March 27, 2017

Meet Diana Bello of Diana Bello Studio in Atlanta

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana Bello.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Diana. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’m a destination portrait and wedding photographer based out of the northern part of Georgia who loves to travel and capture genuine love in all stages of life.

You can often find me dreaming up sessions with beautiful gowns in epic locations. I love to explore and I *adore* people who love to travel as well and get just as excited when exploring new places, be it Paris or a little corner of our state, in the name of beautiful artwork!

I guess that you can say that it all started when I was a little girl. My parents always allowed (and encouraged) exploration and play. I still love visiting new places, which is why on-location sessions make my heart happy. I always saw myself as an explorer and for a point in my life my dream job was to work for National Geographic as a photographer… travel far and wide, meet new people, and capture amazing images.

The journey to get to do just that (minus the National Geographic job) hasn’t been an easy one but it’s been pretty amazing.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I have been fortunate to have had the right people to push me in the right direction. I started my journey in portrait photography 8 years ago, working as a salesperson in a studio and then eventually got trained to become one of their photographers. I absolutely loved that job and all of my coworkers. I drove one hour each way through I-5 in Seattle, WA for almost 4 years and it was so worth it. It was such a great environment to learn and grow as a portrait photographer and I hope to recreate that same sense of family, growth, and fun in my team if ever I decide to expand.

The biggest obstacle that I’ve found is truly…me. The journey from “photographer” to “professional photographer” is truly a self-reflecting journey, where one’s worth is questioned many times. I had the hardest time, for a long time, seeing my worth and felt EXTREMELY uncomfortable asking and receiving money for my work. It took a lot of changes in my price lists, workshops, people who valued my work more than I did, and, truthfully one bad experience on the other side of the camera to realize how much I really care about photography and my clients and how much value I really provide to my clients. That bad experience I can say, really pushed me forward in making my decision to leave my full-time job at the hospital and to go full time as a photographer instead. I knew that I could provide an amazing experience for my clients while doing what my heart and soul desired.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Diana Bello Studio story. Tell us more about the business.
I love capturing love… all of it, in very stage of it. I love working with fashionable couples who love adventure and exploring. I love capturing emotion and real interactions… not just a beautiful pose. Newborns melt my heart and I absolutely adore little ones. I love capturing the connection between families and the youthful glamour of Quinceañeras.

Regardless of what kind of session it is, I really strive to make my clients feel special. I pamper them from beginning to end and walk them through the whole process so that they can just show up, relax, and create great memories. One of the main things that make me different from the other photographers is that I will definitely be more involved in the planning process of the session (choosing outfits, helping them find a makeup artist, extensive location scouting, etc.). I like to create an experience for my clients so after the session, I’ll invite them back into my studio or I’ll go to their home and do a Reveal Session for them. This is usually a very emotional experience where they get to see their images for the first time. I love seeing the emotions that unfold as they are holding their prints and watching their love play in front of their eyes through a slideshow.

I have just opened up my schedule for weddings and Quinceañeras this year (something that I only offered very sparingly in the past). I am so looking forward to expanding that same client experience onto my wedding and Quinceañera clients.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I don’t know if I would call it luck… more like a lot of hours learning, watching CreativeLive teachers, attending conferences, workshops, networking, and putting everything that I learn into practice.

I have been very blessed along my journey but it’s, in my opinion, based on a lot on the people that surround me… that cheer me on… that question my decisions…and it took me a while to get here. I think that everything happens for a reason. You are supposed to go through the stages in your life, meet the people that you meet, experience successes and failures because all of that prepares you to enjoy and cherish the journey that you were meant to take.

If you want to talk “luck,” I get to be lucky and blessed enough to be able to witness humanity’s greatest moments and emotions through my camera. I’d say that THAT makes me pretty lucky!

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