We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maria Doka a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Maria, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Resilience. I think a lot of it has to do with our outlook on life. Do you dwell on the positive? Find the good in every day, despite what you’re going through? or do you dwell on the negative? Who are you putting your faith in? This truly makes all the difference. As a Christian, the Lord is my rock and firm foundation. In every area of life and in every season of life. The truth is, all of us will face some kind of hardship in life. This past year has been extremely life changing for my children and I but also a redefining yet beautiful season of life. By God’s strength, support from family and friends, and our church… I am able to withstand anything that comes my way.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m Maria – first and foremost a mother over everything to my two beautiful children! I’m truly a creative at heart. Hence why I chose to work in design services and started my own photography company 😉
I work as a designer in design services for an incredible online company designing albums. I get to create beautiful albums while telling a story for people & their special occasion, anywhere around the world. It’s so fun and brings my heart such joy!
With my passion for storytelling, as a lifestyle photographer, I get to capture raw, authentic and beautiful photos for people. With over 10 years of professional photography experience from editorial work to weddings to families, I fell in love with capturing those sweet, candid moments and it has easily become my favorite thing to document.
Some of my work has been featured in wedding magazines and online publications like South Carolina Voyager, Carats and Cake, Mith Magazine, Style Me Pretty, Wedding Chicks, Atlas Magazine, Ellements Magazine, MyWedding, Inspired By This, Bridal Musings, Belong Magazine, Grey Likes Weddings, and more!
I recently started real estate photography and quickly took a liking to it. If I learned one thing as a creative, it’s to always expand your knowledge and to never be afraid to try something new!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three most important qualities, skills/areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey would be first to really trust yourself. Believing you ARE capable. When it comes to art or any creative field, you have to trust yourself and your creative innovation. We can so easily get into our heads and think something isn’t good enough. Secondly, not comparing yourself to other creatives. This can be such a hard one, especially with social media. Comparison is the thief of joy! Believe in yourself and in your work! Thirdly, try something that scares you. Challenge yourself! You may find something or an area of work that you fall in love with.
How would you describe your ideal client?
First off, communication is huge! In any relationship, especially when it comes to work. I try to portray the style of my work through photos and my portfolio… so typically, potential clients who reach out, already share that same style! If that makes sense. My ideal client would be someone who just trusts me and the process, as cheesy as that sounds. I’m super laidback when it comes to my photography approach. I try to make my clients feel at ease, capturing those candid moments, while not being too posey.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mariadaniellephoto.com
- Instagram: @maria.daniellee
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