We were lucky to catch up with Layne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Layne, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
In my perception any type of imposter syndrome can come and take over professionals’ minds in different areas because of different reasons such as personal past traumas or any source of lack of confidence not fitting in a group or niche. This combination of factors can bring personal frustrations and stagnation to the professional development of individuals.
I personally believe that success does not happen from night to day. A person does not wake up, on a beautiful morning, and pretends to live like an astronaut, a car mechanic or a photographer who delivers quality over quantity. Professional skills become stronger and more evident as time goes by. There is an incorporation of snow ball effects that builds up who that person has become over the years. The same way that it, literally, takes an entire community to raise a child, to become a professional photographer, in this case, requires lots of hours and necessary resources dedicated to learning the several aspects that are essential to operate a healthy business successfully.
When you invest in yourself as a professional who is willing to sacrifice several aspects of your personal time and not treating photography just as a side gig for extra bucks in your pocket for the weekend, you must be open to resilience and tenacity. Doing the right thing is tough. From setting up a formal business with the City of Aurora and writing down the true numbers on my books can look very different that just clicking as a hobbyist and not as a professional. I come from a family of entrepreneurs who have own and operated their own businesses for decades, businesses that have been built from scratch! I brought this determination with me, when I relocated to this country and since I started photographing, I’ve done it the right way paying off my taxes and investing in my career. When you follow the hard steps right, there is no room for you to feel like an imposter. My approaches have always been transparent and authentic with my clients, since my first steps on this journey of photography.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I have loved photography since I was a little girl. I grew up with this passion and, for a long time, I never thought it would be possible to be where I am today. Life can easily get in the way and many of our plans and dreams may be postponed or never become fulfilled until newer dreams take over or blurry the old ones. Just like many others, I’ve been on this road many times in the past until unexpected events took place and life had to navigate to where it is now. From business and education as a second language teacher to managing my own studio, many things happened in my professional career. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy and it takes time to build a business that is recognized by the community. Also, finding a niche might not be easy at the beginning with room to lots of attempts from personal family trips, to landscapes, weddings, food and event photography, pets and so many other options and opportunities out there. My dream has always been there for working at my own pace from home to avoiding heavy commutes on snow days, as well as avoid office drama and finding a crowd that truly values what I do. I found my perfect Romeo and Juliette balance through my photography studio with newborn babies, childhood, growing families and expressing the creativity that I bring to life when I set up sets that will tell stories. My business is like a special plant that I carefully research about every day, so I can take care of it properly. Next year, I am aligning my brand and name of business “La Dolce Vita” to its essence that is tied to my European ancestors from Spain, Portugal and Italy. This way, our products will be representing authentic European brands, making La Dolce Vita Photography, an authentic place to be for timeless long lasting memories. I have received training and discussed products with these vendors for the most genuine representation of these brands: Dreambooks Pro from Portugal and Epoca from Italy. I can’t wait to see these high end products in our Denver Metro homes. This is such a dream and hope that my work will function as positive impact to develop confidence in all young minds who feel appreciated from the investment their parents did to preserve their memories since the first sweet days of life. I am grateful to be in a profession that brings comfort to hearts and smiles to faces.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The three most important qualities, skills and area of knowledge that brought me to where I am today are:
. Persistency & Tenacity: Life is busy and personal sacrifices are necessary if you want to reach your goals. There is an intense and line to trace till you get there instead of abandoning projects half way because it is too difficult, equipment are very expensive, this is not what I thought it would be, returning to work after disappointment
In creative fields, talent opens the door, but tenacity is what keeps you in the room long enough to matter. It is choosing to keep going when stopping would be easier, quieter, and immediately comforting.
. Business Skills: If you do not bring the skills of “how to run a business” you need to be fully committed to learn several aspects of it: from accounting to organizational skills, creating and using spreadsheets, keep your office organized and make it a pleasant place to be in. Normally your City will offer workshops for new entrepreneurs who want to quick start their business with their right feet! Look at it!
. Open mind: entrepreneurs and artists must have an open mindset to do and redo things in ways that can simplify the complex process of being administrator of your own small business. The business may be small but, believe me, it is extremely time consuming to run a business and keeping all aspects of it impeccable and bringing the right vibe to your niche of clients. There are many instances that I feel I had more time on my hands when I had a regular job from 7 to 4 pm instead of this crazy life with no time to stop. Entrepreneurial projects require sacrifices and dedication to work on dark roads guided by your personal GPS of faith and believing in your own strengths.
I am not interviewing to sure sugar coat the audience but to bring transparent advices, according to my own experience. Do one step at a time. Do it right. It is all worth it!
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
By this point of my career, embracing professional photography for a decade, I’m thankful to say that I have been invited to collaborate with online and printed magazines and had my name mentioned in the lux life of London a few times. This means a lot to me, to my efforts.
As a creative person, I love to explore what this new modern world has to offer in a way that opportunities and can be open both ways as a creative trade that benefits both sides.
At this point, I am finding room to collaborate and work with influencers, podcasters and local businesses that resonate with my brand and align with my niche of work: maternity, newborns, baby first year, childhood and growing families. As a supporter of small business, family owned business and local business, I’d love to support and introduce you to my community and grow together.
Each message that we will convey to our niche is a seed, a piece of education that many families out there must be looking for. We both need a few of these good, health seeds to spread, plant and watch them sprout. I am looking for mutual opportunities to show what we do, make it as a visual upgrade that could not be done alone. I’d love to chat with these open minded entrepreneurs and make 2026 a great place to navigate!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ladolcevitaphotos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ladolcevitaphotoslf
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladolcevitaphotosLF
Image Credits
All images presented were created by La Dolce Vita Photography by Layne Fernandes and legally authorized by parents or guardian of minor.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
