Remember to live joyfully and authentically. Be you, whoever that is, and be proud of who you are. Be a good human and love others. Let’s join together to create a better, safer, more inclusive world.

Having a recognizable brand, a brand that evokes emotions, a brand that makes people WANT to work with you… those are the things that will get your business in front of more people. Which means your visibility will skyrocket if you have something interesting to say and pair it with something beautiful to showcase.

Which leads perfectly into your branding images. 😉

This was such a fun branding session because each location was so different that we were able to capture so much of Claire’s personality and what makes her amazing and unique. She wasn’t afraid to laugh at herself or change her outfit in the middle of the desert. We had a blast.

When you’re not quite ready for a full branding session, but need professional images to get you started, a simple headshot session may be just the ticket.

But you don’t want boring old pictures, even if it’s simple. So how do you get that great headshot?

I’m so glad you asked! These are some of the tips I give my clients to help them get started on being comfortable and authentic in front of the camera.

I offered to cohost these monthly networking events because I love to bring people together. I love connecting people with others who can help them on their journey. And I know so many people in different circles that I knew if we could get them all together we could make magic happen for everyone.

The 2023 Self-Love Women’s Retreat in Tri-Cities, WA was a chance for women to learn about self-care and self-love, and they each had a chance to step in front of the camera for a personal portrait session.

Even though we’re in the same place and limited to the spaces within the retreat venue for location, we always find a way to personalize the women’s sessions just a little bit. Whether that’s simply switching from inside to outside, adding a little bit of personality, or even removing ourselves from the group altogether to find a quiet secluded area. These women nailed their sessions, and I am so excited to share more of their images here.

If you’ve been following along for a while, you know I’m a spooky bitch all the time, not just in the fall.

Many of my “Halloween” decorations are actually home décor all year long.

So when September rolls around and it’s finally socially acceptable to talk about spooky season, I am in my element.

This year though… this year I have big plans.

I was excited for a lot of reasons. This was my 3rd annual retreat focused on empowering women to find self-care practices that worked for them, step into their power as whole human beings, and begin to live a more fulfilled and joyful life. I had already helped over 20 women between my first 2 retreats and I was about to help another 10. Except this time was different. This was the first self-love retreat I hosted at which I didn’t know over half of the women who purchased tickets. In fact, most of them were complete strangers to me. Not friends, not friends of friends, not related to friends.

Total strangers.

If you haven’t been to one of their programs, I implore you to attend next year’s. Keep an eye on their social media pages and block the date off on your calendar once it’s announced.

Now for the best part: the pictures. Check out some of my favorites from my work with Miss Juneteenth this year.

There are some questions I get asked all the time by clients planning their portrait sessions. All my clients get a guide to support them while planning, whether it’s a simple style guide for family portraits or a full story-planning workbook for branding sessions.

But everyone reading this may not be my client, or you may be considering working with me (or another photographer) but still have some reservations about a portrait session in general. So to ease your mind and help you plan your ideal portrait session, I’ve put together a list of tips and tricks to help you out.

Locally owned businesses are a blast to work with.

And what’s even better is working with locally owned businesses I LOVE.

The very first time I went to Crepehaus & El Compadre I was amazed. There aren’t a lot of places where a vegetarian, someone with food allergies, and a person on a special diet can all go and get delicious food without ordering off-menu. But the owners, Jackie, Al, and Marvin, have created a space where that can happen.

This is going to be such a fun event, you’re going to get the chance to feel gorgeous and powerful and loved all while shopping and hanging out with some other amazing women.

You deserve to feel all those things. And you deserve to let loose and get pampered for a couple of hours.

Bring your bestie, let’s make this a party.

Angie and I became fast friends while planning the retreat and we embraced helping each other out and lifting each other up. So when she asked me to take her branding pictures, I was thrilled to be able to work with her again.

She’s a multi-faceted woman who does a LOT. She offers Reiki healing, massage therapy, sound bath healing, and oracle card readings. Together with a partner, she was combining her powers to create a beautiful destination Goddess Retreat. She’s working on planning these retreats now, so make sure you go give her a follow if that’s something you’re interested in.

If you’ve been struggling to connect with yourself: I see you.

I’ve been there. In fact, I struggle to connect with myself more often than you would think given how much I talk about self-care. We get so caught up in our lives and our everyday worries, stressors, to-do lists, etc. that we forget to slow down and focus on ourselves.

So today, I want to give you some reminders along with some things you can do to reconnect with yourself in different ways throughout the rest of the summer.

My 2nd Group Branding Session was held in May, and it was a hit with the women who joined me!

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This time around I’m going to post a few pictures from each woman’s session and link their business. They were all a blast to work with, so chances are being their client would be awesome too. Check them out!

Your branding session is a big deal. The pictures you’re going to get during your session are going to represent your business and brand for at least the next few months, if not the next year. So it makes sense that you want to make sure it all works out the way you plan.

A lot of my clients aren’t sure where to start, and some of them know exactly what they want. Whichever camp you fall into, even if you’re somewhere in the middle, I’ve compiled a list of 5 tips to prepare for your branding photography session.

Back in March of this year, I hosted my first ever Goddess Retreat. This retreat was designed to help women who were interested in metaphysical practices, witchcraft, energy work, etc. create connections within the community. We provided a safe space for women to learn, ask questions, and talk about these interests without fear of judgement.

Here’s what we did…

I talk a lot about establishing your brand through branding photography, but what if you already have an established brand and you need to have a photoshoot to create new content?

Incorporate your existing brand into those pictures! Your photographer should have steps to get that information from you, but to give you some ideas on how you can do it here are some helpful tips.

Restaurants are a blast to shoot, because the process of making the food, the interactions between staff and customers, and the meals themselves add so much variety to the session. Recently, I worked with Picante Mexican Taqueria as they opened their brick-and-mortar location (they used to be a food truck) to create some beautiful pictures for them.

I’ve done location scouting for years for my clients, and I have found some of the best locations in the Tri-Cities, WA for a myriad of sessions. From family pictures to senior photography, I’ve got you covered on spots. So today, I’m going to give my top 10 places to go for your branding photography. With each location, I will give you a rundown of the vibe, business type, and physical address, with my own review of my experience with each.

At the end of this, you’re going to have so many ideas for your branding photography that your biggest location problem will go from “I don’t have anywhere to shoot” to “There are so many places I can’t choose!”. Don’t worry, I can help narrow it down too. All you have to do is reach out to me to schedule your consultation and I promise, by the end of our meeting you’ll be ready to jump in.