Danielle Hatcher has had a love for photography as long as she can remember. When she was little, her mother gifted her a Kodak film camera and she took it everywhere with her. In high school, she took a photography elective and learned how to shoot and develop her own black and white film. Then, like many others, it was when she became a mother that her passion grew even more and she knew she wanted to make it a career. We are blown away by her ability to find beauty in the mundane and to capture authenticity in each and every frame.

For more inspiration from Danielle:

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Danielle’s course, Life At Home: Mastering Indoor Lifestyle Sessions comes out this February and helps artists dig deeper into capturing life’s fleeting moments.

Here is Danielle, Unraveled…

What inspired your art?

I don’t know that there’s any one thing that inspired my art. I’ve always had a need to create something. To create anything. For sure, my kids inspire my desire to take good photos of their childhoods. I want to capture them in a natural, organic way. And I think that has spilled over into my client work as well.

What do you shoot with? Camera body and favorite lens?

I shoot with a Nikon D750 and just a few lenses. I’m not sure that I could pick a favorite. I find myself using my Sigma 35 Art more often in the winter. But my Nikon 24-70mm is what is probably on my camera the most. I also have a hacked 50mm that I use for freelensing.

What other ways do you express your creativity?

I love to decorate our home. Paint, small projects, moving pieces of furniture around… it’s all a creative outlet for me. We moved into our “new to us” home in July of last year and we’ve slowly been going through room by room, making it our own space. We have some bigger house projects lined up, but I’m always wondering what sort of small things I can accomplish.

How do you de-stress at the end of the day?

At night after the kids are in bed I like to visit with my husband, fold laundry while watching a show, make a small plate of fruit, and play with the dogs. Sometimes I’ll work out if I feel antsy and have a lot of energy.

What kind of music do you listen to while editing?

I don’t listen to music while editing! Is that crazy?! I will turn on reality TV or something on Hulu while I edit. It’s good for background noise but not so good that I get sucked into the show.

What is your favorite book?

I must admit, I am not a huge reader! I love to read small articles or pieces here and there.

Name one movie that inspires you.

Movies inspire me all the time - especially ones with beautiful imagery and amazing light. A recent favorite of mine was The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. It’s a feast for the eyes.

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?

Creative slumps are HARRRRD for everyone. One thing I try to do is force myself to continue shooting. Or I tweak my editing in a way that inspires me. I play with light, try new things - anything to get that creativity flowing again.

What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey?

Probably the most difficult part of my creative journey is social media. I don’t enjoy sharing when I’m doing it JUST for sharing’s sake. I only like to share things that I love, that I’m moved by, and I don’t like feeling like “I need to get on Instagram and post something because it’s been too long and the algorithm is going to hurt my reach if I don’t share something soon”

Who is one of your favorite photographers?

There’s no way I can pick just one… Diana Yan Palmer is such a great photographer AND writer. Summer Murdock’s use of light is always swoonworthy. And I LOVE Tara Whitney’s ability to capture everydayness so beautifully. All three inspire me so much.