I recently had the opportunity to photograph the grand opening of CHOPT, documenting the launch of their newest location and the energy that comes with welcoming a community into a space for the first time.

Research continuously shows that visuals have a big influence on decision-making online. Up to 75% of users judge a company’s credibility based on website design and photos before even reading your content.

Here’s the part that matters even more: People remember only 10% of information three days after reading it. Add a photo? Recollection improves by 65%.

I got to work with Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) for the first time this year. I'm always blown away by the intelligent and thoughtful people I get to meet in this line of work – SPIA is a perfect example of a community where curiosity, rigor, and genuine commitment to public service come together in a way that’s both inspiring and energizing.

Check out more photos from our session.

There’s nothing wrong with stock photos (she says, side-eyeing the multicultural handshake). They’re bright. They’re polished. They’re easy. And they’re usually ridiculous. They’re also completely forgettable. If you’ve ever scrolled a website and felt a serious sense of déjà vu, congrats — you’ve discovered the “copy + paste but make it branding” era of the internet.

If there’s one word that sums up my time with Ballinger, it’s collaboration. The Ballinger team operates with an impressive sync—designers, architects, and strategists working seamlessly across the many (many) layers of each project. Each turn down a new hallway revealed a different group deep in conversation: brainstorming, sketching, problem-solving, and building ideas together in real time.

Sometimes, photoshoots get treated like a box to check: schedule a shoot, get the images back, update the website, post a few times on social media, and move on. 

Brand photography isn’t meant to be one-and-done, well planned and executed photography is meant to last.

Photos have the ability to shape how people perceive your brand, build a level of trust between your brand and consumers, and in the end, play a part in whether or not someone engages with your content over time.

This fall, I had the chance to visit Merion Mercy Academy again, and it was such a great day on campus. The goal for this shoot was to refresh their photo library with a mix of classroom candids and lifestyle shots featuring students. We had a solid plan going in, but left plenty of room to move things around and capture moments as they naturally unfolded.

As 2025 wraps up, I’ve been sitting with a lot of gratitude and reflection. Every year teaches me something new, but this one felt especially defining. Not louder. Not busier. Just clearer.

This year wasn’t about chasing more. It was about refining what already matters: how I work, who I work with, and why I do what I do in the first place.

Here are a few of the biggest shifts that shaped 2025.

Getting the call from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia made my heart skip a beat. I love traveling and learning about different institutions and communities. Marymount was looking to update their branding photos, so we settled on a shoot day this fall, and then two more in the coming spring. Exploring a new campus and uncovering its hidden gems is one of my favorite parts of this work, and Marymount was full of them. Marymount’s campus is a cozy 21 acres built into a hill, and I just LOVE the way the buildings interplay with each other. From elevated walkways and a maze of staircases to light-filled hallways – smiling students and faculty were quite literally around every corner.