Daily Inspiration: Meet Monica Duny

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Duny.

Hi Monica, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always had a passion for photography. Growing up, I was always the girl who had a camera in her hand and brought it with me wherever I went. I was always wanting to capture memories, moments in time that won’t happen again. I realized after I graduated college that my passion was my dream – I wanted to be a photographer and run my own business. I didn’t know how to work my camera, so I quickly enrolled myself into a beginner photography class and from that moment on, I worked hard to perfect my craft. It started out as a hobby back in 2015. Any chance I got, outside of my corporate job, I would practice. I got comfortable enough that I started offering free sessions to family and friends. It started taking off from there and I become confident enough to start charging. My hobby started building momentum, I was getting new clients and returning clients. Each year, I was busier than the year before. I wanted to quit my 9-5 job and start my own business, but life kept happening, marriage and kids and I had to put it on the back burner. But my passion never stopped and I never quit chasing my dream. As luck would have it, COVID hit and it actually gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream with both feet. I got laid off from my full-time gig TWICE and knew this was my chance to finally take the leap and start my business. At this point, I had built up enough clientele that I knew I’d land on two feet and keep going. In April, I finally became a registered LLC. The years of hard work, late nights, missing dinners and bedtime for my kids paid off. I am now the CEO of Monica Duny Photography, living my dream and capturing couples’ and families’ forever memories.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
My journey to get to where I am today has been anything but smooth. I’ve hit a lot of roadblocks and bumps along the way. For me, the timing to quit my full-time job and do photography full-time never seemed right. I had gotten married and had essentially two back-to-back pregnancies, I was a mom and a wife, so I always felt like it wasn’t the right time. I got comfortable with the steady paycheck. But I also know that a lot of those struggles were from my fear. Fear of failure. Fear of not being good enough. Fear of not knowing what the heck I am doing. Imposter syndrome. I would always tell myself when I hit this point or this number of bookings, I’d quit. But then I’d hit those and still stick it out at a job I hated. The fear was running my life and I didn’t know exactly how to jump off the train. I realized after I lost my job, that I needed to stop letting my fear control my life. I enrolled in online business classes to learn what I didn’t know about truly running a profitable business, I enrolled in more photography education classes to get better at my craft. I started actively working on marketing myself. This journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s definitely been worth it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a family lifestyle and wedding photographer. I specialize in families, couples, and weddings. I’m known for my candid style of images. My passion behind my business is my clients. I am most passionate about capture the big and small moments in people’s lives. From their engagement to their “I dos” and even beyond that, when they start their families and welcome little ones into their lives. I believe photography is artful storytelling, one that sparks a feeling, that takes my clients back to that moment, that memory. I spend the time to get to know my clients, to learn about them and their lives so that when they get in front of my camera, they feel comfortable and like they are hanging out with their friends. I’m not like other photographers, I focus on candid, authentic moments, things that happen naturally when my clients are playing with their kids or cuddle up with their spouses. I don’t pose, instead I give direction and prompts, things for my clients to do that bring out genuine smiles or laughs. I’m most proud of the bonds I’ve created with my clients. They are more than just clients, they’ve become my friends, people I truly love and care about.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
My best advice is to surround yourself with the right people, people who love you and support you. I never had a mentor, but I had and still have photographers and entrepreneurs that I admire and look up to. Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone you admire and ask questions. When I first started, I joined different photography-related groups on Facebook. When Instagram took off, I started following photographers and entrepreneurs that I liked. Put yourself out there, and network with people inside your industry.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.monicadunyphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/monicadunyphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/monicadunyphoto

Image Credits
Monica Duny Photography