THE FIRST YEAR AS AN LLC
and a little bit into my personal life
JULY 25th, 2024
So I originally was going to make a small Instagram post regarding my first year as an established business in the state of Michigan, but then I kept writing and writing and writing... so I just decided to write on here instead.
I am going to get really personal because like all of you, I am a human experiencing life for the first time. A key aspect to my business is connection. I love getting personal and vulnerable with clients in hopes of some of it in return so we can build that trusting relationship. Since I am documenting things such as engagements/proposals, wedding days, families, graduates, updated photos of yourself after losing weight, the last photos of your loved ones, your new addition to your growing family, a new pet you may have just brought into your family as a newly engaged couple...
Those are personal and vulnerable moments.
So let's get personal and vulnerable.
EARLY 2023
I was very homesick. I began going to the gym every single day. Waking up early, going to the gym, going to class, coming home to do homework, and then going to bed early. This obviously made hanging out with my friends very difficult. As you may know, Florida State University is a party school, and my first year there was filled with a lot of bad habits that pertained to that lifestyle. So I was kind of isolating myself, trying to become a healthier and happier version of myself, but I didn't see my friends as much. I felt guilty for trying to better myself because I stopped drinking and going out. I loosened up a little bit before the end of the semester, but still I was so dedicated to losing weight and being healthier and happier.
My best friend (from home), Wyatt, and I started talking a lot more than usual in February/March. We have been best friends since high school, but we had an unspoken 'thing' our senior year before I moved to Florida. We began talking again, and then when I went home during spring break that semester, that's when I really knew that we were meant to be.
That sounds so cheesy, but really. I knew years ago, but this time I just really knew.
Some might say I decided to move back home because of Wyatt. Others might say I moved back home because I missed my family. And some might say I moved back home because I wasn't getting the clientele for my business like I had hoped for. All of those answers are correct. I was missing out on a lot with my family; my brother's senior year of high school, moments with my grandparents, and my mom is my best friend. I was also missing out on the chance to finally be with the love of my life. I was missing out on working; I was constantly having to turn away clients from Michigan because I was at school in Florida.
I knew it in my heart that I needed to move back home.
MAY/JUNE 2023
In mid-May, I spent the evening with my friends, and Wyatt. When it got time to go to bed, Wyatt and I slept on an air mattress in the basement. In the very early stages of our relationship, we just talked nonstop about everything, catching up on the each other's lives from the past two years. Of course we never stopped talking, but you know, there were certain things you just couldn't talk about over the phone. This night I confessed to him that I was thinking about moving home. This was the first time I had said it out loud. I got emotional as we talked about things because I was so torn on what I wanted to do. Wyatt comforted me. I asked him what he thinks I should do, just for his opinion. He told me to do what makes me happy, but of course he would really like it if I moved back home.
A couple days later, I chose to spend the day with my mom because I had finally talked myself into telling her my decision. I rode with her to do some errands, we got lunch, and then on the way back home I finally did it.
"Mom, there's something I want to tell you."
"You're not going back to Florida, are you?"
She knew. Well, she didn't know but she knew, if you know what I mean.
So that was that. We hashed some things over and figured out a tentative plan. I applied to Michigan State Univ. and was planning on continuing my last two years of school there. Possibly staying home and commuting, or maybe getting an apartment, all while still being able to run my business.
But it was summer, so I had time to think about things still.
I wanted to enjoy this season of my life because I had finally come out with my decision, and I was finally going to be home with my people.
Wyatt and I began spending every single day together. We were finally able to be together. It was the best feeling in the world. Everything is so easy with him. The years of waiting and trying to push away my feelings for him, thinking it would never work out because we lived in different states, was over. We finally were able to be together. Seriously, being in love and being loved by Wyatt is the best thing in the world.
We officially starting dating on June 17th, 2023.
JULY 2023
Tess Passinault Photo LLC was filed in the system in the state of Michigan on July 17th, 2023. I had finally figured out my plan. I made the decision to pursue my career as a full time freelance photographer. I had one more class to take at FSU in order to earn my Associates of the Arts degree, so I signed up for that to take in the fall. I was so happy to be doing what I love all the time, and no more school.
My mom and I had discussed possibly opening up a photography studio. I didn't know if that was something I could afford or be successful with, but I was really wanting to try it.
We found a building right away.
I swear, all these decisions I was making gave me more confidence in myself... like everything just kept falling right into place.
My mom, Wyatt, and I went and looked at it. It was absolutely stunning. It was a bit pricey, but I mean, it was a storefront in Owosso and it was a pretty big space. After leaving, we called my step-dad right away to talk about things. Right then and there, it was decided. I was going to go through with it.
About a week later, I met the landlord at his office and I signed paperwork.
I was so excited for this new season of my life.
AUGUST 2023
Wyatt, my mom, my brother, and I went down to Florida to get all of my belongings that were in a storage unit in Florida. This was a really special trip. I got to take Wyatt to where I spent the last two years of my life in Tallahassee, FL. We spent some time in Destin, FL on our way out of town. We took Tegan's senior photos on the beach. Seriously some of my favorite photos of him.
Wyatt and I had to fly back home from that trip because my mom and Tegan were driving to a college tour in a different state and I had a wedding to photograph the day they were going to be back into town. So Wyatt and I flew home, and the very next day we started moving into my studio.
I just remember thinking how crazy it was that this space was mine.
All. Mine.
I was going to open up a storefront in my hometown.
I couldn't believe it.
We moved Wyatt into his apartment at Olivet so he could begin his third year of college. Our first year of long distance was about to begin. I was devastated. My best friend was going back to school. I didn't know how much he was going to be home or how often I would be able to go and see him. There was so much unknown, and I was just so sad.
But I knew what I was going into.
The season of growth.
THE LAST 4 MONTHS OF 2023
Business was great. Freaking amazing. I was booked almost every single day from late September to the end of October. Couples sessions, Fall Mini Sessions, families, grads, weddings, you name it. I was so busy. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year because of the weather, the colors, the vibes, everything. I love fall and I began to love it even more because of work.
Oops, backtrack. In early September, I got my first apartment.
I had been wanting to move out of my mom's house since summer. I just got used to living on my own when I was in Florida, and having my own space, I just really missed it and I wanted my own home. I don't know, I'm just really independent and I was ready for my own place. Of course, I couldn't buy a house yet. Not until Wyatt graduates school. There's truly nothing I want more than a house, but until then, I decided to make a home out of a one bedroom apartment 2 minutes down the road from my mom's house.
The apartment was a little outdated, but I made it super cute. It was so weird having an apartment in my hometown. It just felt so surreal. I was so excited to finally have my own place, and the bonus was that I only lived literally right down the road from my mom.
I settled in, and was finally ready to really start my adult life.
New studio. New apartment. New season of life.
I took the risk and had back to back weddings for the first time in my career, both wanting both photo and video. My friend, Cayden, offered to help me and do the video portion. This is when I decided I really wanted to get a bigger wedding clientele because let me tell you guys a secret, you may not know this...
I LOVE WEDDINGS.
When I was in the beginning of my career, I was told by a few older photographers that they hate doing weddings because of all the pressure and how busy the day is. It made me scared to do it. Those are the reasons why I love it. I love the busy-ness, the love, the moments, the venues, the guests, the dancing, the food... I love every single part of it. I had only ever filmed weddings in the past, never photographed. The first full day wedding I photographed was in September of 2021 for my sister in the U.P.; it was amazing and so much fun. But after these two fall weddings, I was ready to dive right in to marketing my business for potential wedding clients.
Wyatt came home every other weekend, some times every weekend. We got to do all the fall things I had missed so much and that we loved to do, but this time was extra special because we got to do these things as a couple. Uncle John's, football games, Halloween, etc. It was so much fun. We took our first couples photos with the help of my tripod. Those photos are some of my favorites still.I just love him so much. We had the best fall ever.
I didn't know if I would have a lot of shoots in November or December because of the weather. It's usually not the prettiest time of the year and not a lot of people want photos in this time.
I ended up having another two busy months of shoots.
I loved my studio. I would spend every single day there in between shoots. Even if I didn't have shoots that day and was all caught up on editing, I would still just go there and find things to do. I was constantly working on ideas for studio shoots and ways to make a studio session a more popular option.
I want to bring a new level of photography to Owosso that is not being done now.
In December, I was in my studio a lot for 2 different types of sessions I was offering; Christmas Mini Sessions and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas Couples Sessions. I decorated my studio in three different rooms; all vintage Christmas themed. These were a hit, and I am definitely doing them again. They were so fun and exactly what I had pictured.
Wyatt was home for Christmas. We got to live together for 4 weeks, it was amazing. We got to decorate the apartment with all of the Christmas decor we had collected over the years. I had so much that I hand't been able to use because I didn't have my own place during the winter. We were busy with so many family Christmas's. We had family game nights at both of our family's homes. We went to Bronner's. We built Lego's. We celebrated New Year's Eve in Downtown Owosso. It was a very festive month of December. It was great.
But then it got tough.
EARLY 2024
This season of life was difficult.
It really wasn't that great.
It could've been great, but my mind just couldn't make it happen.
Wyatt left to go back to school in early January. I had no one on my books. No one. The only thing I had in my schedule were weddings later in the year. I was worried because I now had two places to pay rent on, plus utilities, groceries, etc. My grandparents' health wasn't always great. The weather wasn't ideal... no snow so it was gross and cold.
It was just depressing, to be totally honest.
It got to the point where I would stay at home, day after day, because I had nothing else to work on at my studio, or I just didn't feel like getting out in the cold to travel five minutes to my studio. I was spending these days researching ways to improve my business, learning new marketing skills, trying to post a lot on Pinterest to gain traction to my website, trying to figure out how to grow my business out-of-state... but then my mind would take me else where.
I would overthink about whether or not business would pick back up again. I was worried that I wasn't good enough. I was stressed out about the fact that maybe I made a mistake opening up my studio because people should be wanting indoor shoots in the winter. I was researching odd jobs that I could do at home to actually have somewhat of an income during these early months. I would stress over not having good friends that I actually want to hangout with, thinking that maybe I'm just too picky, maybe I'm just not meant to have a solid friend group. I would worry about Wyatt. We barely got to talk or see each other because he plays baseball at college, so he would either be at practice, at class, doing homework, or games. When he has games on weekends, I would only hear from him a couple times, sometimes maybe once once because of time changes. It was extremely hard.
I was slowly becoming depressed.
I wanted more out of my business. I was scared that it was only big for a few months because I had just moved back home and a lot of people had been waiting to get their photos done by me. I wanted to be booking more weddings. I wanted to be doing more studio shoots to put my studio to good use in the winter.
I wanted more.
I wanted my business to be more.
I was extremely lonely. I didn't want to leave my apartment; the cold didn't help much. I felt like I was missing out on Wyatt's life. I was driving myself crazy so I started journaling, and that only helped a few times. I taught myself how to knit so the time would pass faster. I would just sit in silence and knit for hours (the one day it was five hours) just spiraling in thoughts about all of these aspects of my life.
I had never felt like this before.
I felt hopeless, lost, alone, and sad.
Every single day was the same, or damn near the same.
Wake up at 6:30am. Gym for 1.5 hours. Shower. Breakfast. Knit or scroll on social media or go to the studio for a bit or find something to pass the time. Dinner. Bed by 9pm.
I would barely hear my own voice some days.
It didn't help that it got dark at 4pm either.
To really kick the new year off, my studio caught on fire.
Well, not really my studio, but a portion of my building did.
So it's all one big building, but there are multiple storefront's and apartments up above. My landlord's business was on one side of me, and another business on the other side. Up above all of our businesses were apartments.
On February 1st, I went to the studio in the morning. I answered a couple emails, tried to find something to do, but I had gotten dressed up for the day so I didn't feel like painting. I decided to just go home and change, and then I would go back to paint.
I got home, was in the middle of changing my clothes when I got a text from my friend and local business owner, Sydnie.
"Hey is everything okay with your building?"
My heart dropped and I started to panic. I texted her back asking her what she meant by that because I was literally just there. I just left.
Turns out, it was on fire.
I speed down there, trying not to cry but the tears keep coming. I couldn't get ahold of my mom or Wyatt or my grandparents. I was so scared that I was going to lose everything. I get there and watch it just being put out. The upstairs apartment unit above my landlord's space was on fire, and it was terrible. As they sprayed the water to get the fire out, you could just see it and hear it seeping into my landlord's office.
And of course, my landlord wasn't there.
So there I was, standing there in the freezing cold, didn't even grab a jacket because I was just trying to get down there. Nobody answered my calls. I wasn't talked to by anyone so after about 20 minutes I went past the yellow tape to talk to a firefighter and asked if my studio was okay or damaged. He said it was fine, but we went inside to check still and it was not damaged but the smell was so thick. It hurt my lungs and we weren't even in there more than five minutes.
Finally Wyatt called me, asked what was going on and if I was okay. He couldn't talk for long because he had class. Then my grandma called me asking questions. Then finally I got ahold of my mom. But really, there was nothing I could do. I was just so scared that the ceiling would cave in or the smoke was going to damage my furniture and belongings or if the fire relit... like I was thinking of every possible scenario.
Nothing ended up happening. I took photos of the damaged building. The smoke smell was bad for a few days, but I was extremely lucky. It was a pretty scary situation.
But yeah, freaking crazy.
So I was drowning in all of these emotions about the studio, my personal life, my business... I needed to figure out how to support myself. I am not saying I spend my money all the time, I am very smart with it. I save, because yanno... in a year or two when Wyatt and I start house hunting...
Anyways, I wanted an extra source of cash. I wanted to work more. I wanted to push myself. A big idea that I had for months was working for a company. I love interior design and houses, so I wanted to do something along the lines of that. I really wanted (and still do) to work for World Market on the photography side of things. One thing about me is that I LOVE World Market. The best store ever. I reached out, but they weren't hiring for that position at that time.
Okay so next I reached out to realtors and brokerages, trying to shoot homes they are listing. Not much success with that.
Wyatt's aunt is a realtor, so I asked her what I should do to get my foot in the door in that genre of photography. She directed me to WindowStill, a real estate media company. I went through the interview process; my first ever interview. It went great, I was getting nervous to hear back. Then I found out I was hired.
WindowStill is amazing, and I love working for them and shooting homes. It has been so much fun, and really has helped me look for what I want and don't want in a house, all while getting to do what I love; photography.
With WindowStill, I am pretty busy with houses every week. I have at least one house a week, depending on my business schedule and personal life. I get to make my own schedule for both of my jobs, which is freaking amazing. I shoot a lot of houses in a lot of different cities. It's so much fun. Like how cool is that?
So cool.
I don't want this to sound like I was desperate for money, because that's not it at all. I can say it over and over again until I am blue in the face:
I love my job and I do NOT do it for the money.
I am extremely passionate about what I do, so when I can't do it, it becomes very agitating. That is what caused me to lose my mind a little bit. I could only 'find things to do' for so long. I wanted to work. All the time.
WindowStill has helped me work more often, which has been great.
It was just my first adulthood season of life. Rent x2. Utilities x2. Groceries. Gas. Spending money on yarn, paint, canvas, trying to keep busy. I was just stressed that I would never make money again because I thought my work was not good enough.
I know, super crazy. Because looking back at it, it seems ridiculous. I know I am good at what I do. Nobody wants to leave their homes or spend money in the wintertime after the holiday season. Having 1-5 shoots a month is okay, because it all gets made up June through December. Those first few months are brutal, but that's just part of it.
I lived it, and I have learned!
Lenny
On February 11th, I wasn't alone anymore.
Due to a very unfortunate situation, I was faced with the opportunity of a puppy.
Lenny. He was 6 months old at the time. He's a bernedoodle, but he looks more like a Portuguese water dog. He's the sweetest thing ever and I love him so much.
I met up with my Aunt Lori outside of the Nail Boutique Downtown Owosso. We were going to go on a walk with Lenny and her dog, Brad. This was the first time I met Lenny, and I had told Lori that I wanted to watch him for the week instead of her doing it. She got out of her truck, got Brad out, and then Lenny followed. He was the cutest thing ever. He was about the same size or a little bigger than Brad (Brad is a stocky black lab). He was so fluffy, so happy, prancing around as far as he could go on his leash.
I couldn't stop smiling.
It truly was love at first sight.
So I brought him home and didn't really know what to do. Like it wasn't like he was a fresh new puppy, he was 6 months old. I didn't know if I was keeping him or if he was just going to stay with me for the week. He loved Wyatt's chair, so I Facetimed him as soon as we got home.
Right away I told Wyatt:
"I really want him."
Wyatt, being the easygoing, relaxed, amazingperfectcutesexysweetkind man he is... told me to do whatever makes me happy.
The following weekend, he came home to meet him, and he fell in love too.
So it was decided, we were going to keep him.
I didn't choose Lenny, he chose me.
He was exactly what I needed at the exact time I needed.
So Lenny would go with me everywhere. The store, the studio, shoots, my mom's house, my grandparent's house, for a drive, errands, literally every where. Thank goodness he loves the car. He is the best company ever. He has such a personality, he's literally the cutest thing ever. I love him so much. I have the cutest dog ever. He's so clingy, which I love. He will follow me to every room of our apartment, even if it is only across the hallway. He sleeps right next to me, has to be touching me somehow. When Wyatt's home, he will sleep right in between us or at our feet.
He loves to love.
And I love Lenny.
So with me deciding to keep him, that meant we had to move apartments.
Luckily, my Aunt Lori had one unit available in the apartments she owns. So I went and looked at it. It was pretty much my only option, but it was nice and we would have 2 bedrooms instead of 1. The whole Lenny thing was big ordeal with my landlord, not Lori but the previous one. It was a drawn out situation that really didn't need to be. I won't talk much about it, but basically in my lease it said no pets. Valid. I then went to the doctor's to get him as my emotional support animal, because I seriously was having issues, and at this point there was no way I wasn't going to keep him. I wasn't lying just so I could have a dog, Lenny genuinely helped/helps me so much when I am by myself. If that meant I needed to go to the doctor to be evaluated for anxiety and depression to keep this dog with me, then so be it.
And so that's what I did. I got the paperwork, I did everything I needed to do in order for her to let me stay at my apartment. My mom, Lori, and I researched all the legal side of things to pets and landlords and leases. But whatever, we ended up moving anyways just because of how the situation was being handled.
That's over!
We moved!
I love our apartment. It's so cozy. It's going to be our home for the next couple years until we buy our first house. I truly do love our home.
Everything happens for a reason.
MARCH 2024
OUT WEST!!!!
For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of going out west. For Tegan's last spring break, our last big trip with just us 3 (for awhile, at least)... we decided to go out west. We went to Nevada (Vegas!!!), Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. I still don't have the words to describe this trip. I fell in love with Western USA. I can only hope that my work will take me out there and to other western states more often. I absolutely love the west. Everything about it.
I really can't talk about it because it's indescribable. Pictures don't do it justice. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about Western USA. I will be back there soon enough.
APRIL 2024
I moved into a new studio.
I don't really like to talk about all of the details because some stuff happened and I don't want to be name-dropping or in trouble for talking about it, but yeah... shit happened.
Shortly after we got home from our trip, I began moving into my new studio. My Aunt Lori, once again, hooked me up with this location. She really popped off with helping me during this time of my life.
I love Lori.
Anyways, I moved in. Patched up walls. Deep cleaned for like 3 days. Wyatt came home one weekend and we got my family together to move all of my furniture in like not even 1 hour. I was finally able to relax and just put my mind on designing a new creative space.
To this day, I still am not completely done with the interior design/decorating portion of my space. There is so much that needs to be done. I did a lot there in the beginning, and then spring time hit and we got so busy with life. And this summer I just have been busy nearly every day with shoots or traveling for shoots or editing, so decorating and cleaning has been put off to the side for now. It will be my winter project.
Just a PSA, I am thinking of planning some wine + paint events, maybe some photo classes, knitting classes, or just some creatives nights... I don't know. I just want to have more events in my studio, and I want to be more active with my clients/friends. So you heard it here first. We'll see what I come up with.
MAY 2024
Wyatt moved back home. We were finally able to live together for the summer. The summer before his last year at college! Tegan was graduating, but also so was Wyatt's cousin, Sydney. So we went to their graduation. We spent that weekend with our families. It was great.
The following weekend was my 21st birthday.
After finishing a round of golf at Snow Snake in Clare, my mom and Wyatt surprised me with my whole entire family at a speakeasy in downtown Clare nearby our cabin. This meant so much to me. As we've gotten older, I don't really see or spend much time with my cousins anymore. They're more my brothers than my cousins. We've all got our own lives now, so it's hard. Everyone showed up, including some family friends. It was the best birthday I've ever had. It was the best night.
We took our first family photos with Lenny.
We went up north for Memorial Day weekend.
And then this is kind of when things really began to change.
THE RECENT STUFF
With my grandma's recent health scares, my brother graduating and moving out of the house, and me being on my own, my mom and step-dad decided it was time to sell the cabin.
We have been on Eight Point Lake since before I was born. My grandparents have a cabin, which is how we ended up on that lake in the first place, Lori has a cabin behind theirs, and then we have a cabin on the water. I struggle trying to put this into words because I still haven't processed the fact that that chapter has ended.
Matter of fact, I am currently on the way back home from the cabin. Today I took photos of the exterior and interior for it to be listed this Friday.
Anyways, they decided they're going to sell it, so now this makes me want to get up north every weekend we can. God, the memories just kill me. My whole childhood took place up north. I can't talk about it yet.
This meant they were also going to sell my mom's house in Owosso. This house, man... this one hurt a lot too. We moved into that house the end of my Freshman year of high school. I had my first breakup on the front porch, Halloween parties, Christmases, family game nights, so many nights with my friends in the basement after football games, so many hangouts in my bedroom with Wyatt and Peyton and Reghan and Tegan, hanging out in the backyard on beautiful summer nights, the house we got through Covid with, photoshoots in the basement as my studio, where I said goodbye to my friends when I moved to Florida for the first time, the place I would go home to after traveling for 16 hours by myself and to be greeted by my family and Wyatt, etc. I could go on and on. This house was a HOME, a true home. It will be missed dearly.
So yeah, lots of big changes. The house, the cabin, the memories... and then health scares. My grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2020, she was in intermission, and then it came back in her lymphnodes and in her bones, etc. So for the past year, it's been really tough and really hard on her and the family. Lots of scares, but she's still kicking. Every day is a new day.
Every day is a new day.
We had our last 4th of July at the cabin; it was a quiet one but a good one. I have been working like crazy since April. Remember when I said I was slightly depressed and thought I should pretty much give up my business dream? Well I just hadn't gone through my first for real slow season yet. I mean, obviously I have because I've been doing this for 8 years now, but I didn't have to completely support myself or a dog before.
Now the really recent stuff...
Work. Seriously, all I do is work. Wyatt works. Lenny comes with me to the studio. We spend our evenings together cooking, hanging out at home, or visiting our parents, or finding something fun to do for a few hours. We go up north when we can. I have now entered my wedding season, so that is going to keep me busy. Summer time is just so busy, all the time. I feel like there aren't enough hours in a day. There's so much we want to do, especially because we only have 3 months to do it before he leaves again for school. Luckily, after this school year we will be able to do all the things and not feel like we're rushed to fit everything in.
Super exciting.
But this summer has gone by so freaking fast.
REFLECTING
This past year has brought me so much happiness. I went through so much personal and business growth. I traveled to my dream destination and can't wait to go back. Wyatt and I grew our family with Lenny. Family is everything.
Even when staying in on my comfy couch with my cuddly dog and cute boyfriend may sound like the way to go, I still will decide to make the trip to my mom's house for family game night or family dinner.
Because after all, life is all about moments.
And I am the lucky one who documents those moments for a living.
Even when it's slow season and I can barely talk to Wyatt (only one more time of having to do this though!!!) and don't feel like leaving my apartment, I will remember that I am successful, it's just cold outside.
One more school year until Wyatt and I truly get to start our life together. Tegan goes off to college for the first time this fall. My mom has her new house. My grandparents are still above ground (this is a joke for my grandpa).
This next season of life is going to be a good one.
I just know it.
2024-2025 GOALS
- More intimate documentation
- Book 15-25 weddings for 2025
- Get my business out to Western USA
1) Something I really want to get more into with my work is tagging alone on date nights, or coming into people's homes to document a family game night, or a family dinner, or a trip to northern Michigan... literally any of these small moments that we may overlook and just take pictures with our iPhones... I want to be there to professionally document it. Those are the real photos you will be able to feel and relive.
2) For 2024, currently, my wedding count is at 12. Last year I was at 5. So that is a very good thing, but now I want more. I want to be doing so many weddings year round, all over Michigan, the USA, and I would really love to go out of the country (Europe).
3) I want to be traveling out there (Western USA) for weddings or engagements or families. I want my work to be 50% in the west, and 50% here in Michigan. That would be a dream, and I can only hope for it to come true. The states I want to go to: Utah(!!!), Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, and the National Parks within those states. I have a list of spots in specific states that I want to shoot at. I am getting so flustered just typing this because gosh dang it, I want to be out there so bad.
SO YEAH
I hope this wasn't too boring or too much. I have never written personal stuff like this online before, but I really want this to be the chance for you guys to be personal with me when we work together, or when we see each other. We really are just people experiencing life for the first time.
Thanks for reading!
I will be doing this more often.
Oh, one more thing...
I rebranded (kind of still in the process).
New logos, little change of colors, new fonts, new merch coming soon, but most importantly... new editing style.
There's not a huge drastic difference, I have just switched to making my work look much more natural and authentic (my darks aren't as dark, my edits aren't as noticeable). I also am really diving into my love for how timeless film is, so film is a big inspiration to my new style. I have created 3 new presets for this new chapter of my career. This big change had me lying there awake for nights (ask Wyatt), and I was a wreck. I was so worried that it wasn't going to be good, or that people might not like it, or I was making a mistake. There is nothing wrong with my previous preset, I absolutely love my work April 2023-June 2024. But I felt like I was changing a lot, business and personally, and I wanted to incorporate this into my work.
I am still going through this rebrand, trying to make sure everything is going to work and still look great. I am super excited to begin this new chapter of my career, and my life.
Next year, a lot is going to change with Wyatt being graduated and him starting work full-time at where he is now. I plan on being in my studio for awhile, but it'll just be a new beginning for us.
I am very excited and happy about the future for my business, and for myself.
I appreciate you all so much for letting me share my passion with you.
I love you all.
Tess
