FRIEND REQUEST: DAWN KPANDEYENGE OF DAWN MICHELLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Dawn Kpandeyenge has been doing photography for over twenty years. She believes in the power of capturing specific photos in time to look back on and loves the creative freedom photography provides. Whether it’s through senior photos, family shots, or wedding days, Dawn’s portfolio exuberates passion and professionalism. It was a pleasure learning more about the woman behind the camera.

LOCAL 219: I’m excited to talk with you today, Dawn. I’ll start with, was it circumstances, your childhood, or hobbies, that led you to being a photographer?

DAWN KPANDEYENGE: So, when I was in high school, I was at a game with my mom. I will never forget it. She was like, “What are you going to do with your life?” I knew I wanted to own a business mainly because I wanted to be available for my children, raising them. I didn’t want to be away from them. I wanted to be actively involved in their lives and then also able to provide financially.

Then I did enjoy photography; it was a hobby of mine. I would take pictures and my dad would critique them. Literally I would take pictures and my dad would be like, “That tree is growing out of their head there. I wouldn’t place them there.”

L219: He really gave you legitimate feedback.

DK: Totally. He would give me constructive criticism and I actually was shocked at how much great advice he could give me, but I took it to heart because it was him and I bonding.  I thought I was going to run a salon. So, I went to school for hair, and realized that wasn’t my call. I did try it out for a while, paid some bills, but I just wasn’t happy.

At one point my twin sister, Lisa, and I were approached for modeling and acting. We decided we were going to take each other’s headshots. So, we took them, and being in the industry, an agent was like, “This is industry standard. Who took your pictures? You guys need to pursue photography on top of your modeling.”

L219: Wow, how cool of that agent to encourage you in that direction.

DK: Then we were on the a set of a small acting gig, and we ended up doing all of these headshots and even comp cards for the actors on the set.

 L219: Was that because they had seen the ones you had done for each other?

DK: Yes, after seeing our work. That was how my business developed. I didn’t want to act anymore and that was when I decided that I wanted to be on the other side of the camera.

L219: Alright, you did the head shots for them. Did you continue with headshots for a while? When did you transition into different styles?

DK: It was headshots and comp cards for models, all fashion and headshots, industry standard type stuff. Then my sister and I went right into weddings. Weddings took off for probably the next five years. Weddings and senior photos. I ended up taking a break when my babies were small because it was too overwhelming for me. My heart was, “I want to be a mom to my kids. I don’t want to be away. These moments are fleeting, they’re so quick.”

After, I felt a nudge to return to photography, but my sister didn’t, so that’s when I started Dawn Michelle Photography.

L219: It sounds like that’s been your priority since high school. When it comes to your kids, they come first. Who has been the biggest influence in your life?

DK: I would have to say my mom, my dad and Amara, my husband. My mom because she was so supportive with encouraging me to be self-employed, and she was the one who taught me that being with your kids is the most important thing. Two, my dad, because he was such a supporter of my gift. He would tell me, “You have a gift, you have gift,” and he would critique it.

L219: He empowered you.

DK: He empowered me, and he made me believe that I did have a gift.

He would look at my work and be like, “Wow, Dawn. I’m amazed.” He really believed that I was a good photographer, and he gave me such an eye to see the whole picture not just the subject. That stuck with me and gave me a great tool to begin with.

Then, Amara has been so supportive. He always has my back. He’s pushed me, he believes in me. He’s encouraged me when I need the time off, and when I wanted to take time to be with the kids. He’s always told me how this is my gift, my God-given gift. He’s never held me back.

L219: Next, what makes you tick? What gets you out of bed in the morning?

DK: I’m living in my purpose when I’m creating. There’s such a creative edge to me. That’s why I love decorating. I love seeing things come to life, but in my style. It’s what makes me tick; it literally fills me with so much bubbling joy, that I can’t even contain it.

I’m truly living when I’m creating.

L219: I feel like creativity is so healthy because it’s expression. It’s an opportunity to release everything going on internally, whether it’s enthusiasm, love, or passion, and when we get to integrate that level of creativity into a career it can be so fulfilling.

DK: I feel like I’m almost too blessed because I enjoy it so much. Like it’s not fair to others that don’t enjoy what they do. I literally enjoy it that much. I’ve come to the place where I’ve embraced, who I am, my gift and my creative edge, and I’ve learned to truly embrace that about who I am as God’s gift to me.

L219: What do you enjoy most about what you do?

I love bringing that creative edge to capture the moments in families or in weddings. Like seeing the look on a mom’s face when she’s seeing pictures of her family, or when I send a mom the link of her son’s senior pictures, and she’s like, “I’m crying my eyes out.” It’s my happy place.

I don’t know what I love more, creating, or the finished product of what I created. Both are so fulfilling to me.

L219: Maybe it is both. When we cross the finish line of a race, it’s a great feeling, but it’s such an achievement because of the journey up to that point. The trials, obstacles and grit it took to make it there.

DK: I’ve thought about this: times are tough, families go through hardships, marriages goes through hardships, and teens have their troubling seasons. Well, when a family is going through hard times, they can look on their wall and see what was captured.  It reminds them of what they’ve had in those troubling seasons of life.

That’s why, when I’m taking pictures, I tell families, “Cozy up, get close,” because I want them to be reminded of the blessing of their family.

L219: So that in moments of heartache, moments of hardship, tension, stress, things that come up in a normal household, they can look at those photos and say, “let’s get back there; that’s what we stand on.” That’s beautiful. What is a lesson you have learned while being in the industry?

I’ve learned that every photographer has their own style, and you can’t try to be like everybody else. I held myself back because I saw all the phenomenal photographers out there and I kept thinking I’m nowhere near them; I’m nothing like them right now. So, it put me into almost like a paralyzed state where I was like, “I can’t get to that place.”

L219: Don’t we always forget that everyone has a beginning? That we all start without experience. Like a kid will look at Michael Jordan and say, “I could never be like him. I’ll never be that good,” but we forget that Michael Jordan didn’t come out of the womb slamming dunks. He developed the habits to build that skill set.

Exactly, and every photographer has their own creative edge. I realized I would see other photographers and say, “Well they’re bright and airy, they’re dark and moody. I should be like them. They have this many likes on their Facebook page. Then I came to the place where I embraced my style, my personality. So, whoever likes what I do, they can book with me, and my worth raised up when I embraced that truth.

I have friends that are really, big photographers in the area. I don’t want to be that photographer that sees every other photographer as my competition. I really do want relationships with photographers where we’re supporting each other.