Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Rundlof.
Hi Dana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Being a photographer was a dream I hardly allowed myself to think about while I worked as a successful lawyer in New York for ten years. I did photography as a hobby back and loved it. I loved the creativity, the fun, and the beauty and power of capturing moments and memories. It fed a part of my soul that corporate litigation did not. However, the idea of switching careers, giving up being a lawyer, and becoming a professional photographer seemed totally unattainable and way too risky to even consider.
What finally caused me to pursue a career as a photographer, and switch careers from being a lawyer, were my children, and more specifically, the challenging journey I went through to have them. After my husband and I got married and started trying to have a family, we thought we would be pregnant in no time. Instead, we had multiple miscarriages and many failed pregnancy attempts. For a period of two years, I grappled with infertility and tried desperately to search for answers that would allow me and my husband to have the children we had always wanted.
What no one tells you until you experience it is that miscarriages are not uncommon. During my first miscarriage, I felt isolated and alone, and it was only through connecting with other women who had experienced that loss that I began to heal. After two years of more aching losses and various fertility treatments, something miraculous happened: I found out I was pregnant with twins! Hearing those two heartbeats was one of the best days of my life.
While I was pregnant, I was still working as a lawyer, intending to resume work after a maternity leave. I loved being pregnant, in part because I had tried so hard to become pregnant. Nine months later, I ended up giving birth to two beautiful and healthy boy/girl twins, who proceeded to not let me sleep for three months. When my maternity leave was up, I was still waking up 5-10 times a night, spending most of my time in pajamas. I suggested going back part-time, they said they needed me full-time, and that was that. They made my decision to stay home with my twins easy for me.
But, you asked how I started in photography… A third miscarriage and a third beautiful baby later, I was home with three children under the age of three, taking an insane amount of photos of them, trying to capture every perfect little thing about each of them. I was totally in love with my babies. Every day was a reminder of how fleeting the time when they were young was and how quickly they were growing and changing. I wanted to document all of it. I wanted to celebrate these beautiful babies that had found their way to me and my husband. I wanted to celebrate all of us. By that point, I had also invested in professional lenses and a camera was setting up monthly photoshoots in my house for my children and had bought and read several books on newborn photography for fun.
I was going to bed one night when literally out of nowhere, the thought popped into my mind, “I should just do this – I should start my own newborn photography business.” Over the next week, I hesitantly shared the idea with a few family members and friends, fully expecting they would all say I was crazy and make some crack about my “wasted” law degree. To my surprise, they all supported me. Every single one of them. They encouraged me, told me my photography was great and urged me to do it – to do something I loved. How lucky was I to have had that support? Within six months, I had my business up and running. That was five years ago.
When I look back now on the journey that led me to my children, and through them, to a career as a professional newborn photographer, I am quite honestly filled with gratitude. I would never wish the suffering and challenges of infertility on anyone, but that experience irrevocably changed me for the better. It deepened my compassion and my humanity. It made me a stronger and fiercer mother and individual and made me appreciate the miracle that pregnancy and children are. Not a day goes by that I do not tell my children how much I love them and feel grateful that I have them.
As a photographer, I know how precious images of a pregnant belly, a newborn, or a baby milestone session are and that clients will treasure them – because I treasure those images from my own family. I love working with expectant mothers, newborns and families, and focus my work on capturing the love and emotion that ties families together. That, to me, is the most important, beautiful thing in the world: Family. It’s a privilege to be able to work in a space of love, doing something I am passionate about that captures and through that capturing, sends a tiny bit of love and beauty back into the world.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The biggest challenge was deciding to go for it, to make a career switch from being a lawyer to starting my own photography business. It was scary to even admit I had that dream, much less decide to pursue it. However, once I made the decision to pursue photography, I threw my whole self into it. I read and watched every video I could, followed newborn photographers, took workshops to develop my craft, and practiced, practiced, practiced.
The biggest challenge at that point was trying to balance being a mother to three kids under the age of three and the demands of starting my own business. I also had no studio space and no space in our home back then to use as a studio. In my first year, I dragged my equipment to clients’ homes and photographed as many babies as I could, constantly trying to learn. Most of my shoots were on the weekend when my husband could watch the children. I often stayed up until 1 and 2 am editing after the kids had gone to sleep. In that first year, there was a lot of coffee, not a lot of sleep, but a lot of excitement about what I was creating.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional photographer and have had my own business for five years, based in Austin, TX. I specialize in newborn photography and have my own in-home studio, now fully decked out with every imaginable color of backdrop and flokati, tiny hats and tie-backs, and beautiful little outfits. I focus on creating natural portraits that are both modern and timeless, that clients can treasure forever. In addition to my work with newborns, I photograph maternity clients (and love working with pregnant women!), children and families. I love all of my work, but newborns are my true passion. There is something magical, calming, and miraculous about babies. Each one of them is perfect and unique, and I love capturing them as they are. I think what sets me apart is my professionalism, attention to detail, the quality of my work, and the wealth of experience I bring to working with newborns. To photograph newborns, I believe you need three things: 1) A love of babies 2) patience and 3) the skill and experience to work with babies safely. It takes a great deal of skill and cares to create beautiful newborn portraits.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I also believe in giving back to the community and do so in various ways. I have experience working with special needs kids and love doing so. April is Autism Awareness month and each April (except for this past one due to Covid), I give away sessions to special needs families.
My clients’ happiness and safety are the two most imprint things to me in my professional work. I am fortunate to have clients who have been coming back to me for years, and there is nothing more flattering or heartwarming. I have one family, for example, that I have done there two newborn sessions, two maternity sessions, baby milestone sessions and seasonal photos. A large portion of my business is from referrals from clients. Nothing makes me happier than creating a beautiful image of a client’s baby and having them love it (and sometimes tear up with happiness). Finally, in my studio, ALL are welcome.
Contact Info:
- Email: dana@snowpixiephotography.com
- Website: http://www.snowpixiephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/snowpixiephotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/snowpixiephotography/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/snow-pixie-photography-austin
Image Credits
Whitney Cooley Photography (for my 3 family photos). The rest are all Snow Pixie Photography, taken by me.
