Creative. Humbling. Inspiring. Captivating.

Just a few words to describe the Seattle trip.

For those that do not know, I had the pleasure of spending an entire week in Seattle with some incredibly talented female photographers from across the country. The retreat was sponsored by the amazing Chic Critique Forum. While there, I learned about myself, my business, my potential, my future direction, and more importantly my love for this business. I have felt so electric from the the inspiration that I almost combusted when I arrived back in North Carolina. To prevent myself from breaking down and crying (Dang Pregnancy Hormones), I felt the need to write down and share the images from the retreat so that I could fully envelope myself in what I had just experienced. Thankfully, we were spoiled rotten during our retreat by Chic Critique Forum not only by the amazing gifts and knowledge that was shared with us, but the incredible Seattle weather. I cannot count how many times people told me that weather this warm and sunny was completely out of the ordinary.

I think Seattle knew we were coming.

I was very blessed to have a great friend live in Alki Beach, near downtown Seattle. Every morning, I would hop onto the early morning water taxi and jet over to the city. Living in rural North Carolina as of now, it was very eye opening to see what the local’s daily commute was like going into the city.

When the retreat was over on Saturday, my sweet friend and I hopped in the car with lunch and got to the mountains as fast as we could. To be in a city as beautiful as Seattle, and to be surrounded by cascading mountains around you felt like a giant tease for someone like me who loves the outdoors and being out of the hustle and bustle. You will see below a mix of images below: some candid from the retreat, staged photo shoots , and outdoor shots at the Mount Washington Trailhead area.

The best part of the retreat for me was getting to watch the incredible mentor photographers interact and pose their subjects. Every single one had a different overall style and it really helped me to recognize that the best part about the photography business is that each photographer is different. This uniqueness is the very thing that makes us so beautiful as artists and people.

 I hope you enjoy the bits of images that I took while I was soaking in the amazing Seattle area, as well as the love and excitement of the retreat!

To check out information about the retreat go to http://chiccritiqueforum.com/retreat/investment/