Meet Danielle Kemp Nelson | Wedding, Small Business & Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Danielle Kemp Nelson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always loved photography and found myself enjoying capturing photos part time throughout my life. I have an intensely creative mind and personality and craved independence in my schedule and career, which inevitably led me to a deep dissatisfaction with the corporate job I was in at the time I decided to quit and go full time with my photography business. Ultimately, a good friend of mine who also happened to be a videographer helped me see my potential and encouraged me to take the leap into pursuing my dreams full time!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
These days everyone seems to be telling you that you have to really niche down in order to make it as a creative. However, I reject the notion that we have to reduce ourselves to a neat little box and love to call myself a “multipassionate creative.” I am a multifaceted person and I work hard to represent that in my social media and branding. I have found that it has allowed me to make more genuine connections with my followers and grow my brand more steadily as a strong community rather than blowing up all at once. I love that aspect of social media – the relationships it allows us to have with individuals who might resonate with different aspects of who we are as humans, and have found that the more I pursue that angle, the more clients I am able to book who resonate with my work as well. This holistic approach is more slow going, for sure, and hasn’t always been easy, but I feel has been absolutely worth it. Additionally, showing up on social media as myself has allowed me to be more vulnerable and authentic with everything I do in my business. People respond to authenticity, and they can tell when you are trying to sound like you’ve got it all figured out. This has allowed me to grow and discover my personal style (classic yet nostalgic, with a mixture of documentary & editorial shooting) and find my voice while doing so.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I am actually based out of Utah so I don’t feel qualified to answer this question!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My friend Tanner Keller (videographer) helped me make the scary leap into quitting my job and encouraged me to keep growing and see my potential. He helped me land my first few weddings and mentored me through navigating a business I was initially so intimidated by. I am so so grateful for him believing in me enough to help me believe in myself, too.

Also! The book “The Alchemist” by Paul Coelho has always been a guiding light in my life, encouraging me to pursue dreams and visions even when they might not make sense to everyone else around me. Listening to your internal voice and trusting your intuition is paramount in deciding to pursue entrepreneurship in any form.

Website: daniellekempnelson.com

Instagram: @daniellekempnelson

Image Credits
All images taken by me