wedding market isn’t easy. It meant refining my craft, reshaping my brand, and believing in myself before the world fully recognized my worth. It meant long nights, hard decisions, and the kind of personal growth that only resilience can teach.

And through it all, therapy and other forms of self help groups became the grounds from which I grew. They helped me navigate self-doubt, process past struggles, and step into my power—not just as an artist, but as a person. Therapy didn’t give me resilience; it reminded me that me had it all along.

And having resilience not only creates character, but it also creates this empowered sense of self. And from there, I feel like I am able to use my voice in a way I never could before.

***Also, I realize that I’m not describing my specific story of resilience in full detail, but that’s because it’s not only mine to share and I do want to protect the other people involved.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is driven by humanity. To truly see people for who they are. Full stop.

As a self-proclaimed extrovert, I have a deep love for people (although not always true because I am only human), but I do try my best to see the good in everyone– or at the very least, learn where I can heal.

I would say this is true for myself as a person, as well as my business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dianacoulter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianacoulter_/
• Other: TikTok– @dianacoulter_

Image Credits

Myself :)