We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shamakia & Darren Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shamakia & Darren below.

Shamakia & Darren , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

Legacy isn’t just about what we leave behind—it’s about what we build while we are here. As a Black couple in modern-day America, we are intentional about crafting a legacy that speaks to resilience, love, and generational wealth—both financial and cultural. We want to be remembered not just for our personal achievements but, for how we uplifted others, showing our children and the families that come after us what’s possible when we stand together.

Too often, the narratives surrounding Black love and success are overshadowed by struggle. But we know our story is bigger than that. Our journey is one of partnership, ambition, and breaking cycles. We hope that when people speak about us after we’re gone, they will say we were builders—of businesses, of community, of love that stood as an example for others. That we didn’t just survive, but thrived, and in doing so, paved the way for others to do the same.

Representation matters. It is vital that our children and future generations see Black couples creating, leading, and loving unapologetically. We want them to witness the power of unity, the strength in collaboration, and the beauty in legacy-building. When they see us building something greater than ourselves, they will know they, too, are capable of doing the same.

Our legacy is about more than wealth—it’s about wisdom, integrity, and showing what’s possible when Black love is centered as a foundation for success. And if, years from now, our names are spoken with admiration, not just for what we built, but for how we inspired others to build as well—then we will have done exactly what we set out to do.

Shamakia & Darren , 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?

For those unfamiliar with DSW Photography, allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Darren and Shamakia Williams, the husband-and-wife team behind DSW Photography, where our passion lies in capturing love in its most authentic moments. Serving couples nationwide, we specialize in wedding photography that tells a story and makes every couple feel like they belong on the cover of a luxury bridal magazine. Our journey into wedding photography wasn’t just about picking up a camera—it was about following a deep passion for storytelling and human connection. We started as creatives who loved documenting emotions and real, unfiltered love. Over time, we refined our craft, blending fine art and wedding photography to create a unique style that resonates with modern couples who appreciate authenticity, elegance, and timeless imagery.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson we had to unlearn is everyone will not be your client and that is ok. We live in a world where everyone has different tastes and views on what is best for them and we believe it’s okay to not be selected for every wedding, event, or award. It is not about that in our eyes, it’s truly about the art and what we decide to accept. Once you have learned that aspect then everything fell in place for us. We at the time felt we needed more of a drive and we were shooting a lot of studio sessions. But during that time, it didn’t speak to us and our passion to capture those high-intense moments. During the middle of a pandemic, we decided to shift our business to only focus on photographing weddings.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The was a time when we had to pivot in business. We were shooting everything and we didn’t want that to be the reflection of our brand. Sometimes it was a brand session, a birthday session, or an event. We wanted to create a connection with our clients. It is more than just money to us, it’s about the experience and allowing exclusivity to clients looking for a luxury experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dswduo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dsw_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSWPHOTOGRAPHYLLC/

Image Credits

Image Credit to DSW Photography