The words “Anyone can take a picture of what a child looks like, it takes an artist to capture who they are” ring loud and clear on your website.  How has this philosophy shaped your work and helped you become the artist that you are today?

Kidography was born 5 years ago, it didn’t take long before I noticed a trend in my session images.  I wasn’t just taking “pictures.” I was capturing moments.  The tenderness of a new mom and her baby…the way sisters can make each other belly laugh like no one else…the crinkle in a child’s nose as she giggles at mom giving me bunny ears…the way they clutch to their favorite “stuffty”…and the countless other adorable quirks that make each amazing child uniquely them.  Being able to provide my clients with a gallery full of these moments is what makes me the luckiest flipping photographer ever!

Your photographs are vibrant, clean and beautifully stylized.  What’s your process for choosing the location and props for your sessions?  Is this something you have a heavy hand in as the photographer or do you let your clients take the reins?  How do you make sure everything coordinates to come together for a successful shoot?

Thank you!  My clients always have input in all aspects of our session.  I mean really, it’s all about them.  Their family…their images…their love.  So, making sure my sessions perfectly reflect each family is really important.  Some come to me knowing exactly what they want and others are looking for a little guidance.  I’ve done everything from simply showing up with camera in hand, to location scouting, scouring antique shops for the perfect “prop,” and creating full-on outfit proposals for an entire family.

How has your photography style evolved over the last few years since you started Kidography?  Is it different from when you started?  If so, how?

While my philosophy has remained the same since I started Kidography, my style has certainly evolved.  When I began shooting, my focus was mostly on putting families at ease so I was able to capture fun natural moments between them.  Over the years, I’ve come to realize that those moments are showcased best when I am able to find them the perfect field where the grass sways just so…the light falls perfectly around them…and they are dressed in clothing that makes them feel as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.

What are your thoughts on sharing your photographs via social media?  Do you find that social media outlets such as Instagram help or hinder your creativity as an artist?  Do you often find yourself comparing your work to others?  If so, how does this affect you?  What are the negatives and positives of having easy access to other artists work?

Having my own family images done at least once a year, I am fully aware of how crazy hard it is waiting to get my eyes on even just one image.  Because of the time and attention I spend culling galleries and editing each image, Facebook has been a perfect way to share sneak peeks with my clients while they oh-so patiently wait for their full galleries.  Facebook has also been an awesome marketing and business development tool when those same clients share their images with all 500+ “friends,” who then “just have to” come to me to for their own images.  :)

Part of my inspiration to become a child photographer was the amazing work of other photographers social media exposed me to.  Because much of my work is done on my computer after my sessions, either at home or Starbucks (I’m a complete junkie!), following the work of fellow photographers – many of whom are now close friends — helps me feel part of a greater community of wonderful creative people who share similar visions.  The photography business would be much lonelier without all my “friends”!

What’s in store for Kidography in 2015?

Oh geez…is it really 2015?!  What an awesome year 2014 was.  Not sure how I can top it!  But if I must answer, amazing families (old and new), crazy beautiful light, and lots of belly laughs would make this girl very, very happy.

 

Hi!  My name is Dania, pronounced “Dan-ya” of Kidography. Perhaps had my parents spelled it like that (sans the hyphen of course), it may be easier to pronounce and I could avoid the awkward “um…is this…um….”, but hey, it’s fun and different, right?  So besides my quirky name, who am I in a nutshell?  Well, I can’t get through a morning without Starbucks, I prefer converse to heels and couldn’t survive without my iProducts.  I write like I talk and way over use ellipses…oh yeah, and I totally love listening to the laughter of children and families, and finding joy in the simple everyday.  It’s my sincere wish that my clients look back on the images we capture and remember not only what their children looked like at that moment in time, but how they laughed, how they loved, and how they lived.