An Intentional + Kind Approach to Family, Wedding, Branding + Event Photography
We’re Sadie and Diwas, the duo behind DIWAS Photography, and we don’t take for granted the privilege of being welcomed into the lives, homes, and hearts of the communities and families we serve. Our journey began with a shared vision: to capture the true essence of our subjects and convey the stories rooted in love, purpose, and community. As certain as the sun rises and falls over the Salish Sea, casting a warm glow on Seattle’s neighborhoods, we are grateful for another season of capturing life’s beautiful moments.
As partners, parents, and individuals, we work to create a culture of care, inclusion, community + growth. We take an aligned approach to our photography practices + business. Rooted in our own experiences, we navigate life as a multi-cultural family, while sustaining a small creative business, aiming to create a sanctuary of inclusion, affirmation, and community through our work. We understand the power of representation, honoring identities, the importance of authentic storytelling, and the critical nature of feeling safe. Our commitment to consistently listening, learning, communicating + staying fluid helps us better serve our clients and community – a worthy ongoing practice. With that, it feels important to be explicit, we:
- Support and affirm neurodiversity and disability
- Respect queerness and honor gender identity
- Celebrate all bodies and respect boundaries
- Note: Smiles aren’t required, Candid is Queen + Awkward is Awesome
Oh, wait… there’s more, so much more. We share this because we want to affirm the realities of individuals within each family/group/community is diverse. We want ease, joy + great photos reflective of this moment, this stage, or this era for you + yours.
- We understand the idea of a traditional photo shoots can be overwhelming: from a sensory perspective, to dysmorphia, dysphoria, to anxiety.
- We understand the importance of reflecting the true tones of skin color and contrast in our practice of capturing imagery and in post production.
- We understand that correctly gendering/naming folks builds confidence and affirms joy and mis-gendering can take the spirit or wind from the proverbial sail.
- We understand the difference between impact + intention, strive for alignment + healing/repairing the spaces sometimes found in between.
- We understand there is so much that IS a social construct – but bedtimes, feeding times, and nap times are real. All humor aside, we get when things don’t flow, the consequences can be real.
That’s why we’ve developed our relationship based approach, to prioritize comfort + accessibility.
The Process
We absolutely start with conversations to ensure there’s a common vibe. Then we move through ensuring services/timing/budget works. From there, we even offer topical worksheets inclusive of flow + dynamics, have a review/planning connect, then a check-in/chat discussing any specific needs or newly surfaced concerns as the session arrives. We’re always ready to adapt – whether that means finding a quieter location, revising the flow, adjusting our shooting style, or taking breaks as needed – down to having covert signs to “time out!”. This approach is applied to every client experience – from Families, to Business + Brands, to Weddings + Events… honoring the humanity in every genre of photography.
What might a Family or Lifestyle Session Look Like?
When families join us for our lifestyle + storytelling sessions, we don’t just point and shoot being mindful of the clock to get the prized portrait. We collaborate with our clients to create an experience, true to them, encapsulating the current era. We do this through family worksheets, a brief planning call and ongoing communication. Picture this, photo session three possible ways:
- We start our session at your home; a safe space for you and your people to build trust with your photographer. We get to share some sweet candid + relaxed in-home time together. Maybe baking a cake, work in the garden, playing a game, work a puzzle, show + share the prized pets, stuffies, or the latest special interest.
- A family arrives at a sun-dappled park, perhaps a bit nervous (or full blown panic mode) about being photographed. We start by throwing down a blanket/home base, simply talking, sharing stories, we introduce the idea of playing games and having a snack.
- We meet briefly at your neighborhood stomping grounds – coffee shop, micro-brew, gym, dog park, whatever. We are your personal paparazzi to accurately depict the glimmers you hold dear in this chapter, with the folks/community/practices you engage in regularly, straightening your color, providing prompts, allowing for you to genuinely enjoy your time together as we click on.
All the same, in this low-key, chill process….We passively get to know folks, ask for presence, and snapping pictures casually along the way, building trust + sharing ownership of the experience. Couples, families of all constellations, Seniors… the same fluid, chill practice is applied. Why? Because there’s beauty in nuance, the moments in between… possible outcomes, three different ways:
- Maybe laughter fills the air and shoulders relax, or maybe meltdowns are moved through and safety/security/boundaries are re-established, and we begin/continue to capture moments.
- A child’s mischievous grin (or grimace), a loving glance or real talk, maybe the glance of horror or surprise (each glance is morally neutral in our book), the intertwining of hands that have weathered life’s storms together or have just needed to be held to be safe– these are the real, unscripted moments we live for.
- You capture true joy, the best side of yourself, or your truest self reflected… you may even see what others see, love and adoration being mutually exchanged, authenticity, confidence + more.
Our extended sessions allow for a natural unfolding of emotions- and how they unfurl is no accident. They offer breathing room, organic full expressions, flexibility and fluidity…they sometimes even offer families “the best day ever”. We’ve seen shy smiles blossom into full-bellied laughs, and stoic facades melt into tender vulnerability. By giving our families the time and space to be themselves, we ensure that every image tells a story – their story, in all its beautiful complexity. Posed portraits for holiday cards or the mantle piece is possible + optional; honoring your family’s vibe is essential.
From the Personal to Business. . .
This same philosophy extends to our work with small businesses and entrepreneurs. As creative business owners ourselves, in a market that has tremendous talent, we intimately understand the unique challenges and triumphs of carving out a space to make a name within your vibrant business landscape. Business + Brand photography sessions are more than just headshots and product images. They’re about capturing the passion that drives you, the late nights and early mornings, the dreams and the determination.
What might a Branding Session look like?
We would start with a listening session about your business + brand, who you are and the message of what you want to convey. We’ll marinade on that for a bit before we move into a planning session – talking about the who/what/where/when of it all, as well as scheme props, brand colors and more. We might start a session in your workspace, capturing the details that make your brand unique. Maybe we might venture out into Seattle’s iconic neighborhoods, using the city’s vibrant backdrop to tell your story. Maybe you’ll be engaging with your clients, demonstrating your craft or service, while standing in your power, or maybe you’ll just “act natural” as we do the thing – headshots, product set up, staging. Throughout it all, we’re not just photographers – we’re collaborators, co-conspirators really, helping you showcase your authentic self to connect with your audience on a deeper level. The goal is to help you develop evergreen digital assets that connects you with your ideal clients, showcasing your business: the places, the spaces, the faces… in addition to the process, the products and the services.
Back to the Personal, Love: Elopements, Weddings + Ceremonies
When it comes to weddings and events, our heart swells with joy at the opportunity to celebrate love in all its forms. As LGBTQIA+ affirming photographers, we’ve had the honor of documenting countless beautiful unions, each one as unique as the couple themselves.
From intimate ceremonies on the lake shores to grand celebrations in urban historic venues to mountains to farms to vineyards to back yards, we approach each event with open hearts, open minds, and open ears to learn what our clients are most excited about. We partner with our couples to learn about who they are, their values, their community and family (bio + intentional) dynamics, and take note of the layers + gifts within their celebrating community. Beyond that we work with the friendors and vendors as a team, ensuring all players at the wedding are being captured, highlighting their goods, services and labors of love for our collective clients.
We remember a wedding we shot many summers ago – two brides, radiant with joy, surrounded by a tapestry of family and friends from different beliefs, cultures and backgrounds. As the couple shared their first dance under a canopy of twinkling lights, we didn’t just capture the visual beauty of the moment. We captured the love, the electricity, the acceptance, the coming together of two worlds, noting mountains had been moved for these soulmates. Moments like these fuel our passion for inclusive event photography.
Our approach to photography for all of our clients: family, lifestyle sessions, weddings, mitzvahs, brand + event photography… is more than just capturing the shot list and delivering images. Through our lens, we’ve seen the beauty of community and landscape unfold. We’ve captured the joy of intercultural families, the strength, spirit and beauty of disabled individuals, the pride of LGBTQIA+ community, and the determination of entrepreneurs. Each click of our camera is a statement – a declaration that every story deserves to be told, every love deserves to be celebrated, and every individual deserves to be seen.
As we continue our journey as Seattle’s lifestyle and storytelling photographers, we remain committed to growth, learning, and adaptation. We believe that by creating a safe, affirming, and inclusive environment, we can capture the true essence of what makes each person, family, or business unique.
Work With Us: Become a part of the DIWAS Photography Family
Whether you’re looking to document your family’s journey, showcase your business’s personality, celebrate a milestone event (weddings, mitzvahs, parties, fundraising galas, etc), or even want a unique travel + photography experience to a far away land… we invite you to connect with us. Let’s create images that not only capture how you look, but how you feel – images that tell your story in all its authentic, diverse, beautiful glory.
In the tapestry of our vibrant community, every thread is vital. Every color adds depth. Every texture brings richness. And we’re here, camera in hand, heart on our sleeve, humbly ready to weave your story into the larger picture of our beloved world. Because in the end, it’s not just about taking photos or having a mantle piece – it’s about capturing and sharing a legacy, making folks feel seen, valued, and beautifully, unapologetically themselves.
