This past year has been an incredible journey in my photography career. From capturing heartfelt wedding moments to curating intimate boudoir sessions, every experience has deepened my love for storytelling through the lens. One of the most fulfilling aspects has been watching my business evolve—not just in the images I create, but in the connections I build with my clients.

For me, landscape photography isn’t just about capturing a beautiful scene - it’s about the emotion it evokes.  A great landscape can calm you, fill you with wonder, or spark a sense of adventure.  But the most powerful images are those of places we’ve experienced, as they hold a bit of magic - a transporting power to take you back to those memories in that space again, and again, and again.  

It always feels refreshing and brings a renewed sense of excitement to get busy with client work, as I truly believe creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised through different mechanisms. While cooking may seem like a far cry from photography in the sense of creative mediums, I have found that creating in and of itself spawns more ability and desire to create!...

As creatives, one of the easiest things in the world is to devalue ourselves. Whether you define it as “imposter syndrome,” do not think your talents are worth what you charge, or simply cannot imagine anyone finding value in your art, it is something so many artists fight; especially when it comes to pricing. 

For Army-spouse/photographer Chandra Pinger, her art unites her with other military families. After a PCS, photography can be a tether to connect with a new place and its people.

Did you find yourself creatively inspired or creatively stunted during lockdown? Since it was such a heavy time, I tried to funnel that energy into keeping my creative muscle flexed and toned!

I'm still the Events and Marketing Photographer at The Mariners' Museum and Park. They've kept me around for a year and a half now, so I guess I have successfully fooled them all! MWAHAHAHAHA! (That's supposed to be my sinister laugh) I've learned and grown so much. It's been wonderful to work in an organization that continues to serve and grow throughout hardships.

Once in a while, things just "click!" Our July interviewee, photographer Heather K. Purdy, shares with us her beautiful images - forged when a flash of inspiration lights up the studiously honed canvas of her craft. With agility, talent, and hard work Heather has built a business in fine art photography and client portraiture while traveling the globe.

Since my guest post last year quite a bit has happened, but funny enough, most of that occurred just earlier this year. The rest of 2019 continued pretty much the same (professionally anyways). I continued working for Navy MWR part-time, as well as with the Army at Ft. Eustis as an on-call photographer photographing events and studio portraits.

Frequent PCSing often leaves military spouses no option other than putting careers on hold for the short-term or even long-term. Mil spouse photographer Meredith Ryncarz has developed a way to keep her business going from move to move, with strategies that help her establish new clients/bookings before she has reached the new duty station. With so many mil spouses going through the same career frustrations, Meredith shares these strategies to help other mil spouse creative business owners.