In this series, WeWork’s director of digital community selects a WeWork member to get to know better, sharing her fun findings with the rest of the community.
When I was introduced to WeWork Madison members Donna Dotan and Brian Podnos by community manager Maxwell Bevilacqua, I was immediately impressed by their unique and thriving architectural photography practice. And, of course, their awesome story: they’re a married couple that works together in the professional photography world. Read on to learn the value (beyond a thousand words) of a good picture, how they balance work and family life, and more.
So your business, Donna Dotan Photography, focuses on photography of architecture, interior design, hospitality, development, real estate, and renovations. When did you realize that was the type of photography you wanted to specialize in?
Dotan: I started the company back in 2009. It was when my family had their apartment photographed by a professional photographer since they were having it sold. I saw the photos, and it was really amazing—the way the apartment looked in the photos—I’d never seen anything like it. I didn’t even know this was a profession: to have someone photograph the property that you’re selling. So I said to myself, “I have to find a way to recreate these photos!”
My family is in real estate—my mother’s been a real estate broker for 30 years, and my brother is also a broker, so this is my whole upbringing. And then I found out about an agency that sends out photographers to shoot apartments for sale—here in New York City! I built a portfolio, I presented it, and I got hired. They sent me out on anywhere from two to six apartments a day, carrying all my equipment all the way up and down subway stairs to all five boroughs. So that’s how I got started.
Podnos: I came on about a year later. Previously, I was doing commercial real estate. I wasn’t really enjoying what I was doing, and I was loving Donna’s work. And Donna came to me with the opportunity. She didn’t want to be doing so many apartments a day—she wanted to focus more on high-end work, so she could slow things down and spend the time she wanted crafting every picture.
So I came on in a business development role. It was very easy to sell Donna’s work. And to jump back to the root of your question—which is “Why did we decide to go with architecture?”—we made the decision early on that we wouldn’t do other types of photography.
Dotan: We wanted to specialize in a specific niche and become the best at that particular job. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist, and this lets me get crazy specific with all the detailed elements of a room.
Podnos: Shortly thereafter, we were able to bring on a lot of high-end clients and do a lot of really fun work. And become pickier about how we approached real estate as well. And also, it got to the point years ago where Donna had so much work that she needed help. So she took the time to train me how to edit and do photography as well, and it took a while—
Dotan: About one year of training for editing, and then another year of training for photography, until Brian was able to go out and shoot on his own.
You are married. How do you help balance work and family life?
Dotan: We’ve been together since our freshman year of college and got married in 2012!
Podnos: It brought us together! A lot of people say they can’t work with their significant other, but it’s the exact opposite for us. We’re such a strong team, and I think we come to understand that more deeply every single day that we’re together. I think it actually makes us love each other more.
Dotan: Last February, when I was nine months pregnant, we brought on Ben, our editor, and he had to work from our apartment and watch us raise a newborn!
Podnos: We told him it was a “non-traditional work environment!”
Dotan: Working from home was really hard. In January of this year, we finally moved out of our living room and into WeWork. Being able to separate work and home is amazing.
Podnos: The business has grown really well. We’ve grown from just Donna, to Donna and myself, to bringing on our editor, Ben, to recently bringing on a second editor, Emily. We also have two additional photographers, and we’ll be bringing on more photographers soon.
Dotan: It’s good because that can put a flame under your butt: having an office and employees forces you to work harder.
Podnos: Plus, living in NYC in general, it makes you work harder. You have to hustle in this city.
What have been some of your favorite projects and photographs to take?
Dotan: The primary work that we do is real estate photography. And the way we approach it is we bring our experience from shooting editorially for interior designers and architects to the real estate industry. The lights in the home are all turned off for the shoot. And beyond standard room shots, we also shoot little moments and vignettes in each room to show the lifestyle of the space and what life really feels like in this home. Our clients love it, and it helps them sell the property so much faster.
Podnos: We like to say we’re not just shooting real estate—we’re telling the story of the space through imagery.
Photos: Donna Dotan and Brian Podnos