Little Old Me

"Oh hey!" I'm Danielle, Southern California Native, but now that I think about it, I haven't lived there for (gulp) about 22 years. I still feel like the west coast is the best coast, and I love the beach - but that LA traffic; that LA traffic...nope, nope, nope. In case you cared to keep track, I've also lived in Seattle, WA (rain and gloom capital of the world), FresNO, CA (otherwise known as the "NO"), Indianapolis, IN (home of the Indy 500 and also known as NAP town) all before making my way to the Denver area. And can I just say, Denver is the most gorgeous area we have ever lived in (and we have lived in Seattle, so that's saying a lot).

You can just call me the "Relocation specialist". And seriously, if you need tips on things like buying a house without seeing it, moving cross country with kids, moving cross country with a dog, driving cross country with a kid + a dog; always being the new girl in town, then I'm the girl that can give you lots of advice! As always, I digress, so here's the stuff that you will want to know if you become a client/friend. Yep, once I shoot you, we will likely become friends, ha!

My absolute favorite clients are those that have not had their family photos done in years, or who have only been to big box indoor studios (no need to mention any names, but one starts with a "Walxxx"), or who are so stressed about even the thought of family photos - then you are my people, and you will want to come experience a session with me! I've had clients say, wow, that was painless, or that was really fun...One specifically said, "We had so much fun I never worried about if we looked ok or if the photos will actually come out good". I told her, that is my job to focus on, your job is to enjoy your family and to have fun; and guess what, her photos were epic!

Now that we've gotten the initial introduction out of the way, I thought I'd share some other interesting tidbits about myself (some photography related, some not):

I'm a wife and a mom, a cheer mom to be exact (as opposed to a soccer mom)
My middle name is Makia, thanks to my parents for the unusual name, and hence the name of my business - Danielle Makia.
I'm a reformed hospital administrator (believe it or not) and happily worked in that career field for 14 years!
I love to teach and used to teach for Indy Photo Coach and for a national university. In fact, if you have a fancy camera and are still shooting in AUTO mode, please call me, so I can help you :-)
I'm a Nikon girl…don't ask me to operate a Canon camera...it's like a foreign language to me
I will usually always have a funny story for you, and you will love the faces and hand motions I make when I tell said stories.
My favorite podcast is “How I Built This”…I’m obsessed with hearing about entrepreneurs and their pathway to success
Here is a little synopsis of some of my faves:
- Target > Walmart
- Peloton > Gym Membership (my fave instructors are: Jess Sims, Tunde, Ally Love and Cody Rigsby)
- Nordstrom > Macy’s
- Dog > Cat
- Coffee > Tea
- HGTV > Lifetime
- Binge watching TV Shows > Single episodes
- Red Vines > Twizzlers
- Texting > Talking on the Phone (I’m actually allergic to talking on the phone, but will do it when necessary, haha)
And most importantly, I'm a follower of Jesus!