Lake Crescent in 10 Scenes

Every time a friend asks for Washington State travel recommendations, I give a 15 minute speech on why they should go there. Sometimes said speeches are successful. I’ve had so much practice, people are starting to think the lodge pays me commission.

Hit the link below the photo to read 10 reasons I’m obsessed with Lake Crescent on the Olympic Peninsula, written for Explore Washington State.

Working (and Staying Friendly) with Friends and Family

Just about every young creative I know got started working first for friends and family. Their trajectories often started with an unpaid favor here and there for relatives needing prom pictures or headshots, then engagement photo sessions, and before they knew it, they were booking jobs by word of mouth.

Should you build your creative career starting from a friends-and-family platform? It can be useful in portfolio-building, but many fledgling creatives eventually run into snags like awkwardness about pay or lack of boundaries. That doesn’t mean, however, that it can’t be made to work.

This summer I shared perspectives on how to make the friends-and-family client model work for you as a professional springboard:

LHS Brand Photography

Photography-wise, I always have the most fun in a brand session. Not only does a brand session require you to make creative use of a set of client-provided items and locations, its success depends on how well you can put yourself in someone else’s shoes and get to know their personality, taste, and needs…and even anticipate some needs or preferences that might not have occurred to them in the moment. You know, those great lightbulb moments when “shall we try this?” is answered with “wait - YES!”

Below: a modest sampling of favorite shots from a recent brand photography session for Lauren Haley Studios in Sugar Land, TX.