Let’s start with what the ads don’t tell you.
You upload a handful of selfies. You pay somewhere between $20 and $100. You get back a grid of images — good lighting, clean background, crisp edges, professional-looking. You look like a LinkedIn post. You look like a headshot.
Someone walks into a session feeling pretty good. Their hair is styled. They’re dress to the nines. They’re standing tall, smiling, ready. Then I lift the camera…
I’m bored. I’m seeing the same photos everywhere — same studios, same poses, same “authentic” laptop laughter. So I sat down with my sketchbook, did a free write, and painted over everything that didn’t matter. What was left clarified how I think about brand photography. Here’s what I learned about stars, constellations, and why playing it safe is the enemy of being seen.
Your phone doesn’t take the photos. YOU do. Learn the one skill that will change your photos immediately, no upgrade required.
I was maybe six or seven years old when my dad came home after losing his job.
I don’t remember most of the details. I remember my mom telling me he needed a little time to himself. I remember the next morning, watching him mow the lawn. And I remember standing there looking at the two quarters in my hand — my allowance — feeling like I should contribute so our family wouldn’t go hungry.
Professionalism isn’t about being buttoned-up and boring. It’s about looking like you and being consistent throughout your messaging. Sometimes the smallest things are quietly undermining all the effort you’re putting into building your brand.
They may seem like a cheaper, quicker route at first. However, they likely will cost your brand a lot more in the long run. Find out why.
Let’s skip the fluff: there are a lot of talented photographers in Chicago. On the surface, many of us look like we offer the same thing. So how do you actually tell the difference, and find the one who’s right for you?
AI shouldn’t be so easy that you stop thinking. It’s not magic. I didn’t type a question and walk away while something brilliant happened in my absence to create this post, which was written with Claude as my assistant. In fact, we brainstormed the structure and then wrote 5 different drafts in between the idea to posting this.
AI should feel more like a collaboration with someone who is very fast and very well-read, but lacks the experience of being a human. AI has been training for a short time on extensive computer models. I’ve been training as a human with thoughts, feelings, and learned experiences since I was born in 1981. You have too.
AI is a tool. An incredibly useful one. It is my assistant for so much. Brainstorming, trouble-shooting, and overcoming writer’s block.
Like any tool, it works best when a human mind is behind it — thinking critically, asking questions, and taking responsibility for what gets made or shared. That’s true whether we’re talking about writing a blog post or generating a photograph that never actually happened.
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