For Photographers
Karmen Meyer
That Time I met Gwyneth Paltrow’s Wedding ...

“Is anyone sitting there?!” I said while balancing a plate of food and glass of wine.

He said “No, it’s all yours.”

And I cheered a silent ‘hoooray!’ because I was starving, and the wine was free. So far my day of solo travel had only occasionally been haunted by that painful kind of awkward. You know, the kind that almost always comes along with navigating new environments and experiences. And, dang, dare I say this was shaping up to be a good night.

I honestly can’t remember how the next bit went. But I quite quickly came to the realization that I had parked my clueless little self right beside the star of the show….

That Time I met Gwyneth Paltrow’s Wedding Photographer/4 Life Changing Lessons I Learned at Photo Native
For Photographers, Brand Sessions, Soul Sessions
Karmen Meyer
Why is photography so expensive?

OK, so here's the thing, this is really uncomfortable to talk about but I am going to anyways because I think these days transparency is everything.  So here we go (let's hope I don't make a mess of this). Why is professional photography 'expensive'? 

Why is photography so expensive?
Brand Sessions, For Entrepreneurs, Free Resources
Karmen Meyer
25 Places to Use Brand Photos

So you just had an amazing brand photography session done (insert happy dance here!). Now it’s time to put your images to work! We often suggest that you plan to sprinkle them into your social media to really make them last. Perhaps put a few on your website, but then what? Well the good news is that this beautiful collection of photos that aligns so powerfully with your brand both visually and emotionally can be used in so many other ways! We put a lot of effort into making sure your photo sessions tell your unique brand story and are absolute workhorses for your biz. It’s super important to us that you get the most use out of you one-of-a-kind as you possibly can. Heck, even if you took the initiative to create a set of brand photos yourself (bravo!), we still want your efforts maximized. Our mantra is 100% work smarter, not harder. So let’s go…

25 Places to Use Brand Photos
For Photographers, For Entrepreneurs, Free Resources
Karmen Meyer
6 Reasons to Start a Bullet Journal and How to ...

DID YOU KNOW THAT WHEN YOU WRITE DOWN YOUR GOAL YOU ARE 90% MORE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE THEM?!* For me journaling is such an essential part of my self-love, creative and entrepreneurial journey. I check-in with myself daily to reduce anxiety, stay creative, commit to goals and plan my next moves. Here are 6 reasons why you should have a bullet journal too and super easy steps to start your own!

6 Reasons to Start a Bullet Journal and How to Get Started Today
Art Shop, Travel, Soul Sessions, Slow Living
Karmen Meyer
The Story Behind the Photos // The Mojave ...

What happens when two sister’s head off into the desert with a tiny teardrop trailer and a killer road-trip playlist?! Magic, my friend. Pure magic. I am so excited to share everything about our adventure, from the creepiest night in a tiny Montana town, to the unbelievably beautiful abandoned mid-century motel that used to be frequented by celebrities like Harrison Ford!. If you love the desert as much as I do, you are going to love coming along on this wee adventure with us. Or heck, just come for the beautiful desert art!!!

The Story Behind the Photos // The Mojave Collection

blackfalds

Solid Gold Esthetics | Brand Session Sneakpeek

Last month Carla hired me to capture some photos of her studio, as well as, one of her classes and I am so excited about how much we were able to accomplish in a quick one hour session.  Take a peek through the photos above!It really was such an honour to document some of Carla's incredible hard-work and talent.  Carla is the owner of Solid Gold Esthetics in Blackfalds.  She also happens to be the one to give my first ever tattoo!!  And I know a bunch of you have noticed because I get DMs about my fab new brows all the time haha.  Honestly, as girl who can barely handle mascara, Carla is basically some sort of magical creature to me.  This woman effortlessly free hands the most perfect brows a girl could dream of.Annnyways, now that I am done fan-girling, let's chat quick about brand sessions and how they can add value to your business:

  1. They help tell your brand story. Let's be real. As customers we prefer to buy from people not faceless companies. Lifestyle photos show people who YOU are and why your work matters.

  2. They are workhorses. You can use your images in print, on instagram, on facebook, on pinterest, your website, your blog, in brochures, on business cards (I really could go on). These photos are meant to give you a visual foundation for you online and offline presence.

  3. They show you and your business in the best light. Literally.

  4. Lifestyle sessions are versatile and totally customizable. In an organized one or two hour session, we can capture everything from products to behind-the-scenes. This variety can serve you (and your instagram feed) for months to come!!

If you have any questions about Brand Sessions OR my micro-blading experience let me know!!  I am all ears and would love to help ya out.Warmly,KarmenPS.  I took daily videos during the micro-blading process.  If you guys are interested and would find this sort of info helpful let me know!  I will happily post them for you! 

Karmen's Capsule Wardrobe Update #1

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I’m gonna be honest here, I haven’t made much progress on my capsule wardrobe research because #life.  I have really found my enthusiasm for this project waning a bit.  I mean will it really be worth the effort?  It’s just clothes right?  And, I am a person who truly believes that beauty comes from the inside; so how important can it really be to put energy into my wardrobe?  But despite my apprehension, I decided to hit up google to see if I could find some answers.

I immediately came across a podcast episode from The Lively Show featuring Caroline Rector from the blog Un-Fancy.  Podcast are my jam (I probably listen to 100x more podcasts then I watch tv),  so obviously I was stoked!  I hit that play button and set to work on some much needed spring cleaning around the house.Fast forward 46 minute later, and I am feeling so inspired and totally reaffirmed in my decision to create am ethically-sourced capsule wardrobe.  It's time to dress like me, to feel good about myself, to simplify my daily routine and to buy clothing that is ethically made.  While it threw me off at first, I LOVED Caroline's comparison of herself with Bruce Wayne (I hope I don’t need this parenthesis but…. Batman) facing his fear of bats;  "he is crouched down in this dark cave and there are bats swarming all around him, it's madness.  He slowly unfolds and stands up straight, and the music swells and he takes this deep breath.  And he is ok."  Intense right?!  I would have never in a million years come up with that mental picture on my my own, but it is perfect.  I won't ever be able to completely remove myself from the swarm of messages I receive via ads, music, magazines, social media, television, movies, etc....  but I  can teach myself to be strong and confident.  I don't need a perfect body.  I don't need t0 wear the latest trends.  I don't need to buy into the thousands of ideas that are being sold to me everyday.So I am setting some intentions for myself this week.

  1. Recognize when external media sources are affecting how I feel about myself and dictating what I think I ‘need’.
  2. Unsubscribe from all the stores that send me coupons, catalogs, etc.  UNLESS it is company whose values align with mine.  (this girl still loves a good sale!)
  3. PURGE.  Let’s get this party started.  The plan is to take EVERYTHING out of my closet (literally everything) and sort it into 4 piles:  Keep - Store - Giveaway-Seasonal.  And since I am waiting to do my shopping until I have completed my dreaded book-keeping/taxes (<- look at me being all responsible / let’s be real, it ain’t gonna happen unless I have some sort of motivation because book-keeping is the actual worst), I will have to make do with what is left in that 'keep' pile for the time being.
  4. Read more of Caroline's blog!!  And do more research.

So there ya have it.  Man, WISH ME LUCK!  I think I am going to need it lol.  And thanks so much for following along on this (completely non-photography related) topic.  It honestly feels so good to have a little company on this adventure!Warmly,KarmenPS.  Do yourself a favour and listen to that podcast!  Episode #36 was packed full of helpful bits of information for the newbie capsule wardrobist. Photo Credit:  www.un-fancy.com