We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Danielle Hollins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

The Story behind my mission is capturing genuine and authentic moments for multicultural couples. Family and memories are so valuable to me. Sometimes an image is all we have left of a loved one. When my grandfather passed from cancer in December 2016, I search high and low to find pictures of just me and together. I couldn’t find one. I was one of the people who assisted him and my grandmother as he was transitioning through his illness. I was sad because I knew there were images, but I couldn’t find them. I was also upset because I didn’t take more portraits of me while he was here, but I did for everyone else. I never want anyone to go through that same pain or hurt of losing a loved one and have no images or memories to look back over. So It’s crucial to me to capture these valuable moments for my couples on their wedding day. Whether it’s with their new husband or wife or the first dance with the father or mother. I take pride in being able to witness an intimate and valuable moment and freeze them in time for a family to re-live on the good days and through the difficult ones.

Danielle , 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 became a photographer by gaining photography as a hobby. I asked my mother for a “nice camera’ for Christmas one year, and I got one! I took that camera everywhere with me. To sleepovers with friends to family events. I soon learned a lot from youtube university how to use my camera, manipulate light, and all different types of tips and tricks. As I grew, I would ask my cousin or brother to model for me. I never thought about starting it as a business until a high school friend asked me to capture a few maternity images for here. From that moment, I fell in love with the art and decided to make it a business. It took a lot of trial and area to learn everything about running a business, from handling money to customer service. My then-boyfriend (now husband) upgraded my camera, and from there on, I did everything I could think of to grow. It wasn’t till 2019 that I decided I wanted to take my business full-time! I haven’t looked back since!

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

Absolutely! In 2018 I was working a warehouse job that I hated. While working there, I was working to rebuild and rebrand my photography business. I had a few weddings booked at the time. Until one day, The only two weddings I had canceled on me at the last minute. I was devastated. That happening made me question if I should continue with photography. But my mentor at the time reminded me that these things happen and to let it fuel me to go harder. With that, I focused on my business and learned from the loss. Shortly after, I quit my job and went full-time with my business. Within that time, I booked my first destination wedding, which for me was huge. At that moment, I could of allow those two losses to get to me and given up, but instead, I learned from my mistakes and moved forward. I am a big believer that there are no losses but only lessons. If it’s for me, then it will come to me. If it’s not, then it will pass me. I trust God’s plan and not my own.

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

For me, the most rewarding aspect is being able to give my couples art from their love unique love story. It’s being able to capture a moment that cannot be relived. It’s the start of their legacy as a family, so being able to capture that in a way the invokes the same emotions they felt on the day of their wedding is insanely rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.foreverphotographyatl.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/foreverphotographyatl
• Facebook: facebook.com/foreverphotographyatl
• Other: Tiktok: Foreverphotoatl

Image Credits
Danielle Hollins, the Owner of Forever Photography atl