My wedding photographer quoted me an extra $2,000 for “bridal party portraits package.” That was on top of the $6,500 base package. She explained: “Getting 8 bridesmaids and 8 groomsmen to all look good in one shot takes time and skill. Plus you’ll want individual portraits of each bridesmaid, couple shots, creative group arrangements…” I … Read more

Last summer, I spent $4,000 on a two-week trip to Italy. Venice. Florence. Rome. Amalfi Coast. The most beautiful places I’d ever seen. I took 800 photos. When I got home and looked through them, I wanted to cry. Every single shot looked like a mediocre tourist snapshot. Terrible lighting. Random tourists in background. I … Read more

Every winter, I see the same photos flooding Instagram: influencers in cozy cafes, wrapped in scarves, holding perfect lattes, looking effortlessly beautiful with soft window light creating that dreamy glow. I’ve tried recreating this aesthetic for three winters. Every attempt was terrible. The coffee looked brown and muddy. I looked exhausted, not cozy. The cafe … Read more

For three years, I had a problem: I’m obsessed with my Golden Retriever, Bailey. My Instagram should be full of beautiful photos of us together. But every single attempt was a disaster. Either Bailey looked perfect and I looked terrible. Or I looked decent and Bailey was mid-blink, looking away, or blurry from movement. Getting … Read more

For two years, I had a problem: Luna, my tabby cat, is gorgeous. Sleek. Regal. Instagram-worthy in real life. But in every photo I took? She looked like a demonic blur with glowing eyes. Either she was mid-yawn looking possessed. Or moving so the photo was blurry. Or staring at me with that “I hate … Read more