Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Simone.
Hi Danielle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story as a photographer started when I began working in the field at 17, but I didn’t develop my own voice in the craft until I met a professor who changed my view on myself as a participant in the work.
In the first year of my photography studies, a professor tasked the class with an assignment to ‘capture light’, and I immediately contemplated dropping the class to preserve my sanity, as being subject to any image that was amplified with bright, blinding editing (i.e., sunset photos produced with maximum saturation) was the bane of my existence. I detested seeing photographers portray disingenuous views of natural life, and thinking of participating in this style of photography made my blood curdle. At the time, I assumed that the ‘light’ I needed to capture had to be falsified in order to help me pass this class, and contriving a moment to make it more appealing was the last thing an angsty college art kid like me wanted to do — but I needed the class to advance in my studies.
After weeks of feeling like an imposter forcing myself to photograph the light coming through the thin panes of my dorm room window, I felt like my only option was to lean into the imposter syndrome instead of denying it (and the due date for the assignment was coming up fast). I came to the conclusion that I was going to photograph only manufactured moments in different light settings, where the subject of the work was my desktop lamp (because, after all, it was a ‘light’ that I was capturing). I took this desktop lamp everywhere with me: first to my nannying gigs where the kids joyously played cards with this inanimate object for my photographs; then on car rides with the lamp’s head out the window, lightbulb tousling in the wind; to finally displaying it in a more vulnerable moment in the shower (I was fully clothed and it was unplugged, but you get it).
To this day, this remains my favorite assignment prompt, as it was the first project to change my view on myself as both a photographer and participant in the work. Fourteen years later, I still prefer a documentary and natural style of photography, but embrace the opportunity to create a moment for a subject to live and breathe in.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My favorite quote is from a painter named Alice Neel, and it resonates the most with the path I’ve taken to get to where I am now in my career.
“If you’re tenacious and interested, you can accomplish anything you want to accomplish in this world.”
My father devoted his life to making practical decisions in his work for the longevity of our family, and after he passed I promised to dedicate my life to doing something I was passionate about in honor of him. There were many hiccups along the way, but the point is to learn from the mistakes and continue to move forward with tenacity and curiosity. I’ve continuously challenged myself to see my craft through the eyes of a student, willing to learn with openness and enthusiasm, without allowing myself to assume I’m an expert. The one way to feel stagnant as a working artist is to assume you’re an expert in the craft, and to stop eagerly learning.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The work I’m known for and specialize in is editorial and documentary style portrait and wedding photography. I have photographed well over 500 weddings around the globe, and I am lucky to have my work be published worldwide. I’m lesser known for my mixed media and painting work that I’ve incorporated into my photography work over the years, but I’m hoping to change that soon. Most notably in my career, I have been given opportunities to work with John Legend and Sara Bareilles as a behind-the-scenes music video documentary photographer for their song “A Safe Place to Land”, and as an illustrator for a video that played at the MTV Video Music Awards for host Miley Cyrus. Another significant moment in my career was when my painting “Becca Segal calls this Basquiat Ball” was the featured piece at the John Michael Kohler Arts Museum in the show “Points of Departure”.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’ve moved around a lot, and the one thing I try to always keep in mind is that everyone is on their own path. Embracing one’s culture or traditions opposite of my own and allowing myself to be immersed in someone’s story is the most important aspect of my work. I’d rather photograph life as it is versus force my presence upon a moment to change the way people exist within it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: daniellesimoneco.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/daniellesimone.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniellesimoneco/
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/danielle-simone-and-co-new-york-ny-973064
Image Credits
All photos by Danielle Simone. Bio photo stylist: Ariana Anderson; bridal editorials credits: designer: Varca Bridal, model: Yuri Mori; editorial photoshoot model: Stefan Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam); editorial photoshoot model: CJ Freshness (Los Angeles, CA) styled by VanJane LA.
