Hidden Gems: Meet Daria Taylor of Daria Taylor Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Daria Taylor.

Hi Daria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Sure! My name is Daria Taylor and I’m originally from Chicago.

Before I could read, I spent my days pouring over Ranger Rick Magazine (IYKYK) and thought to myself: “I’m going to be a photographer when I grow up.”

In between then and now, life happened. I went to college for an unrelated degree, worked a series of 9-5 jobs I didn’t thrive in, and felt like I was doing what I supposed to be doing despite being bored out of my mind and hating the florescent, routine lifestyle that comes with a steady paycheck and a medium level of responsibility.

One day, I bought a crappy, used DSLR camera on a whim. In between my boring days, I’d walk around Chicago and take photos of everything I saw. Birds, plants, people– everything. I did this as a form of stress relief throughout the year. It didn’t matter if it was 97 degrees or -10 degrees. I depended on my photo walks. As simple as this exercise was, I learned how to use a camera and the fundamentals of composition, light, and capturing moments in real time. Eventually, I started photographing social media content for a local climbing gym in Chicago. It was fun, rewarding, and tied me to the community I loved in a deeper and different way. I realized that photography gave me a “backstage pass” to conversations and interactions I never thought I’d have.

Now, many years later, I run a photo and video studio in Los Angeles specializing in capturing corporate and private events. My clients include Fortune 500 companies and major publications, and my work takes me all over the world. Sometimes I want to pinch myself and tell little Daria that she would inadvertently stumble her way into her dream career, which felt so far away for so long. (She would probably shush me and continue reading Ranger Rick).

I didn’t follow a linear path to where I am now, but I’m so grateful for all of the missteps that led me here.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There are always struggles when starting a business! I try not to think of them as “obstacles” but more as learning curves, and I definitely learned a lot my first few years out here.

Overall, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have aligned myself with a lot of honest people early on, and to have some pretty spectacular clients who return to me year after year. Building those relationships has given me a lot of confidence in what I offer and who I serve, but it’s taken time. Initially, (and I think this is probably true for most small business owners) it was a rude awakening to realize that people in business aren’t always…fully transparent. I don’t think of my younger self as an overly naive person, but if there was any shred of it left in me– it’s certainly all gone now. LA is an incredibly competitive market and attracts people who can be both ambitious and ruthless. Unfortunately, not everyone chooses to be honest about their intentions. I’ve cultivate a strong intuition for BS and a quick reaction time for dodging it. Ultimately, I choose to believe that people who do business with integrity, honesty, and authenticity naturally rise to the top, and stay there.

Aside from the inevitable life lessons involved with running a business in LA, the most challenging part was developing my brand. Just like knowing your identity as an individual, it’s important to know and to be able to communicate who you are as a business. It took a long time to hone the details of who I serve, how I work, and the style I offer. That early process was a lot of trial and error. I felt like an awkward teenager again, trying on different styles and personas and hoping people would like me.

Luckily, they did! And now I’m here. Phew.

But in those early days, I struggled with perception. I thought successful photographers all had this secret rule book that I had to find and make sense of in order to grow my business. I thought I had to change my style to cater to what was being shown on social media at the time, and I felt like I had to put on this costume of a stuffy, high-end professional for people to take me seriously.

It wasn’t until I gave up trying to pretend to be who I thought I needed to be that things started to take off. Part of what I offer to my clients is a no-BS experience. This applies to my approach to photography, communication around pricing and deliverables, and the whole process. I have found that approaching clients and events with transparency and curiosity attracts the right clients and repels those who don’t vibe with what I offer. Maybe it’s a second puberty, but I re-learned that just being myself is the coolest way to be! And so far, it’s working out for me.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the owner and principal photographer for Daria Taylor Photography, a woman + POC-owned business specializing in providing strategic, goal-driven photo and video services. Our team of visual artists partners with corporate and private event organizers to deliver well-rounded image assets that target event goals through impactful visual marketing tools. We work with a variety of major brands including Apple, META, Walmart, Delta Airlines, Hilton, and more. We’ve been fortunate enough to have our work featured in publications including BizBash, INC.com, Angeleno Magazine, E! News, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. While we’re based in Los Angeles, it’s been an honor to serve clients all over the United States and internationally.

There are two main things that set my brand apart. The first is that we capture photo and video content strategically, in a way that is designed to address each of our clients’ specific goals. Our clients trust us to ask the right questions and to create a game plan that achieves their objectives. Combining the creativity of photo and video with the more pragmatic aspect of marketing around their event is an exciting challenge. And it’s one that we’re uniquely set up to handle. That, along with the fact that we offer both photo and video content under one brand allows us to deliver aligned visuals that match in quality, style, and messaging. So many events are produced with separate photo and video teams with totally different styles and conflicting intentions. Our photographers and videographers are on the same page and we’re delivering high-quality assets with a strategy in mind for how everything will be used cohesively after the event. Clients find it’s a lot more effective, and it allows us to serve larger and more complex events that require a greater level of care and attention to detail.

The second factor that sets my brand apart is that our work is heavily candid. Our team blends into each event by observing from within: we’re connecting with attendees and are in the middle of the action with our cameras. In other words: we’re documenting, not directing. Because of the way in which we engage with our clients, we understand their story and what makes them unique. We gain access to authentic moments and capture the full breadth of emotions that unfold with empathy. Our work can be heartfelt in one moment, buoyant the next, and is usually captured with a healthy dose of humor. And as a viewer, I think you can feel it.

What do you like and dislike about the city?
Los Angeles is such a misunderstood city. It’s moody and vibrant and exciting, and there’s no shortage of things to do, people to meet, or lessons to be learned here. There’s something for everyone here.

It’s a grind– there’s no way around it. But the “LA experience” is truly what you choose to make it. This city is so unique. Within LA there are a million different worlds. I love that there is always somewhere new to explore: be that be hiking in nature, surfing at the beach, checking out a new restaurant, or walking around a neighborhood you’ve never visited. I feel completely free to wake up and figure out what life I’m about to lead, and I thrive on the novelty of it.

LA also has such a bold aesthetic. From the natural topography of the region to the urban graffiti art to the fashion choices, music scene, and architecture: I’m always looking around in awe of it all. Sure, traffic is slow and rent is high. I choose to accept that this is the price I must pay to live in a place that never gets boring.

Let’s face it–LA has a reputation for being vapid. But there are vapid, selfish people in any city or small town in the world. That’s certainly not something LA has the monopoly on. It’s definitely a city that keeps you striving for more, which comes with positives and negatives. LA is a jungle of sorts, and it can be a very lonely and isolating experience if you don’t move out here knowing who you are and what you want to get out of the experience. It’s not a culture that rewards a passive, slow-paced lifestyle.

All in all, I love LA. Any major metropolitan area inspires competition and struggle. LA just does it in the sunshine. If you’re willing to work hard, it’s a place where you can find more magic, opportunity, and diversity of experience than anywhere else I’ve ever lived.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dariataylor.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dariataylorphotography/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daria-taylor-73100487/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DariaTaylorPhotography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/daria-taylor-photography-los-angeles

Image Credits
Portrait of me by @sodafountainphoto, all other images by me