At the end of my first year of college, a sorority sister asked if I'd be interested in taking some photos of her family line. It sounded like a ton of fun considering I'd using my camera often at sorority events. Immediately, it got me thinking "I wonder if I could make a business out of this." and thought it was only appropriate if I came up with a name. I was sitting in the kitchenette with one of my suitemates, who was incredibly supportive of this idea when my neighbor barges in through our front door (this was very normal and would usually make a run for the fridge for water). I asked him, "If you could name my photography business anything, what would it be?" Without hesitation, he answered, "Dani Captures". I hated it but thought eh, it'll do for now. We obviously see how hard I worked to find a better one.
2022, is my 6th graduation season as a photographer! If you told Dani in 2016 that she is trying to make a living out of this, I honestly wouldn't be surprised, but very shocked how long it's lasted. This year I've been able to celebrate with 16 grads across California doing shoots in both the Bay Area and in L.A county. I'm eternally grateful to those who gave me the opportunity to take their photos, especially to those it is their first time in front of one. My camera and I have grown a lot within the last year. We now have an internship, new equipment, and tons of new knowledge on this beautiful medium.
Graduation is my favorite season of the year not only because this is how DaniCaptures came to be, but also because I live off of hearing about others' success. During my pre-session consultation call, it's very important for me to get to know my clients briefly so we're both not coming into this blindsided. One of my favorite calls from this year was with a college friend of mine, who recently received his Master's from Cal State, LA. He is a first-generation student planning on furthering his education to become a University President in the future. There are very few people I know who have doctorate degrees, let alone those who are first-gen candidates. I envy his drive and passion for our education system and am very interested in where life takes him in the next few years. Speaking with him made me feel like I could run a mile. Definitely didn't, but nonetheless, it motivated me to keep working towards making DaniCaptures a prosperous photography business.
I've come very far in this little journey of mine and again, am incredibly thankful to those of have booked, referred, and showed genuine excitement in my growth. I'm very proud of the work I created and am looking forward to future graduations
