We were lucky to catch up with Danielle J recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

Since mothers day is coming up, I would love to pay homage to my mother. She passed away a few years ago but I still hold on to everything she taught me. The one thing she did right was teach me and my sister follow God and find our purpose in him. When I started photographer, I didn’t have too many cheerleaders but my mother was one. She pushed me to keep at it, told if it’s Gods purpose he will bless my way, and he certainly has. My mom always taught us to follow purpose not money, the money will come with purpose. Before I had transportation my mother would take me to all my photoshoots and wait until I finished. She’s definitely the reason I am where I am today. So I say forever to my mother, thank you for believing in me and starting me on my journey.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a creative photographer originally from Dallas, Tx, I’ve been in Atlanta for 8 months. I started taking photos in college, 8 years ago, but in 2020 I decided to take it serious. Around that time I fell in love with fashion shoots and creative portraits, I began to be more intentional with my craft and the process. One the main things I love for anyone I work to feel is confidence. I love to boost self esteem in front of the camera. When clients/models leave from working with me I want them to feel better about themselves. What set me apart from others is I like to capture the uniqueness of a person, I want them to see the beauty of just being you. I try not to do a lot of editing and keep my process simple, because everything about you is intentional. I most proud of the covers I’ve received in the past two years, feels good to see your work hanging on the wall.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I’ve had to unlearn is believing that success happens fast. I’ve learned patience and timing is everything. I think we compare ourselves to others on social media and we tend to believe they had an overnight success. But no one shows you the rejection they received. So I’ve learned to fall in love with my journey, its not about the destination as much as we think it is.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I believe it’s helping others find the beauty in themselves. I’m glad I get a chance to give people something to look back on and be proud of. I love bringing out the confidence in someone. For example, I really love giving models their first magazine cover or submission. It helps give them the confidence to keep going. I also love inspiring others on my creative journey. Inspiring others to do the things they’ve been longing to do and giving them a push to do it.

Contact Info:

• Website: dvniellej.com
• Instagram: @bydvniellej and @dvniellej

Image Credits
Photo 1: danielle J. Photo 2: Saint Mike Photo 3. Tyrae Jones Photo 4: Drumell Photo5: Diron Jones