We had the good fortune of connecting with Diandra Brooks and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Diandra, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always loved the arts but had a strong passion for photojournalism when I was young. Growing up I adored National Geographic and dreamed of becoming a photojournalist someday. Fast forward to middle school I started entering my nature photography at the Weld County Fair in Greeley, CO, and loved it! It was so fun seeing all the amazing photographers in the area. As I got halfway into my college career I had an itch to pick up my camera again and change my focus to documenting people. Photographing weddings, couples, and families relit a creative passion in me that I didn’t even know existed. Photographing and celebrating couples’ most important life moments means the absolute world to me. I love pursuing this creative career because I get to help couples look back on their precious memories. Life moves fast, but photography helps us to relive and remember.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Photos by Diandra started back in March 2020. I was sitting in my parent’s basement over my spring break vacation and was contemplating whether or not to officially open my business. In 2019 I started taking photos of my close family friends but didn’t know whether or not to share these photographs with the world. Honestly, I was scared and intimated to put my work out there for everyone to see, but I took a leap of faith and officially opened my business on March 17th, 2020, great timing I know. From there I started off slowly as the pandemic crept into full force. It was challenging opening a business as the world was closing down, but during this time I found my passion and ran with it.
Over that summer I took all kinds of courses from learning how to shoot in manual to business legality classes. I was so excited to springboard my business.
From 2020 to now my photography has changed a lot and so much work and practice have been put into it. In September of 2021, I went full-time and am so excited to be pursuing wedding and portrait photography as my full-time job. It is such a blessing and dream come true. Over the past two years, my clients have been amazing and so supportive as Photos by Diandra has evolved and grown.
Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was visiting the Nothern Colorado area and I would take them to so many awesome places. Here’s what I would recommend for food; Ginger and Baker or The Farmhouse at Jessup Farms. Personally, I love local and small businesses, so I would recommend any locally-owned restaurants. For drinks, I would recommend hitting up the brewery scene in Fort Collins, places like New Belgium, Odell Brewing Co., and Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project are all great. Brewery tours can be so fun too! Sweetheart winery is also a wonderful place to relax after a long day. Some fun places to check out in Colorado would be Rocky Mountain National Park, Red Rocks Ampithreater, and Boulder’s infamous Flat Irons.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to dedicate my shoutout to my family, friends, and amazing clients. They have supported me from the beginning of Photos by Diandra and I wouldn’t be here without them cheering me on through my ups and downs. Their continuous support means so much. I would also love to dedicate my shoutout to my boyfriend, Joe. Joe has been my biggest supporter from day one, he tags along to so many of my sessions and gifted me my first DSLR back in 2018. It means the world knowing he has my back. Thank you to you all.
Website: www.photosbydiandra.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosbydiandra/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/photosbydiandra
Other: https://pinterest.com/photosbydiandra https://tiktok.com/photosbydiandra
Image Credits
The personal photo of myself is a photograph by Madelyn Langreck Photo.