I was initially going to begin this post by lamenting that June was a pretty slow month due to this week feeling low key and uneventful. It’s certainly feeling that way lately, probably due to sunshine and 90 degree weather that makes you want to kick back with an ice cold drink and do nothing all day. Then I crunched the below numbers and realized that my recent sentiments were dead wrong, and June was actually quite busy. This is one of many reasons why I’ve opted to include numeric statistics to accompany my monthly highlights recap series. Sometimes sentiments don’t always match the numbers. Here’s a snapshot of what the month of June looked like, with some comparisons to May. Off the bat, this month will seem low key compared to May due to the crazy increase in work hours and travel that Sasquatch demands every May.
428
Business miles driven.
1,409.7 miles less than May
*tracked by MileIQ
158 hours
Hours worked for the month
65 hours and 39 min less than May
*tracked by Toggl
25
Photo shoots completed
7 More than May
*tracked by Sunrise Calendar
[/tw-column]155.63
Miles walked (missing 3 days due to dead battery)
5.73 miles less than May
*tracked by FitBit
[/tw-column]47.9
Miles ran
19.3 miles more than April
*tracked by Strava
[/tw-column]
What Went Well
+ Working with Big Corporate Clients
June is always a tossup month when it comes to freelance activity. While it is busy with the annual Fremont Solstice Festival (aka naked bike rider parade) followed by Seattle Pride the weekend after, these are not events I’m generally hired to shoot unless an editorial client pops up or a celebrity like George Takei serves as Grand Marshall. This year I didn’t partake in either festival, with the exception of covering the Capitol Hill Dyke March as it was one of the first ever paid events I photographed back in 2010.
Besides community events, the first half of June was full of event shoots for several big clients. I was happy to be welcomed back for a second year of the SMX Advanced Conference for a full day of covering digital marketing talks for Google in early June. A couple weeks later, I then made two trips out to Chambers Bay Golf Course in south Seattle to shoot a fan experience event at the U.S. Open golf tournament for American Express. And finally, the third week of June consisted of photographing a multi-day retail technology conference in downtown Seattle for Worldwide Business Research, where I got to connect with high level executives from companies such as Starbucks, Target, Nordstrom, and Home Depot to name a few.
While corporate event photography might seem like a snooze, this month was a big reminder in how incredibly diverse these events can be, as well as offering a glimpse into what niche industries are currently up to. They also provide excellent networking opportunities.
+ More Food and Restaurant Photography Opportunities
As I often forget, summer is a time when new restaurants are abound in Seattle. Thanks to role as staff photographer at Eater Seattle along with relationships with restaurant publicists in town, I was able to get exclusive shoots at a couple of brand new eateries before they opened to the public. I even did a food menu shoot in a restaurant that was under heavy construction, which was a fun challenge in location improvisation since there was literally no open tabletop to shoot these dishes. On that note, I’ll be forever amazed at how fast new restaurants can come together and suddenly be open for business. Here’s a little list of restaurants I covered in June–be sure to stop by and check them out!
- Salare – a Kickstarter funded restaurant and the first for Chef Edouardo Jordan
- Naka Kaiseki – Chef Shota Nakajima’s first restaurant; bring a camera as each dish is art
- Goldfinch Tavern – Chef Ethan Stowell’s stunning new restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel
- Frelard Pizza Company – Yet another by Ethan Stowell
- Charles Smith Winery – A work in progress in Georgetown. It will be epic when it opens. Also, one of my fave portraits ever.
+ Early Summer!
Perhaps most importantly of all, June has been an incredible month weather-wise. Summer came to Seattle extremely early (June is typically still a chilly month), and has brought a crazy heat wave to the Pacific Northwest. This was a fun phenomenon to explain to some corporate conference attendees who were clearly shocked by the lack of grey skies and rain while they were in town. My inner island girl has been thriving on this heat, and it’s caused a huge uptick in my participation in outdoor activities. Not only did I run my 9th half marathon this month (the first after a 3 year hiatus), but also have been taking my bike out for late evening rides around the city. The ability to enjoy the outdoors while still completing a ton of photo shoots in a month is a luxury rarely enjoyed, and for that I’m grateful that June has been a relatively balanced month. If only someone can work out a way to bring waves and surf to Seattle along with this heat, and I’ll never leave again.
What Could Be Improved
Maybe it’s the extreme influx of vitamin D, but I have very few complaints about June. I suppose the only lingering thought that has been flooding my head in higher doses lately is a lack of a motivational entrepreneurial community to connect with. I’ve been actively searching for new social groups for most of this year, which again has been difficult to juggle between running a business and taking enough personal time. This leads to my next section…
Looking Ahead
After a couple months of staying put in Seattle, July is here and it’s time to hit the road! I’ll be spending the 4th of July weekend on my annual road trip with my boyfriend, and then spend most of next week in Portland for the World Domination Summit. I’ve been desperately wanting to attend this conference for years now, and during a chance meeting with some digital nomads in Oahu in March, they carved out an opportunity for me to attend. I’m beyond psyched at the prospect of spending close to a week surrounded by like-minded individuals and hopefully meeting some of the gurus that inspired my freelancing adventure to begin with.
Early July: Portland, Oregon for WDS. Let me know if you’ll be there too!
Mid July: Los Angeles, California
Late July: Las Vegas, Nevada
How did your month of June go?
What were some of the challenges and wins you faced on June? Are there any topics or resources you’d like to see added to this blog that would help you out on your own journey? Let me know in the comments below, or shoot me an email!
