Your Photographer
My name is Dana Marchand, of Dana Marie Photography. I am a mom of three kids, all with amazingly cool names that I picked out myself! Leiken, 17, Dresden, 14 and Luxley who is 11. I work out of my studio in Tecumseh, which is near Windsor, Ontario. I have been a photographer for fourteen years, though I’d say I've been really good at it for maybe eight of those years!
I started my journey into the career of my dreams shortly after I found out I was pregnant with my second son. I had just lost my job, which was the needed motivation to pursue something I had fallen in love with while in high school. It was a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth and we shot photos on film and developed them in a tiny dark closet! I decided that I wanted to work for myself, doing something that I absolutely LOVE.
I went back to school at St. Clair and began working tirelessly to perfect my craft. I gotta tell you, I wake up most days in disbelief. Disbelief that I am fortunate enough to find work in a field that I'm so passionate about, create art that I am so genuinely proud of, all while being able to work mostly from home and focus on my kids. As a mom, I feel a lot of guilt when it comes to my kids. As we all do, I imagine! So being lucky enough to be able to work mostly from home is kind of a dream come true.
I’ve spent hours with a baby on my lap while I’m editing. I’ve spent years with the back and forth multitasking of working, making dinner, working, get one (two and now three) ready for school, working, stop to read books to my kids. I’ve even shot sessions with a baby strapped to my back. The struggle is real! I become more appreciative every day that perfect strangers walk into my life and allow me to live out this dream. I get to snuggle newborns, make babies giggle, get big hugs from new walkers. I get to watch the pride from new parents, the fear that their kids may not cooperate for me (I always win, by the way), and the smiles when they see the end result. The payback I get from knowing I captured the true character of their family is priceless. I tend to make friends with my clients and I genuinely care about each and every client that comes through my door. I have this luxury because of people like you!
I will never stop being grateful for the path I am on now, and I can’t wait for us to play a part in each other’s story!
Photo credit: Frances Roberts
Behind The Scenes