We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dana Gaydon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
For as long as I can remember, I wanted to do something creative that helped people. Photography shares light in literal and metaphorical way. I love telling visual stories and sharing my perspective.
My mission is to make beautiful things, bring joy, inspire and empower through photography.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For over 20 years, I’ve been honing my craft as a photographer documenting weddings, lifestyle and within the last few years – personal and commercial branding. The through line of all my work is vibrancy and color. Even in black and white shots, there’s something very colorful about my storytelling.
One of the things that sets me apart, what I’m most proud of is my personal work. I take my love of vintage fashion and create colorful outfits that match my surroundings. It’s a creative labor of love. I give myself permission to stand out, which I hope inspires others to be themselves or at the very least brings a little bit of joy.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Life is a journey of self-discovery and specifically addressing the part of myself that fears being seen. I’ve always had this push-pull dynamic—shouting, “Here I am!” and then retreating into the shadows. The fear of being perceived as annoying or taking up too much space lingered for years, a struggle I know many of us, especially as creatives, share.
But now, I’ve decided to confront this fear and learn how to live in the “Here I am!” feeling. I want to bravely navigate through those moments of wanting to hide. It’s time for us all to acknowledge that we have every right to take up space, just like anyone else. And the truth is, if we don’t share our true selves, we’re depriving the world of our gifts.
A significant step in showing up and shedding that fear is capturing who we are through photos. And I have a passion to create more visibility and self love through vibrant photography. I want people to show up and be excited to be seen for who they truly are.
Knowing my personality types has helped me to accept myself as I am and be the best person I can be in life and business. I also take those archetypes of my personality and translate them into visual elements for my own branding and my client’s branding.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I started taking more personal branding a year or so before the pandemic. It was also a time of big change and personal growth. Brand photography allows me to weave all the pieces of things I love together: personality, color, creativity, style and put them into a story that visually reflects a person.
Through my brand and lifestyle photography, I help entrepreneurs achieve an authentic yet elevated brand-image that increases visibility, connects with ideal audiences, and attracts more high-paying clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: ModernjoyStudio.com
- Instagram: @dana_gaydon
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danagaydon
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/danagaydon/
Image Credits
Dana Gaydon Zoomtheory (headshots pink backdrop of me and with the pantone cards)
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