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

Danielle, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I started my photography journey in October 2022, exactly a year from todays interview. At the time I had only ever known a career in Human Resources and never thought of a career in anything creative, let alone photography. Being a very shy and somewhat awkward person the thought of meeting strangers and taking their photos seemed terrifying but something about picking up a camera and getting lost in the art has given me a newfound confidence in myself and has made me come out of my shell. I’m not sure what starting sooner would have looked like for me or what my experience would be if I started later in life, I think I found this passion at the right time in my life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My journey started when I was meeting a friend at a pumpkin patch so our kids could play and offered to take some photos of her family since I had an old camera laying around. I originally thought I would snap a few shots and call it a day but I became enamored with posing and directing that we ended up taking photos for over an hour. After that day I called everyone I knew to ask if I could take their photos. Thankfully with the support of friends and family I had enough practice to feel confident that I could charge for my services. I booked my first paid client last November and have had a steady stream of clients, referrals and repeat clients that I am eternally grateful for. When starting my business I really wanted to focus on maternity clients since I find it to be such a beautiful moment to capture in someones life and while I have had success in that are I have been exploring other milestones and have grown my portfolio to include newborns, families, weddings and boudoir. What makes me most proud is when I get positive feedback that includes how comfortable I made my clients feel. Being photographed can be a very vulnerable moment for some and to know that I made them feel confident and beautiful is what reminds me that this career was meant for me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Referrals have been the best source for me, many of my new clients have seen my work through their friends who post photos I take and tag me on social media. I have also befriended a lot of wonderful women owned small business’ that have been such a great support and use their platforms to promote my work as well.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Saying yes to every opportunity has been a lesson I have had to unlearn. When first starting out I thought saying yes to every inquiry/request was the best way to grow my business but I quickly learned that there were certain sessions that were outside of my comfort zone and that I was overcommitting which was leading to burnout pretty quickly. I have now been more realistic with myself and clients which has calmed the chaos that I had created by saying yes to everything.

Contact Info:

• Website: capturedbydaniellem.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturedbydaniellem/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552067002101&mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/capturedbydaniellem-san-fernando-valley