Alexandra Creswell Joins the Family! (Associate Photography)

About the time Anna and I were planning on getting pregnant we knew we needed to start thinking about finding someone to replace her. We also felt it was time to move our business into a real office. For 5 years I had built my business in a house full of college boys, then a studio apartment, then my post marriage two-bedroom home. Baby Asher was about to make his homecoming which meant the business was on it's way out.

I got an email from a Cal Poly photo student named Alex who was looking for photographers to donate work to an art show fund-raiser he (or so we thought) was throwing. Alex needed Cal Poly intern credit and asked if we were looking for an intern. We were! Coincidence? I don't think so! When we had an interview with Alex both Anna and I were shocked to discover that "he" was a "she"!

Incidentally the art show went off swimmingly. It was hosted at the 805 Collective, there was live music, cupcakes, wine, contortionist circus performers, walls filled with art and a room packed with people. She totally raised enough money to send her brother to Africa for a summer of building houses for the needy. The clutch was that I got to see Alex work in a team environment and creatively pull something off that was both awesome and creative. That week we told her that we would love to bring her on as our very first intern!

After a year of her working part time in the office, Alex developed a complete understanding of our creative process from start to finish. She had adopted the ethos of our business and became someone we couldn't live without. We hired her to work part time and also began bringing her along to weddings as our 2nd shooter.

Last year as she has finished up College she had some decisions to make about her future. She really wanted to stay in San Luis Obispo and also didn't want to own her own business. She confessed that she loved working for us and would be thrilled to do whatever it took to stay. We decided that instead of loosing her we would create more work for her by promoting her into the role of Associate Photographer. Currently I am booking her weddings under the Cameron Ingalls umbrella for couples who love our ethos but either can't afford to hire me or I am unavailable for their date.

Because Alex has apprenticed under me for years her work fits within the style and feel of all that I have built from the ground up. Working closely with me she has the advantage that my all of the mistakes and success that my experience has to offer. She totally understands what it takes to photograph a wedding well, artistically, and passionately. She also designs all of our albums and therefore she shoots with the end product in mind. She has not only come into our business and grown as a person and photographer, but our business has blossomed due to her character, creativity, eye for detail, and love for photography.

We are so excited to see the places she will go and lovely people she will capture in the coming months and years!

Be sure to check out Alexandra's portfolio!