Today we’d like to introduce you to Gabriella Dunn.
Hi Gabriella, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I feel like it’s really corny and cliche to say but growing up I truly always had a camera in my hand and I have always been a true creative. My older sister and I used to make scenes with my barbies and photograph them and make videos in our living room. I went from our family camcorder (which I still have) to our random film cameras and then came digital cameras. As a Millennial I grew up in the era of Myspace lol.. enough said.
I was also a child model with Meredith Modeling Agency in Minneapolis. So I always thought being on set was interesting and fun rather that be a casting or job. I also eventually learned I had more interest in being behind the lens. My mom also did a pretty amazing job of documenting my childhood. I think seeing the joy it brought her freezing moments in her/our life made me love it and appreciate it.
What started as a hobby quickly turned into my obsession and passion.
When living in Chicago I found more of a creative community online and originally had big dreams of being a National Geographic photographer/ journalist. Fast forward sometime my now husband and I got pregnant with our first child (Chloe). Documenting that was extremely important to me and I loved preserving our memories forever in still but also with my own style. Then came our daughter and I had such a hard time grasping how quickly she was changing that I literally never missed a moment and realized how important it was to document my life with my family because as time went on the photos we had of our little family were all we had to remember the day to day details by. Eventually I had friends asking me to do their family photos, weddings and random shoots. Although I chose this path it was my community around me who pushed me in the best way and supported me before I even realized this would really be my career path. To reflect and look back at how it all played out I’m truly grateful and it’s amazing.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It wasn’t always smooth..and to be honest currently it’s still not always smooth.
I feel like it comes in waves for me. But also being a small business owner in general requires a whole lot of faith, creative marketing, consistency and sometimes it can be really draining when you want something so bad and you know your potential but you need to continuously stay relevant online.. it can be a lot.
Especially when I have a family and living in the season of life I’m in with my kids. I’m BUSY!
With the seasons of photography it’ll be really good and then we have dry seasons and I’ve learned to relax during those dry times versus taking it personally! I used to panic and have the worst imposter syndrome on this planet when the busy times would slow down. I eventually figured out the patterns of seasons, holidays and phases of the year where it’s popping versus slow. I now appreciate those slower times and use the extra time I have to make it a point to document my children in a more raw way as well as be present and nurture my relationships. Having a photography business truly can be a lot. The shooting, hours, editing time and traveling locally and out of state. Begin a business owner in general can be a lot. But it’s also such a blessing. Through the hard work, I’m so grateful to have a husband that has never pressured me to do more than I can but also gave me the support to grow without pressure to be “something” or to “take off and make a lot of money. That has been huge from the start. I also feel like it’s been a privilege being in that position of starting up something because it’s my passion yes but mostly it’s just for “me” and for “fun”. He has always supported me but has always told me it can’t make or break me. I think having that pressure taken off of me has allowed me to grow my business especially in the beginning with grace.
What makes it easier as of now is that I have shifted my perspective a lot on art and the joy it brings me versus always thinking about it as my job. Photography is an extremely competitive industry especially now. I will say I had a pretty good ride the first few years of my business. Then came covid…
Suddenly it felt like there was so much uncertainty in the world but also I can’t blame people for wanting to come up with creative ways to make money. But suddenly the photography industry became extremely saturated. So being in an industry that’s already seeming to be “competitive” it’s only gotten worse lol.
It sounds bad but it’s true and if you’re a photographer you know.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in families and what I call creative freedom sessions.
Creative freedom is more like headshots with more of a personal twist to them and or senior photos.
I LOVE photographing families.. I have four kids and love children so much. So being able to capture families in the stages of life they’re in is so special. I take it seriously too as it’s such an honor as these photos will be on this planet longer than any of us will be. It’s crazy to think about. I sometimes geek out thinking about how some of my clients future great great great children will be looking at these pictures.
I’m most proud of how I have always stayed true to my art. At times it’s hard and I don’t feel good enough or I compare. I’ve gone through times of trying to do what’s trendy and I have always shifted my focus back to staying in my own lane and what’s true to ME!
I think what sets me apart from others if you look at my website portfolio or either of my instagrams I truly make people laugh. I love to laugh. I also LOVE capturing ones eyes. I do a pretty good job of connecting with the people I work with. I enjoy talking and getting to know these people on very personal levels. But capturing true laughter and emotion is something I’m good at but also the emotion I’m capturing is always true to the moment.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I’m not sure!!
I feel like when I mention to people about the future of photography so many people bring up Ai taking our jobs. I’m truly not concerned about that because a big part of what’s important in this industry is capturing one’s story or REAL life and Ai doesn’t capture REAL moments just random generated fake scenarios. I think the industry will still be how it is but I think there’s other things to factor in like social media. Will social media still have the big influence it does today but ten years from now? I’m not sure. The reason I mention that is although sometimes social media can be taxing on our brains. It’s also a wonderful thing and a beautiful way to connect, network and get free exposure. Because social media is so big I think it also brings us creatives a lot of business as influencers, companies and just day to day people use it and want to share their lives, photos and market their businesses. I think the trends in photography come and go. Some stay and some die off and we cringe about it later lol.
ME personally I think photography will always be something I do but I’m not sure if even 5 years from now I see myself doing this still full-time. I would love to go to nursing school!! But I will never fully let go of photography in my personal life or professional life. Even if it’s just something I eventually do here and there.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gabrielladunnphotoco.com
- Instagram: @gigildunn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GabriellaDunnPhotoCo
