We recently had the chance to connect with Angela DiNatale-Hewett Schisler and have shared our conversation below.
Angela , we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
It’s funny, for the longest time, I thought I was just wandering. I was following my interests, trying new things, and bouncing from one creative pursuit to another without any clear direction. But now, looking back over the last 30 years, it’s clear that I was on a path all along. It was just a path I wasn’t aware of walking.
My artistic journey began with drawing as a child. I was constantly sketching and doodling, lost in my own little worlds. In college, that passion evolved when I discovered painting. I fell in love with the textures and the way colors could create an entire mood on a canvas.
However, once I started my own family, my children consumed my time and attention. I had less time for long hours in a studio, so I discovered photography as a way to continue my creative practice. It was a perfect fit, allowing me to capture fleeting moments with my kids while still engaging my artistic eye. I’m now mostly a photographer, though I still get to indulge in a bit of painting with the occasional face-painting gig, which is always a fun and colorful change of pace.
The threads of my creative life—from drawing to painting to photography—all weave together into a cohesive story. Each medium served a different purpose in my life, but they all sprang from the same core desire to create and capture beauty. I may have thought I was wandering, but in reality, I was building a path one step at a time.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Angela, and I’m a photographer and a mom. For a long time, I thought I was just a hobbyist, but over the years, I’ve found a way to blend my passion for capturing moments with my life as a mother and a traveler. My work is all about finding and preserving those small, beautiful details that make up our lives.
My photography really took off once my kids were born. Like so many parents, I wanted to freeze time and remember every stage of their childhood. What started as taking pictures of them for myself has grown into my businesses, Illusions Images Photography and Illusions Weddings. I specialize in all types of portraiture, events, and travel photography. I love working with people to capture the unique bonds and little quirks that make them and their loved ones special. I find so much joy in providing other families with the same kind of cherished memories that I have of my own family.
As a family, we’ve always made travel a priority. It’s our way of broadening our horizons and experiencing new cultures. I bring my camera everywhere we go, and it’s become a huge part of my brand. Through my lens, I get to document our adventures and share the wonders of the world with others. Whether it’s a candid shot of my kids on a hike or a breathtaking landscape, travel has given me a new perspective and a new way to tell stories through my work.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
Looking back, the people who saw me clearly before I could see myself were my children and my husband.
My children saw me first. As a mother, you give so much of yourself, and in their eyes, I was everything—a source of comfort, a storyteller, a creator. I took their adoring gaze as a beautiful, unconditional love, which it was, but it was also them reflecting back to me a person I hadn’t yet fully recognized in myself.
Then there’s my husband. He saw it too, but he was the one who spoke it into existence for me. He saw my talent and my drive, and from the moment we met, he’s been my biggest cheerleader. In fact, our story began when he hired me for a photoshoot. He not only believed in my work but he spoke words of encouragement to me daily until I finally began to believe it for myself.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Of course. I’ve had many moments where I felt like I was at a breaking point, but looking back, each challenge ultimately showed me how much I could endure.
In 2006, I launched my business, Illusions Images Photography, and for years, I dedicated myself to building it. By 2012, I was on a high, earning an Honorable Mention for the Carroll Best Photographer award. I truly thought my path was a straightforward climb to the top.
Then, life hit me in waves. In 2013, I separated from my second husband, and by 2014, the divorce was finalized. I lost my home studio and a lot of my equipment in the process. The business that I had poured my heart into was suddenly on the back burner. I felt completely defeated.
I met my current husband in the midst of all this, and we moved into a new home in 2016. We had plans to build a studio in the barn on the property, and it felt like a fresh start. But just as I was starting to find my footing, I got pregnant at 42. My new baby was born in 2017 with some health issues that required all of my attention. A year later, my ex-husband passed away, and my three older children needed me more than ever to help them through their grief.
The hits just kept coming. In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 rocked the world, shaking my kids’ sense of stability. We got married in September of that year, but just two months later, in November, my husband suffered a stroke and underwent open-heart surgery. I made the difficult decision to pull my kids out of school and homeschool them, putting my business on hold once more to focus on my family.
For years, it felt like I was constantly just surviving, not thriving. My business was on the back burner, and I was so consumed by everything else that I couldn’t even think about photography. But now, in 2024, I’ve finally been able to dedicate myself to my work again. The support and growth have been shocking. I’m amazed at how much the business has flourished now that I can finally give it my attention. I never truly gave up, but there were definitely times I had to set my dream aside to focus on what mattered most.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My closest friends would tell you that, above all else, my family matters most to me. Every big decision I’ve made, every challenge I’ve faced, has been filtered through the lens of what’s best for my children and my husband. They know that my children’s happiness and well-being have always been my North Star, from homeschooling them to putting my business on the back burner whenever they needed me most.
They would also say that my photography isn’t just a business—it’s an extension of my love for my family. It started as my way of capturing my kids’ lives, and it’s grown into a passion for helping other families preserve their own unique stories. My friends have seen me through the highs of earning awards and the lows of losing my studio and putting my dreams on hold. They know that even when life seemed to be pulling me in a hundred different directions, my love for creating and capturing beautiful, lasting memories never went away.
Ultimately, my friends would say what really matters to me is a life filled with purpose, resilience, and love. I’ve been through a lot, and they’ve been there for me through it all. They know that my story isn’t just about the photos I’ve taken; it’s about the life I’ve built, one filled with challenges and triumphs, but always centered on the people I love and the art that keeps my heart full.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When I’m gone, the story I hope people tell isn’t about the awards I won or the clients I had. I hope they say I was a woman who truly lived for God and her family, and who found a way to turn her life’s purpose into art.
I hope they talk about my resilience and my faith. That no matter what storms came—a divorce that took my studio, a new baby with health issues, the loss of a loved one, my husband’s stroke—I never lost sight of the fact that God had a plan for me. My path was never a straight line; it was a series of detours, and I hope people remember that I trusted each twist and turn. They were all there to teach me, to humble me, and to show me what truly mattered.
I want my children and my husband to tell everyone that I loved them unconditionally and that my greatest joy was found in being their mother and wife. My businesses, Illusions Images Photography and Illusions Weddings, were simply my way of sharing that love with the world. I hope people remember that I didn’t just take pictures; I captured moments of pure, unfiltered love and joy. Every portrait, every event, every wedding was an opportunity to preserve a part of someone’s story so they could cherish it forever.
Ultimately, I hope the story they tell is that I was a woman who saw the beauty in life, even in the struggles, and used her art to help others see it, too. That I poured my heart into my family and my work, and that in doing so, I created a legacy of love, faith, and beautiful memories.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.illusionsimages.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illusionsimages/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illusionsimages
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@illusionsimagesbyangela
https://www.pinterest.com/IllusionsArt/_profile/
Image Credits
All photos taken by me, Illusions Images Photography
