We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Dimoff. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.

Courtney, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I have had the honor of creating and working on as a photographer, would have to be the concept I created to prompt discussion about the lack of inclusivity in childrens’ toys.

Using photography in the way I do, allows me to constantly want to search for new information and build understanding in areas I don’t. I offer general portrait sessions and event coverage, but I also offer conceptual portrait experiences for people wanting something more out of their session. Most of the time, these sessions are just artsy fun but sometimes I have ideas where I want a deeper connection and meaning to them.

This allows me to learn new things, express my self in new ways, but also does this for anyone else involved in each project.

This particular project derived from me thinking back to may childhood, and how my toys offered such little representation to what my world actually looked like. My array of toys almost solely revolved around white dolls, and it didn’t allow me to play in my child like scenarios I made up in my head with my toys in a way that fit the real world I was growing up in and going to become an active member of society in.

This is a regular cycle many of us fall victim to both as parents and children, and so I wanted to use my art to prompt a discussion on something I don’t think many people are aware of in the sense of how it affects our youth which one day will become the adults that run the world.

Sure representation has improved, but only by the peoples voices letting companies know it should, and there’s still to this day many variables in which it could improve and still many ways in which this lack of representation and there for love and respect for those that differ from us – impact and affect our every day lives.

This project is posted in the blog section on my website, and honestly it’s one of those projects I will for ever be proud of and something that reminds me to keep growing and learning every day.

Courtney, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a photographer that dabbles in services revolving around portraits, events/weddings, conceptual, and nature prints I sell to bring local art into peoples homes for affordable prices.

My love for photography really took off since I was in middle school. I remember stealing my moms camera any chance I could and running out side to see what I could fine and capture. I finally started taking action in high school when I jumped into film photography courses that truly cemented the genuine passion I had for this craft.

When I graduated, I transitioned entirely to digital and essentially had to learn the editing process all over again but it was worth it I would say.

If you would have asked me where I would be in 2023 back in 2014, I never would have thought id be a full time photographer doing what I love every day. I have always wanted to have the ability to make people laugh, smile, and feel good about themselves or understood with what ever craft I found my self being naturally good at, and so it’s truly a dream to sit here every day hearing that feedback from people I create with confirming what I always wanted in this life.

I think what sets me apart from others, is my vision – in the sense of how I view each individual person and the world around us. How I see photography and the service I can provide for people. Everything I capture for people, I do it in what ever way represents them best. I try my best to stay as in tune with each person as I can to understand what would make them happiest out of their session with me and then I work towards that. I strive on reminding people how beautiful they are, simply by being themselves.

I don’t want to provide a product that caters to a trend, though that’s not necessarily bad and works for other great artists, I want to create an experience thats so much more than just taking photos of someone. I want to be able to provide a fun memory for them to look back on, a reason for them to think about how much they love the people they are getting photos with, or a reason to teach them something new or make them think outside of the box. I want to be the reason that inspires someone, and makes them remember how much they should love being themself. I am here on this earth to create something that allows you to live in your best light.

I have met so many people through this passion of mine that let their flame die out a little, where their confidence was at a low, and some how had the honor of lighting that fire back up in them through my work with them. That’s one of the greatest feelings I experience doing this craft. I have met families that have children with different / more specific needs and have been able to cater to that and give that family photos that they told me they never thought they’d be able to capture in regards to the limitations they felt they had to work around. I have had couples who dread getting their photo taken, that by the end of the session are able to say they had a genuinely good time and actually felt excitement for their photos from that day. These are the things I live for.

I just want each person I create with to feel as though they got everything they were hoping for and maybe even some things they didn’t know they needed. I want to provide the ability to make people feel special again. I want to create an experience that reminds them how truly important the people in their lives are and why they should love every minute they have with them on this earth. I want to allow people to simply stop and smell the roses, and truly appreciate themselves and those they have in their life.

And for those who don’t need my services, I just want to create art that inspires you. I want to connect with you, even if you may not need my services I provide at this time.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I think the most effective strategy for growing my clientele is by being as genuine to my self as I can be. It may sounds counterintuitive to some business savvy folk out there but, by being genuine to my self for the sake of my art and creating a connection with those I work with; it has really provided this strong sense of client referral.

Every person I create with, almost always brings some one else in to creating with me.

I build an experience for each person I create with, where my number one goal is making them happy, and by doing this it has allowed the natural domino affect to happen.

When people are happy with a service, or especially over the moon with a service or experience they were provided – they’ll talk about it and share about it with those they love and even sometimes strangers they know merely through the internet.

My main focus as a photographer, is to give each person I create with an experience they won’t forget and one they’ll most importantly be profoundly happy with. The natural course of events that happen after that, are the main reason my photography has grown as much as it has.

I regularly hear from new clients how so and so referred me to them, and/or how so and so was so happy with their experience with me that now this person wanted that experience too.

It brings me such a proud feeling in my heart, because that’s all I ever really want to do with this passion of mine; is to have the ability to make people genuinely happy with what I do.

This could also count for my strategy in gaining new clients.

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

I am not someone who came from money. I have struggled a lot in my life to get where I am today.

Though it may have caused a lot of pain and heart ache – it has allowed me the ability to appreciate each new step forward so much more.

Each piece of equipment I have, I have spent extra time and care on ensuring it was what was right for me. One – because I had to. I Didn’t have the ability to have a more careless trial and error experience because I didn’t have the financial stability in life to provide that. But Two – it only installed a more intense ability to have to get creative or think outside the box on how to make each person I create with their happiest. It provided me the ability to get creative in the props I used and advance my editing skills to provide more professional looking images while also having very little to work with.

I didn’t have the funds or means to gain studio access, or to have access to a creative team that included make up artists, clothing/wardrobe specialists, creative directors, etc, so I had to become all of that. Every small detail that brings a bigger polished picture together, I had to be.

I have had many shoots in which I had to build my own props, so I taught my self many new skills outside of photography to do that. I have had to become more understanding and aware of different body types and how clothes look on different people to ensure what ever clothing I would pick out for a conceptual project would best represent the client while also making sense to the project as a whole. I have had to teach myself creative ways to work with other light sources in the beginning when I didn’t have the means to afford professional lighting.

There’s many small stories in my life, growing as a photographer, that have provided me the ability to wear many different hats to do my absolute best work for each person I shoot with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.courtneystroupphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymstroup_/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyStroupPhotography/
• Other: https://courtneystroupphotography.darkroom.com https://www.instagram.com/courtneymstroup_nature/?hl=id

Image Credits
All images uploaded were taken and edited by me, Courtney Marie Dimoff