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

Dana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

In 2019, my son was born, and that was when I picked up my first real camera. I was encouraged by a friend to start documenting my baby’s life, and so that’s what I did. I would dress my son up in cute clothes and lay him on a blanket and snap pictures of him. As he hit more exciting milestones, crawling, walking, etc. I would run after him with my camera determined to make memories of him that would last forever. At the time, little did I know, all that running around snapping photos of him was turning me into a decent photographer.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, it was very isolating. By July, I was pregnant with my daughter, and so we very much kept to ourselves. I had a lot more time to take photos. Me and my husband would find secluded places all over Los Angeles and Ventura to escape crowds and I would bring my camera with me and photograph our little family. I started to understand more editing techniques because of all the time I had on my hands, since I was no longer teaching yoga, which was what I did prior to the pandemic.

Eventually I found a wonderful pod of moms and we started to spend time together, and they began to ask me to take photos of their children and that was how Dana Hanley Photography was born out of motherhood and community. When the world stopped in 2020, all I had was my growing family, and my community of mothers and their children to keep me grounded. I started taking my camera everywhere to freeze a moment in time, and stay present amidst all the chaos. Parenthood is messy, beautiful, playful, imperfect, and best of all, filled with love; and I wanted to capture all of it.

By January of 2023, I had built up a portfolio of families, birthdays, and babies that people had asked me to photograph. One day a close friend told me I should charge and make this my profession. I took some time to think about it, reached out to families I had photographed and asked them how they felt about my work and if I should turn this into something real, and the consensus was a definitive yes.

Dana Hanley Photography was established in February 2023 and I have been fully booked ever since, and I am beyond grateful to all the families who have entrusted me with making their memories.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a lifestyle photographer with a flair for storytelling. My photography captures real moments in time and brings them to life. My intention is to capture the soul of each moment with every client I work with. I specialize in lifestyle, family portraits, children candids, maternity, and newborn photography.

I think one of the things that sets my work apart from others is I’m truly looking for the realness in your family when I take your picture. I am invested in making sure all my clients have so much fun, I want them to truly be in their element and not worry about a fake smile, or a forced pose to get a perfect photo, because I believe the beauty is in the moments in between and it is my intention to capture those above everything else. I find I am able to photograph natural, free and organic moments of love between family members very well.

Another element to my process is my editing. I spend a lot of time, hand editing images to give my photos a “fine-art” aesthetic. I pay a lot of attention to detail and want to bring out the story of your family through my editing so that when. you look at one of my images it is extremely vivid and alive.

Lastly, I would say I have an eye for styling my clients. I have an extensive client closet for women and girls that is included in my packages. I love helping families coordinate so they look their best and feel their best in their photos. To me, what you wear to your photos can make or break your session. I offer guidance and full styling assistance to everyone who requests it.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I think I’ve grown my clientele via word of mouth and social media. I have a very personal touch with all of my clients, because I care about them. Photography is a personal business. I email all my clients personally, I text them to let them know when their galleries are going to be started. I make sure to listen to any clients concerns about how they want to look in their photos, etc. I think my clients feel that I want them to have the best experience and that goes a long way, and in turn leads me to more amazing families!

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

I find that using my creativity to make others happy is the most rewarding experience for me. I love creating a piece of art (photograph) that is so special to someone they cherish it forever, and hang it on their walls in their home. That’s the biggest reward for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://danahanleyphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danahanleyphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100088773594311

Image Credits
Dana Hanley Photography