The Podcast of Good Neighbors Ep3 - Dana Goodemote

"Memories are one thing, but photographs produce memories."

In this episode we join Dana Goodemote, owner of Adore Studio. Dana is one of Buffalo's premiere photographers and her work speaks for it self. Specializing in portraiture but having experience in every style of photographer has lead her to becoming one of the most sought after photographers in the area.

Dana fell into the arts in high school and started doing photography as an elective. Her parents encouraged her to pursue her passion and find a photographer who could take her under their wing. She found a woman photographer in Lancaster who trained her for a few years before going to college. She studied photography at Villa Maria and got her associates there, which was a great place to meet other professional photographers. After college, she worked for a commercial photographer for four years and did weddings on weekends for another studio in Buffalo.

Dana has been in the photography industry for a long time and has been fortunate enough to build a successful business. Her first year as a professional photographer, she ended up booking out a whole season of weddings, which replaced her income from both her jobs. Her career took off from there, and for the first eight years, she primarily photographed weddings anywhere between 30 to 50 weddings a year.

Dana's formal education was great because she learned the basics of photography. However, the biggest benefit of college was meeting contacts and mentors, which helped her find jobs and build her network. 

After eight years of having her studio at home, Dana decided to open up a studio on Main Street in Williamsville. She partnered with a friend who she met in college, but it didn't work out. Going into a partnership, having defined roles and responsibilities is essential. In the end, the experience taught her a lot about herself and how she works.

Dana's success as a professional photographer comes from her ability to specialize in photographing women. She knows how to capture the beauty, strength, and vulnerability of women through her lens. Her ability to build a successful business and learn her a great example of how pursuing your passion can lead to success.

Dana and I have collaborated on business branding shoots (something Dana is amazing at) and throughout working together, we have formed a great business relationship as well as a friendship. In this episode we talk about what it takes to run a successful photography business, how to approach business partnerships, how to handle burnout, and a lot of other great things.Thank you Dana for having me and for a great conversation!

‍

Follow Dana here:

Instagram - www.instagram.com/adorephotobuffalo

Facebook - www.facebook.com/adorephotobuffalo

Website - www.AdorePhotoStudio.com