We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dani Adams De La Rosa. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dani below.
Dani, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
I started my dive into photography as the secondary shooter at weddings. I would tackle the detail shots while the main shooter did the first kiss, cake cutting, and all the important moments. During that time I was a hobbyist still learning how to shoot appealing angles, work with all kinds of people and manage different lighting conditions on the fly.
My first real paid venture was when a friend had a baby and asked if I would take some photos of her. I will admit over a decade later that I had no idea what I was doing with baby photography. Now knowing a lot more in experience… I realize I shot up the baby’s nose (a big no-no), I didn’t use the right props, could have chosen better colors for the baby and lighting, I should have used a better lens and adjusted settings differently… but I craved the learning experience from this session back then. While I do still consider it a decent first baby photo shoot, I was paid fifty dollars for my time there… and I drove about forty-five minutes to get to the client’s home.
It certainly didn’t pay my bills but it did set me on this grand adventure to grow my newborn, children, and family photo focus. As I started to work with families of all kinds and newborns I continued to invest in my learning. I spent hours researching the idols in the areas I loved to photograph most. I poured my financial gains into my gear, into my props, and into every family I met along my journey.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Dani. I own DigitalMyst Photography here in Land O Lakes Florida. I specialize in newborns, children and family photography in the Tampa Baby area.
I’ve always been drawn to kids of all ages! I was a big sister growing up and a member of the Safe Sitter club babysitting neighboring children when I was in middle school. My first “real” job was working at a daycare so it’s only natural that I still gravitate to children. While some find children harder, I thrive with kids. I just have fun being silly with them. In some ways, it keeps me young?
My newborn baby photography is my greatest passion and my family sessions have become my creative outlet.
DigitalMyst Photography offers customized themed minis for holiday photos and gifts. We also offer Mommy Bundle packages for new parents looking to capture those precious milestones.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I’m an 80’s baby with terrible paper printed images and minimal copies of my childhood and those I loved and lost early in life. I suppose this is my driving force on a personal level but also a professional level I want to take all the photos possible to remember all the things about my children growing up. I want to be able to show their children what they did one day growing up. With this mindset my clients benefit. I want this very same thing for them.
Timeless images are so very important to moms and photographers like myself – children grow so quickly you just cannot blink. I want everyone to have gorgeous keepsakes of their loved ones to look back on and remember.
Have you ever had to pivot?
A really low point in my photo business was when Covid hit and the world shut down. People canceled scheduled family photo shoots due to us being in close proximity together and I couldn’t fault anyone. I too was scared about what was happening with this virus. I lost several newborn bookings as well since I typically come to clients’ private homes. It was a really hard time for me as I like to stay busy with photography. It’s a creative outlet I love so much.
Instead of sitting around waiting, I decided to do some good for others. I choose to host Porch Photos around my neighborhood and shoot with an 85L lens to put distance between my clients for health and safety. I shot hundreds of families over a few months never accepting money but just kept myself busy editing and shooting to give families something positive to look forward to in a dark time. I gave families I worked with the option to donate to my favorite cause here in Land O Lakes. These families donated over $1,500 to Kids Helping Kids Pasco County. I was recognized by ABC Action News. For me, my community is everything. I can’t stand to sit back and watch the world in distress without making my own silver lining. I helped the community raise money for children in need but also I gave families some hope that there’s still good happening in the world.
https://www.abcactionnews.com/rebound/coronavirus-investigations/land-o-lakes-photographer-takes-fun-quarantine-style-family-photos-to-raise-money-for-kids-in-need
Contact Info:
- Website: www.digitalmystphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalmystphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalMystPhotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniadams/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/digitalmystpics
- Other: Exclusive booking alerts: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1923454791011284
Image Credits
Photo credit: Dani of DigitalMyst Photography