Life & Work with Desiree Blasius of All over Denver, CO + Travel

Today we’d like to introduce you to Desiree Blasius.

Hi Desiree, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been drawn to cameras and photography. I truly thought cameras were magic as a kid – and honestly, I still do! It’s the closest thing we have to freezing time and preserving memories and there’s something so beautiful (and cool) about that. Though I’ve always played around with taking photos, I didn’t really start learning what all went into it until I took a Black and White Film Photography class at the University of Michigan when I was about 18.

Film was a huge learning curve, but I fell in love with the challenge, and even more-so with the developing process. I had a difficult and unconventional childhood, moved out when I was ~16, and ended up working 3 jobs to put myself through college full time. Finding time between attending classes, working my jobs, and actually finding time for homework and a social life was difficult to say the least; But it meant driving to campus and having security let me into the dark room where I’d spend hours listening to music alone and developing photos sometimes until 3am. Watching the photo process bring the magic to life and seeing the final result as the photos hung to dry was so peaceful and time just didn’t matter in there; It was the only time in my life that I was able to shut down all of the tabs in my brain, stress, worries, anxieties, and just relax and feel at peace with my art.

About 9.5 years of school went by and I ultimately graduated in 2021 with a degree in Business & HR Management – a degree I truly couldn’t care less about, but I had to finish what I started. I moved from Metro Detroit, Michigan to Denver, Colorado late July of 2022. It was a new, fresh start, and to me, the end of a people-pleasing era. I started rediscovering myself and what that looked like – new hair, tattoos, friends, hobbies and the amount of growth in such a quick amount of time was amazing and head-spinning at the same time. I remember sitting on the couch and browsing photography pages – something I have always done – and mentioned it to my now husband that I wish I would have pursued photography. In his true supportive fashion he asked “Well, why don’t you?” I was worried it would just be another expensive thing that ended up in the “hobby graveyard” (a common thing amongst neurospicy folks…IYKYK). He reminded me that I have always loved photography and so it wasn’t a “new” shiny thing. I decided to listen to his logic and give it a go.

I took the leap, dove into hours of research and ultimately purchased a camera and a couple of lenses. I immediately started posting in Facebook groups offering sessions. I fell in love with it all over again. I would come home from every shoot with the best energy and it lit me up – the complete opposite of what my 9-5 corporate job made me feel. I worked my a** off for the next 8 months shooting every second I could after work, on weekends, and even on my lunch breaks if I had to. I learned and perfected and learned more and only fell more in love. I started my LLC, opened a business account, website, created contracts, etc. and started receiving paid inquiries consistently – still working my full time job and scheduling sessions after work, weekends, and editing all hours of the night to deliver client galleries. After about 1.5/2 years, I was getting SO busy I physically and mentally could not handle my full time job and my photography business – so I did the scariest thing ever and I put my notice in and left my secure and consistent paycheck.

It all happened so fast, but I’m the happiest I have ever been giving people the gift of freezing their special moments. I have met the coolest people and can genuinely say I’ve become friends with most clients I’ve worked with.

Sometimes the scariest leaps are the ones most worth it and the ones that make you believe in yourself. I only wish I had done it sooner!

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road – more like a bumpy country dirt road in a beat up car. Growing pains are real in every sense, but especially in a new business. I knew I wanted to take photos and create art, but running a business means you wear every single hat. Business accounts, write-offs, budgeting, expense tracking, pricing appropriately and competitively, editing software, editing style, comparing yourself to every single other photographer on social media and their success, followers, advice, style – IMPOSTER SYNDROME is real and it sucks. Learning from mistakes and experiences along the way and embracing the mess of the journey.

Truly though, if it weren’t for meeting other photographers and creatives along the way, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today. Community over competition is the most important thing I have learned and I love the community and the other creatives that I am happy to call friends.

There will always be struggles running your own business and it’s stressful, but again… worth it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In short, I am a photographer for awesome humans who want real, authentic moments captured. I specialize in couples, elopements, and intimate weddings. All love is safe and welcome with me, always. A photographer for the fun, edgy, & romantic rebels who don’t mind throwing the obligation of “tradition” in the trash and doing what makes them happy. I also shoot creative portraits, boudoir, and work with a lot of bada** female-owned businesses for their branding photos. My style is a mix of documentary, editorial, with some creative flair. The weirder the idea the better, honestly, I’m in!

I’m most proud of the way I make clients feel. Yes, I deliver photos they love, but what means the most to me is when I receive feedback or a client leaves a review and they mention how much fun they had, how comfortable I made them feel, and how happy they are with the experience.

Choosing a photographer is more than choosing someone who has an Instagram feed you like. In my opinion, what sets me and every other photographer apart is the experience we offer. I am myself – always – I did not quit my corporate job to have to sell my soul and fake a customer service pitch voice in my own business. I want my clients to be their authentic selves and so I show up the same!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you have a passion – pursue it. Take the leap. Do the dang thing! You won’t regret it! If you like to have fun and need a photographer to capture you and your partner’s love doing whatever you want, whatever that looks like to you – I’m your gal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.electrichoneyphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/electrichoneyphotography/
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/electrichoneyportraits

Image Credits
Photo of me: Lisa Olson @ellikosphotography & Edited by me