Meet Darah Ingstrum of Darah Does Photos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Darah Ingstrum.

Darah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always had a passion for photography. I took intro to photography in 8th grade along with every other 8th grader who needed an elective. I had a friend with younger siblings that I would always take photos of for my projects.

When I would turn in each assignment, my teacher would ask me to make two prints of my work, one to turn in for a grade, and one to give to the mother. She said to me “these photos will be in their homes forever.” I didn’t realize until now with my recent work how impactful that statement was. Jr high hit, then high school and life got busy.

As many of us know, we sometimes loose  track of our passions in the hustle and bustle of adulthood, but I always knew I would come back to photography eventually. Throughout the years I still always had a camera in hand. Even if it was just a dinky disposable camera. Anything to document the moment, Specially in a time before iPhones.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could turn my passion into a career. My biggest supporter has been my husband since day one. I started dating my husband in 2008 and merely mentioned to him my love for photography and my dream of being a photographer.

He bought me my first DSLR that Fall and I rekindled my passion for being behind the camera and have been documenting moments of new love, old love, marriages, babies, and families ever since.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are a lot of struggles I face as a photographer; my biggest was not in the way many would expect. I’ve always been drawn to newborn photography but doubted myself in the being of my career.

Although babies are the tiniest subject, they can be the most intimidating. They’re unpredictable, and you work on their time. I’m not a mom, and I think that really set me back at first. Not because I was scared to handle a newborn but I’m younger, and I feared new moms would be skeptical of my ability with their baby.

I was comfortable with newborns but lacked the confidence in being a women and not a being a mom at my age. I changed my perspective and ignored that negative voice in my head. There is always something new to learn with a newborn whether you’re an experienced mom or not. Staying patient and calm and focusing on the baby is what makes the difference for me.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Darah Does Photos – what should we know?
I try to focus less on posing and more on playing. Natural, candid settings where we get those photos and can hear the sound of your laugh when looking at it. I try to focus on myself and not compare my business to other. I try and provide an entire Experience rather than just a great product.

Contact Info:

• Email: DarahDoesPhotos@gmail.com
• Instagram: DarahDoesPhotos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarahDoesPhotos/

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