It’s Friday night which means another installment of the Inspired series! This series has been so much fun to work on in the weeks leading up to International Womens Day one week from today! If you missed weeks 1 or 2, you can check them out here.
This week I’m honored to be featuring one of my favorite people and a strong mother who I greatly admire, Demi Johnson of Demi Digitals Photography! Demi and I hit it off when we waited tables together in college (when we used to do fun photo shoots together in our spare time with our crop sensor cameras in auto mode…we won’t include any of those photos on this blog post. haha.) and then reconnected a few years later when we were both getting started with our photography businesses. It’s been fun growing and figuring things out together over the years. She’s one of those people who is just so easy to be around and I love that even through seasons of our busy adult lives when we don’t see much of each other we always pick up right where we left off.
Demi also has the sweetest three-year-old daughter who you’ll see in a few of these photos, so we did her interview via email (Bella was very gracious and cooperative while we got her mom’s photo shoot done). Just like with the previous weeks, my questions and any comments are in bold. One quick sidenote- we took these pictures in Demi’s home and used her awesome studio backdrops for a few of them. I’m not currently offering studio sessions, but Demi does a wonderful job with both on location work and studio work. She’s running a special this week for new on location bookings that you can find out more about at the bottom of this post. I hope you enjoy hearing Demi’s story!
So, why don’t you introduce yourself! Tell us a little about what you do and how you got started.
Hello there 🙂 My name is Demi. Firstly, I would like to say that I am a woman of god, and as I’ve grown older, I realize that without my continuous faith I would not have the strength or the faith in myself to do everything that makes me happy. I am also a mother of a beautiful little girl who is my only boss. We currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia where I am a double business owner. Photography, being one of the first things I was passionate about as a child, became a business for me when I was 25 (I am currently 27 yrs). It was an extremely tough decision to turn my hobby into my career because of the constant thought of failure and not being good enough, but with hard work, patience, and creativity, here I am a few years later better than I’ve ever been, the owner of Demi Digitals Photography. My second business that I started in the summer of 2018 is a bartending/Mixology education workshop called “POURS.” I had been in and out of the restaurant industry for several years. I went back in 2018 for a part-time bartending job and, strangely, I found extreme joy in it. A few weeks in, I decided that i want to teach this craft to people. It was fun for me, would bring me a decent salary, AND it would
help people make more money in the restaurant industry when they move into bartending.
What helps you find meaning in your work and stay inspired?
With photography, I mainly take portraits of people. Most of the time I am hired by a model who needs to build her portfolio. When I want to take pictures on my spare time, I find subjects who I see something in that they do not see themselves. I want to contribute to the fact that everyone is different and everyone is beautiful in THEIR own way and to get rid of the idea that a “model” is someone who is tall and skinny with “perfect” hair and facial features. My work is meaningful to me because I see people’s confidence transform right before my eyes and that is the ultimate fulfillment. As far as Mixology, it is so much fun and therapeutic! There are so many combinations of drinks. It also gives me something else to take pictures of.
What encouragement would you offer to other women out there pursuing a dream?
Sometimes it can be hard to pursue your dreams and I wish growing up I had someone to constantly tell me that and encourage me to do so. We have so many other influences or things going on in our lives that can slow us down or discourage us. But passion makes perfect. And as long as you keep that passion and dedication and remind yourself of your “why?” you will stay on the right track. When I take pictures of objects or structures or anything that isn’t a person, I am reminded that everything was created by someone. They had a vision and it was executed. There is so much more room for everyone’s visions to come to life.
Give a shout-out to a woman who inspires you!
I am the most inspired by my daughter. She is only 3yrs old, but I am inspired by a child’s imagination because it is so pure and curious and not yet tainted by the inevitable influences. My daughter is already creative and is dedicated to “making her own job.” The energy of a child is something I wish I always had.
If you want to keep in touch with Demi and see her beautiful work, you can follow her on Instagram at @demi.digitals
To learn more about her services and inquire about your session, visit her website demidigitals.com As a special for her blog feature, Demi is offering 20% off on location shoots booked over the next week for select dates this spring!
I’m grateful to have been able to feature Demi this week as a part of the Inspired series. Next week, I’ll be featuring two more of my favorite boss babes and celebrating the end of the series (and International Womens Day) with a fun giveaway on Instagram! Thanks for stopping by and reading Demi’s story.
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