Talk Shop: Donna Dotan // Donna Dotan Photography
ABOUT DONNA
If you’ve been following AOI for a while, you’ve definitely seen the name “Donna Dotan” a few times. And you have definitely seen her work in magazines like Architectural Digest, Luxe, House Beautiful, and more. Donna is an interiors, architectural, and hospitality photographer with over 15 years of experience. Her passion for photographing spaces stems from her love of beautiful and functional design and obsession with clean lines and natural light. Donna lives in Montclair, NJ where she divides her time between photography and being a mother to two boys and her Goldendoodle, Remy. She also runs a creative agency with her husband Brian, called DD-reps, which is a collective of photographers who she both mentors and represents as their agent. We so enjoyed chatting with Donna, and hope you enjoy our latest #talkshop!
In three words or less, how would you describe your style?
Evolving, perfectionist, and feminine.
Who or what have been the biggest influences in your life? On your photography aesthetic?
My mother. Growing up, she would take me through markets in Israel to look at art and rugs and buy random things for the house. We moved a lot, both in Israel and New York, but our house always looked like a museum. She covered the walls with art and tapestries and made every room feel warm and inviting. She really knew how to fill a room! I love photographing spaces that feel this way.
My photography aesthetic also represents my love of organization and clean lines. Most architecture isn’t perfectly symmetrical, but through the lens, I can make a room feel balanced by the way I frame and style the space.
What is your favorite thing about what you do?
Architecture and design involve extensive work, planning, and investment. My favorite part of what I do comes after spaces are completed and ready for use. I feel incredibly fortunate that my role is to capture the essence of these beautifully constructed environments. The photography not only represents my art but also the art of my clients. Being able to create and share this art together is truly what I cherish most about my job.
I also love working with my husband, Brian, through launching DD- reps in 2017. We represent and mentor photographers in the architecture and interiors niche, which is so rewarding. We currently represent 10 photographers across the country, and we’re growing each year. I am so proud of our roster, which includes some of the best talents in the industry. Along with being able to guide their photographic journeys, our company also has a mentorship program where photographers have a platform to support each other’s growth.
What does your home say about you? Does owning your home reflect your perspective as an interior and architectural photographer?
Two years ago, my husband Brian and I purchased a 6,500 square-foot Dutch Colonial home built in 1901, nestled in a charming neighborhood. The house required a TON of work, but the character of its architecture and gracious space for hosting was exactly what we were looking for. Brian and I are very social, community oriented people, so we love having people over. We even have a friend who just comes over to paint in our art room!
Our home’s design is a labor of love, tackled one project at a time. If financial constraints were no issue, I'd eagerly invest in restoring every corner of this magnificent space. However, there’s a part of me that loves the perpetual nature of this process, as it allows me to engage continuously with my home, transforming and then capturing each renovated space through my lens as an architectural photographer.
What photography "rule" do you always follow, and which is made to be broken?
There are certain technical rules in architectural photography that are important to maintain. For example, using grids and bubble levels to make sure the vertical lines are straight in the image. If it’s a head-on shot of a room, then the horizontal lines need to be straight as well. I use an Arca Swiss D4 tripod head, which allows me to finely tune the movements of my camera to create absolute precision when it comes to perspective correction.
I’m not sure if this is “rule breaking” or just framing choice, but many times I will shoot a room off-center and find it to be more interesting than a perfectly centered or symmetrical photo. With 15 years of experience shooting spaces, I typically know where I’m going to shoot a room from within a few seconds of walking into it. I know how the camera is going to see the room and that dictates how I’m going to shoot it, even if it requires rearranging all the furniture!
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been shooting my own house recently! We completed a big kitchen renovation in the Fall, and I photographed it this past January. Hopefully it will be published and I can share the images soon.
I also recently completed a rebrand of a Creative Agency I co-founded with my husband Brian, named DD-reps, short for Donna Dotan Represents. While Brian and I initially worked together as photographers, he soon found his passion in the business aspects of the venture. When we launched in 2017, DD-reps was established with the vision of representing a collective of independent Architectural and Interiors photographers, offering them a platform to support each other’s growth. We currently represent 10 photographers in New York, a few in Florida, and one in Seattle, Washington, and our collective continues to expand each year. I am proud to say that our roster includes some of the best talents in the industry, and I cherish the opportunity to mentor them in their career journeys.
I’m also working on a personal photography series of entrepreneurs captured in an environmental portrait. I started working on this about four years ago in the pursuit of improving my skills with artificial lighting, and quickly realized how much I enjoyed the process. I help my subjects create an environment that tells their story by including things in the image that reflect either what they do or what they love, or both. Check out some of the portraits I’ve done here!
How do you help your clients prepare for a shoot?
With a new client, I always do a pre-production call in which the client walks me through the space with scouting shots. We discuss approximately how many shots we’ll do in each room, and this will help me figure out how long the shoot needs to be. Usually the stylist is on this call as well. I also always recommend hiring a stylist for the shoot. While I’m great at moving objects (or even furniture) around for a photo, nothing compares to the skills of a stylist to make the space feel complete, bring in the perfect florals for each space, and make all the fabrics look perfect (or perfectly imperfect!). Stylists also know what different magazines like, or don’t like, so their knowledge is extremely important for any designer looking to get published.
Best advice you ever received for shooting interiors:
When I was just beginning my photography career, I visited a retouching studio owned by photographer Scott Frances. He happened to be in the office that day and kindly offered an impromptu portfolio review, during which he shared a piece of advice that would shape the trajectory of my work: the importance of controlling natural light. Since that day, I've refined my process to harness natural light to its fullest, using it to dramatically enhance the visual impact and emotional depth of my images.
Jill Cohen, the Editor in Chief of Luxe magazine, has also been a great mentor to me and is just one of my favorite people in general. She taught me the importance of visually connecting one space to another, and gave me priceless insights into approaching vignettes, moments and details. I think about her advice every time I step into a space that has ambitions for publication.
Your photography motto:
Follow the light! Every shoot begins with a tour of the space to understand how the light moves throughout the day. I particularly love the speckled light on partly sunny days—capturing the dynamic interplay as it filters into the room. I’ll photograph the light streaming in and then take a contrasting shot when a cloud momentarily softens the brightness. On overly sunny days, I diffuse the harsh light with white sheets, creating a softer, more flattering glow.
What advice would you give to someone looking to get into interior and architectural photography?
Reach out to photographers you admire and ask them questions. Most are so happy to share knowledge and advice. I am mostly self taught, meaning I didn’t go to school for photography. I was actually a Psychology major! It wasn’t until after college that I realized photography was my calling. I took a couple of classes at the International Center of Photography in Manhattan to learn the basics of digital photography, and I also later helped teach their Architectural Photography course. The rest I learned from other incredibly kind and generous photographers who were willing to teach me. There was even a salesman at B&H Photo who spent three hours with me one day teaching me about architectural lenses, called Tilt Shift lenses.
I was hungry to learn and improve, so I was (and still am) constantly seeking solutions to problems and figuring out ways to improve my workflow. I didn’t even use any form of artificial lighting until 2020. I used my down time when Covid started to learn lighting technique and to practice. Now I will bring my lighting with me on every shoot, and use it to fill shadows when they are too harsh, or to make the colors pop a little more. I use it in a very subtle way, because I still want my images to feel natural and editorial.
Also, don’t be too picky about your clients or projects in the beginning. Every shoot is an opportunity to improve your skills and learn from new challenges.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: Israeli food. But specifically, Israeli breakfast.
Drink: Tequila Old Fashioned
Film: Dirty Dancing
Hotel: Beresheet Hotel in Israel
City: New York
Bedding: This is probably pretty lame, and not luxurious at all, but I love the feel of jersey cotton sheets! Pottery Barn has good ones. My kids love them too.
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Cappuccino with oat or almond milk.
Playlist: Coldplay
Weekend Activity: Picnic in the park with my kids on a beautiful day, or having friends over for a BBQ
Design Book: It’s more of a photography book, but it helped inspire my photography series offemale entrepreneurs, so I feel I should mention it. It’s called Women by Annie Leibovitzand Susan Sontag.