We were lucky to catch up with Darius Guinyard recently and have shared our conversation below.

Darius , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

Photography is a craft that has been around me throughout my entire college career. Believe it or not my career began with me modeling. While in college I joined a modeling troupe organization by the name of Via Jesus. During my time in this organization, I learned many lessons but the biggest two that I learned were how to help people who struggle in front of a camera, because I have that same issue, and how to pose both women and men. I also won a major competition within this organization that reoccurs every Fall Semester at VSU. Right as the competition was beginning, I got the opportunity to join. In deciding to join I ended up winning the competition and became the Season 4 winner of VSU’s Mr. Next Top Model. Although I learned important things during my time in Via Jesus; after a period of time, I felt that my spark was slowly fading. Once I noticed that I was not enjoying it the same way I decided it was time to change directions and find something to keep that spark alive. One day I was at a photoshoot and picked up a camera. After taking photos during that shoot, I knew then that taking photos was the direction I wanted to take. After having this realization, I began to surround myself with friends of mine who were already in the profession. One of my great friends, Ghost, took me under his wing and mentored me. He taught me how to use a digital camera with little to no help from the camera itself. I was shown this by him making me shoot in Manuel mode on my camera every time I turned it on. This taught me how to actually view things from a camera perspective such as lighting, shadows, shading, and color. It also taught me the basics of a camera function such as the triplets, ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. Once I learned how to use a camera comfortably, I knew it was time to buy my own and execute this dream. From there, I bought a Canon EOS 4000D and learned how to fully use it. Before launching my business, I started off by taking pictures of friends so that I can get comfortable with my personal camera. While I worked on getting comfortable with my personal camera, I learned what direction I want to take within photography along with developing my editing software’s and mapping out how to turn my newly found passion into a business. During this period of time of me getting comfortable I worked for free and took shoots for those who knew me and wanted photos. I did this in order to gain exposure and get the practice for when I create a pricing list. After a couple of months of free shotting and practicing I noticed that people began asking me if I had a social app where they can see my work and book. I thought for a while on a name I wanted to go by that was not only catchy but also implemented who I was. After taking time to think on a name I finally landed on the name Dwitdacam. Once I had a name, I created an Instagram page for not only myself but those who wanted to be able to reach me in an efficient time. Once I grew a demand for photos, I began to create a price list that was affordable but reasonable for someone who was just starting. Once I established a price, I focused my attention on building a portfolio. It took me some time to figure out how to turn this hobby into a functional business. One thing I will say that helped me grow was a lot of trial and error. Not every photo was a hit and not every edit I did was good. But I learned a lot through making mistakes. Being someone who was self-taught I had to do a lot of research in order to understand the knowledge along with getting in the field and practicing even to this still to make sure I stay in tune with my talent. After a year of being self-taught I put myself in classes to learn more in depth about this craft to help level me up. Taking a class is something I recommend now to everyone who is starting photography. Although being self-taught is fun, nothing beats having a teacher break down functions and give their actual name rather than a name I created for it. I have now been taking photos for three years and in that time period I have learned an enormous amount of information and even still learning. Photography is a craft that has been around me throughout my entire college career. Believe it or not my career began with me modeling. While in college I joined a modeling troupe organization by the name of Via Jesus. During my time in this organization, I learned many lessons but the biggest two that I learned were how to help people who struggle in front of a camera, because I have that same issue, and how to pose both women and men. I also won a major competition within this organization that reoccurs every Fall Semester at VSU. Right as the competition was beginning, I got the opportunity to join. In deciding to join I ended up winning the competition and became the Season 4 winner of VSU’s Mr. Next Top Model. Although I learned important things during my time in Via Jesus; after a period of time, I felt that my spark was slowly fading. Once I noticed that I was not enjoying it the same way I decided it was time to change directions and find something to keep that spark alive. One day I was at a photoshoot and picked up a camera. After taking photos during that shoot, I knew then that taking photos was the direction I wanted to take. After having this realization, I began to surround myself with friends of mine who were already in the profession. One of my great friends, Ghost, took me under his wing and mentored me. He taught me how to use a digital camera with little to no help from the camera itself. I was shown this by him making me shoot in Manuel mode on my camera every time I turned it on. This taught me how to actually view things from a camera perspective such as lighting, shadows, shading, and color. It also taught me the basics of a camera function such as the triplets, ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. Once I learned how to use a camera comfortably, I knew it was time to buy my own and execute this dream. From there, I bought a Canon EOS 4000D and learned how to fully use it. Before launching my business, I started off by taking pictures of friends so that I can get comfortable with my personal camera. While I worked on getting comfortable with my personal camera, I learned what direction I want to take within photography along with developing my editing software’s and mapping out how to turn my newly found passion into a business. During this period of time of me getting comfortable I worked for free and took shoots for those who knew me and wanted photos. I did this in order to gain exposure and get the practice for when I create a pricing list. After a couple of months of free shotting and practicing I noticed that people began asking me if I had a social app where they can see my work and book. I thought for a while on a name I wanted to go by that was not only catchy but also implemented who I was. After taking time to think on a name I finally landed on the name Dwitdacam. Once I had a name, I created an Instagram page for not only myself but those who wanted to be able to reach me in an efficient time. Once I grew a demand for photos, I began to create a price list that was affordable but reasonable for someone who was just starting. Once I established a price, I focused my attention on building a portfolio. It took me some time to figure out how to turn this hobby into a functional business. One thing I will say that helped me grow was a lot of trial and error. Not every photo was a hit and not every edit I did was good. But I learned a lot through making mistakes. Being someone who was self-taught I had to do a lot of research in order to understand the knowledge along with getting in the field and practicing even to this still to make sure I stay in tune with my talent. After a year of being self-taught I put myself in classes to learn more in depth about this craft to help level me up. Taking a class is something I recommend now to everyone who is starting photography. Although being self-taught is fun, nothing beats having a teacher break down functions and give their actual name rather than a name I created for it. I have now been taking photos for three years and in that time period I have learned an enormous amount of information and even still learning. All of these steps I have taken have helped me improve and has guided me to where I am today. I believe that knowing the basics of any craft are important because it builds up a base and for me everything I have done thus far has led me to where I am today and will continue to bring me further as I gain more knowledge and continue to strive for better in my craft.

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 name is Darius Guinyard. I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. I am a 22-year-old entrepreneur and have been running my business for almost three years. I am currently a Senior at Valdosta State University, graduating in May! I got into this industry by being a model. I was around many photographers during my time modeling but after a while I no longer liked being in front of the camera and choose to be behind it instead. Once I made the decision to fully be a photographer, I dedicated all the time I had into learning the craft. I liked to say YouTube university was a major help as well. I would find myself always playing with my camera and my editing software. When I wasn’t playing or practicing, I would watch others who have been in the industry for years. I would see how they operate on their level and implement little tricks of the trade that help. When it comes to my own products I offer multiple services. My services range from videography, graduations, self-portraits, and even events. I am a photographer who has worked in multiple diverse settings which has granted me the ability to adapt to any shoot I am doing. Being in multiple diverse settings has also allowed me to learn how to solve problems on set. I am able to help my client personally if needed with poses, comfortability, and making sure they are enjoying themselves. While behind the scenes on the set I am also able to adapt to technical issues as well such as lighting, and camera problems that occur. Although I am still learning I am extremely proud to say I have grown so much in such little time. I have put in a lot of time into my passion for this craft. I am proud of how far I have come honestly. I have seen people pick something up and when it gets rough let it go. I chose to keep this and get through the hard times it gives because they are all lessons in my eyes. I could mess up on a photoshoot but I take it as an opportunity to grow and that is something I am extremely proud of. I continue to keep going even when adversity comes knocking at the door.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A time when I knew it was time for a pivot was 10 months after purchasing my first camera. I had a beginner camera at the time, and it was to help me learn. I thoroughly learned that camera and used it along with a 50mm lens. This combination worked wonders for me but once I learned that camera full in and out and I noticed my work was becoming stagnant I decided it was time for some upgrades. Although my base camera and lens was amazing, I wanted to grow as a photographer. My next purchase was a Canon 6D with a 24-105 lens. This upgrade was one of the best decisions I made. As I learned my first camera, I worked to do the same. My second camera taught me so much more due to it being more somewhat up to date. So, I would say changing cameras helped my business grow bigger than I would have imagined.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

The easiest way to explain how I built my audience was I learned to keep posting regardless of the likes I receive or views I receive. I believe that my work is my art. So, I use my social media to display my art. Along with this I just continued to post content. I learned that social media is something you have to constantly post if you want your product to be advertised correctly. I am more constant with other platforms more than others but what works best for me is constant posting. That could be from sharing on my Instagram story to making an actual post. My biggest advice I would give someone who is looking to build their business is that social media is going to help you more than you can imagine. You have not had a lot of likes or views but that’s okay. Keep posting and keep showing your business and it will grow. It takes time but keeping up on your business social media life will help your business grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://dwitdacam.com
• Instagram: @Dwitdacam
• Facebook: N/A
• Linkedin: N/A
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: N/A
• Yelp: N/A

Image Credits
Ghost, Christle Guinyard, Lindsay Godin