Hidden Gems: Meet Danielle Riley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Riley.

Hi Danielle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I first got started by pursuing a degree in photography right after high school. I googled, what schools in NC provided a degree in Photography, and found Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory NC, I moved, and within two years I had my Associates Degree in Photography. I started my business my last semester of college and started booking weddings, in late 2014 I moved to Seattle, Washington and continued to grow my business back home in NC. I knew the end goal was to end back up on the east coast, I also knew I wanted to experience things and see a different way/vision of life + photography.

After getting married and eloping in Washington in 2017, I knew elopements were for me. And I realized they weren’t a huge market on the east coast as they were on the west. I took a chance.

I moved back to Raleigh in late 2017 with a plan to niche down to photographing specifically elopements + intimate weddings.

From there, my business took off, I started booking elopements at a rate I never planned too.

And I started teaching other photographers how to niche down and market to defined audience.

I had multiple weddings be featured in publications like GLAMOUR, The Daily Mail, and The Rachel Ray Show.

Since then, I have pivoted from photographing elopements to working with other entrepreneurs creating branding photos that sell to their audience effortlessly and teaching photographers how to grow their own profitable businesses.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Entrepreneurship is never a smooth road, and if anyone tells you, it has been. They are not being honest. My road has been bumpy, and at times downright overwhelming.

Moving across the country and still running a business in NC was hard, but I knew what the end goal was, so flying home every month for weddings helped me grow and realize the worth of my time and efforts. ( and that can be a hard lesson learned in business)

The end goal has always been the same, to give my clients the best experience possible, and it takes a lot of self-work and self-realization at a certain point to realize when you are giving more than you have.

Up until 2019, my business stayed steady growing, consistent, I was doing everything I had dreamed of. I was booking elopements all over the world, working with clients I loved, and helping my couples preserve their own little piece of history with their wedding photos.

In May 2019, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy while I was photographing a wedding and was rushed to the hospital.

After that everything in my business changed.

When I work up the next day from surgery, I realized my body had been giving me signs something was wrong, and I was choosing not to see it. I was too focused on work and growing my business to pay attention to my own physical or mental health.

I made the decision to step away from weddings that day and create a new business plan that allows me to still help and make people happy, all while keeping myself In a very healthy spot in my business.

Entrepreneurship is all about finding balance, and it takes a lot of living and learning to realize what you need your balance to be, and everyone is different.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
What I want people to know about my business is that it is a business built from the ground up with only one goal in mind. To help make people happier. Being a photographer, we get the opportunity to capture some of the sweetest moments in peoples lives and preserve a small moment in time through capturing emotion on our cameras. Whether that be a wedding, or a baby being born, or you celebrating your first win as a business owner. Photography isn’t just a career for me, it’s truly one of the things that makes me the happiest.

I am proud to say that I crafted my business to do and be known for not just one thing but two.

When I moved back in 2017, I became known style of photographing Intimate weddings + elopements. My approach is to capture your day as it happens and to not force anything, my editing style is somewhere in between moody and light + airy and couples really took to that.

In 2019, I started being known in the creative industry for the Branding photos I was photographing of other creatives. Their photos were standing out in the industry and helping them reach their target audience.

I’m real. I’ve always told my clients, no matter who they are, how it is. I am real, raw and honest all while focusing on building genuine connections along the way.

My marketing operates off word of mouth instead of paid ads so finding clients I genuinely connect with means the world to me.

I am most proud of being able to genuinely connect with not only wedding couples but business owners and others who are a part of my world on Instagram. I’m proud to teach others how to do the same and be able to pull back the reality of what entrepreneurship really is.

I offer branding/content photo packages to all small businesses. This is great for anyone looking to grow their business using social media.

I also offer business coaching to anyone looking to start/create consistent income in their business, all while building confidence and brand loyalty.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I have learned is to know your limit, take time for yourself. We can get so overwhelmed feel like we need to be doing EVERY little thing, and the truth is we don’t.

Find one thing you’re good at in your business and become great at it.

Being great at ONE thing is better than being “good” at multiple things when it comes to your business.

Being great at one thing leads to a simple business model + plan, which leads to less stress, which leaves you feeling happier and more confident in your business.

Pricing:

• Branding/Content Photo Packages starting at 5k
• 6 month Business coaching starting at 3k
• Mentor Sessions starting at $650 (for photography or business questions)

Contact Info:

• Email: Daniellerileyphotography@gmail.com
• Website: www.daniellerileyphoto.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/daniellerileyy

Image Credits
Danielle Riley Photography