1. Please tell us about yourself.
Hi! I'm Dana Macleod of Performer Photography and I reside in South Jersey right outside of Philadelphia. I'm married to a wonderful man who has this never ending faith in me that still blows me away after five years of marriage, and together we are blessed with two children. My daughter is about to turn 3 at the end of this month, and my son just came into our lives four months ago, completing our family. We also have two dogs, one being super smart, and the other really stupid, but they are both FULL of love and get in all sort of trouble with my daughter.
I am a professional singer, music and vocal director in the Philadelphia region. (Hence the name Performer Photography) I do take performers and musicians as photography clients for Headshots, but I am mainly a hobbyist photographer with a daily goal of documenting my kids childhood. I am also Founder of Snap Love Grow, a positive and inspiring online community for photographers. In my personal work, I am inspired by many different styles, but I mainly love lifestyle and storytelling that have fun and creative composition.
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words?
Timeless, Creative and Playful.
Timeless: I love capturing up close portraits of my children and converting them to Black and White. There is nothing more timeless in my opinion and nothing more simple and beautiful.
Creative: I love being creative with my composition. I am definitely a ROT lover, but I try to use interesting composition and try new things all the time.
Playful: My daughter is such a little character. (I have no idea where she gets this from, ha!) To help portray that in photos, I like to engage her in activities that really show her personality and add in some pops of color to complete the story.
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
Believe it or not, being a singer sparked my passion for photography. When working in theater professionally, your jobs (gigs) usually only last 6 months to a year. I loved photographing every single show I did so I can remember that cast, costumes, venue, etc.. and have those memories forever. Being in front of the camera a lot was part of my job as well. I had photo shoots all the time and I would make friends with the photographers. It was always a dream of mine, but singing always took the front seat. It wasn't until I had my daughter that I finally allowed myself to be creative at more than one thing. I found a part of my soul that had been missing and I'm never looking back!
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
I'm a Canon girl. I love my Canon 6D and I usually have either my Sigma Art 35mm or my Canon 85 1.4mm attached to it. I also own a nifty fifty, and 40mm pancake lens, but hardly use those. Plenty of SD cards, a spare battery and usually a brush or some hair clips for my daughter's hair.
5. What is your dream photo shoot?
My husband is from Scotland and emigrated over to America when we met. We've only been back to Scotland once in the last six years and that was before we had kids. My dream shoot would be to photograph our children in Scotland and be immersed in the history, culture and beauty that fills Scotland.
6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers when you first started your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?
When I first discovered the whole online world of photography communities, I assumed that everyone was at a much higher level than me. Trust me, there were plenty, but I was surprised that there were a lot at the same level and learning as they went as well. I assumed that every photographer went to a photography school and came out amazing award winning photographers. I felt ashamed that I was trying to be in this career and creative outlet when I didn't have the "proper training." I didn't realize that many started their photography journey seriously when their children were born like I did. It made me feel so much better and pretty much every community I have been a part of has been wonderful, encouraging and inspiring.
7.What advice would you give newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you had been given at the very beginning?
First and foremost I strongly suggest surrounding yourself with people you respect and admire. Not just for their art, but for their character. I will pass along the advice given to me, and that is to never stop learning. There are so many wonderful resources for photographers today. There are many free workshops and tutorials out there if signing up for classes isn't currently in your budget. But make sure you take a class that YOU want to take, not what the most popular class is at the moment. I also highly suggest taking part of a 365 day project, or at the very least a 52 week project. You can even do an altered version of one, but the point is you want to be able to shoot often. Pick up the camera! You never know what magic would be captured otherwise.
Find more of Dana's beautiful work here:
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