Koontz Photography

Hello!!! I’m Daniella and I’m so happy that you’ve clicked on my page! With over 15 years of experience, every portrait session or wedding I shoot is a unique and fun adventure. I love telling stories through images and capturing beautiful portraits. My goal is to provide a safe, inclusive space for your special day, celebrating your love of cosplay, fandoms, sci-fi, and magic. At Koontz Photography, I blend professionalism, creativity, and a personal touch to capture your unique moments. Clients praise my responsiveness, attention to detail, and ability to make everyone feel at ease. My high-quality, magazine-worthy photos truly reflect your special day’s essence. Being a traditionally trained artist, I have a keen eye for composition, lighting, and color. As a wife and mother, I understand the joys and challenges of planning an offbeat wedding and working on a budget. Running a small, woman-owned, LGBT-friendly business has equipped me with the skills to ensure a positive client experience from start to finish. Whether you’re looking for an offbeat vibe or a classic touch, my work speaks to a diverse range of styles and preferences, always with dedication and care. Experience the magic of Koontz Photography, where every moment is a masterpiece and every client is treated with respect and kindness. But enough about me—I can’t wait to hear all about how you met, how the engagement went, what you guys do for fun, and especially if you have any fur babies!

At a Glance

DeLand, FL

KoontzPhotography.com

Florida Available for travel

LGBTQ-Owned Woman-Owned Neurodivergent-Owned

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How do you personally identify, and how does that shape how you work with couples?

I identify as an artist and an advocate, first and foremost. I believe love is love, full stop, and that belief shapes everything about how I work. I’m also neurodivergent, and that’s given me a deep appreciation for people who don’t fit the mold, whether that’s how you love, how your brain works, or how you want your wedding day to look. I know what it’s like to feel like you have to perform “normal” to be taken seriously, so I built my business to be the opposite of that. No judgment, no assumptions, no boxes to fit into. I want every couple I work with, queer, poly, disabled, neurodivergent, unconventional in any way, to feel like they can just exist in front of my camera without explaining or justifying anything about who they are. That’s the whole job, really. Making space for people to be exactly who they are, and then making sure the photos prove it.

How did you get started as a wedding pro?

I grew up with a camera in my hand. It got me inducted onto my high school yearbook team earlier than I was technically supposed to be, because I was already shooting like I meant it before anyone gave me permission to. After high school, people started asking me to take their senior photos. Then their wedding photos. I said yes before I ever called myself a business. It took until 2006 for me to actually make it official, but by then I’d already been doing the work for years, I just finally put a name on it. So in a lot of ways, this career found me before I found it. I didn’t choose weddings so much as people kept trusting me with their most important days, and I kept saying yes, until one day I looked up and it was my whole life.

What was the moment you realized you didn't fit into the traditional wedding industry?

I still shoot plenty of traditional weddings, and I love doing them well. But I noticed something in myself at the neurotypical wedding shows and vendor networking events. I’d walk out completely drained, running on fumes for days. Then I started working with neurodivergent couples doing offbeat, unconventional wedding things, and something flipped. My energy multiplied instead of disappearing. That contrast taught me something about where my own satisfaction actually comes from. I don’t need every couple to be offbeat to do great work for them. But when I get to work with people who feel like they don’t fit the traditional mold, that’s when the work feels the most like me.

Describe your aesthetic in three words that have nothing to do with weddings.

maximalist, gothic, wonder-struck

What's one thing conventional wedding vendors often get wrong, and how do you do it differently?

Minute-by-minute timelines. So many vendors build wedding days like a military operation, every moment scheduled down to the second, zero room to breathe. And then they turn into a drill sergeant all day, barking at the couple about what’s next instead of letting them actually live in their own wedding. I do it differently. I build in buffer time on purpose, because things run late, emotions take over, people need an extra minute, and none of that should feel like a crisis. My job is to get the shots and keep things moving, not to hound you through your own day. You should get to actually enjoy it, not just survive it on a schedule I made for you.

What's your favorite wedding tradition and why?

First looks, hands down. It’s the one moment in the whole day that’s just for the couple, before it belongs to everyone else. No guests, no rush, no performing for a room. Just the two of them actually seeing each other and having a minute to breathe before the chaos of the day takes over. It’s practical too. Getting portraits and bridal party photos done beforehand means the couple isn’t vanishing for an hour during cocktail hour, and in winter especially, it means we’re not racing the sunset to get the shots that matter. But honestly, I love it most for the quiet. It’s real, unscripted, and it’s theirs.

What wedding tradition or trend do you wish would die and never come back?

Table-by-table dinner photos, and the trend of planners releasing tables one at a time so the couple can pose for a photo with each one on their way to the buffet. No. Absolutely not. The couple needs time to actually eat unbothered, and the vendors need time to eat too, because we’re right back on our feet the second toasts start. If we’re doing table photos at all, it’s a table dash: quick, efficient, in and out. Not a slow, staged march past every table while everyone’s food gets cold and the couple never gets a bite. Let people eat. That’s it. That’s the whole ask.

Get to Know

Daniella Koontz

I've been the girl with the camera since before I knew it was a career. Nearly two decades later, that hasn't changed. What has changed is how much I've learned about people: what makes them soften, what makes them real, what makes them trust someone enough to let their guard down in front of a lens.
I believe in real over perfect. I'm drawn to the in-between moments, the ones nobody poses for, because that's where people actually look like themselves. I have a lifelong fascination with human psychology, and it shows up in how I work: I'm paying attention to more than just light and composition. I'm paying attention to you.
My aesthetic leans gothic-whimsical (Lestat has a lot to answer for), but my values are simple. Consent and comfort come first. Connection comes before content. I'd rather spend twenty extra minutes making someone feel safe than get the "perfect" shot at their expense.
I paint, I am an avid museum goer, concerts = therapy, and you'll find me hanging out in nature when it isn't so hot. I'm a person first. That's who shows up to your wedding day, not just a photographer.