You're going freelance soon, am I correct?

Yes! I am moving to Los Angeles in 2019. I've loved working with Charlotte; it’s been amazing. I’ve learned, even more than what I could’ve imagined. Just working with someone who's a full-time photographer and running her own business, let alone the creative side.

Why are you interested in making the shift to lifestyle photography?

I've decided that my personal style and who I am, feels more in line with lifestyle concepts than high fashion concepts.

What excites you about doing lifestyle?

I've always been a huge fan of brands like Nike; I just love their attitude. I think it was great how they chose controversial subjects to advertise their products and brand.

I spent my childhood summers in a small town that only recently got cell phone service. It was amazing running around exploring the nature of the remote North. I feel like lifestyle is more who I am as a person and it will help me connect with it more. With high fashion I feel like I was trying to force things a little bit.

How did you come to that realization?

When I worked at Kit and Ace, they were more lifestyle than Aritzia was, so I immediately felt more at home there. If you’re in line with the brand's identity, you'll probably produce a better campaign for them versus one for a brand that doesn't make as much sense for you.

So, back to going freelance. What excites you, what scares you, and what are you anticipating?

I'm excited to start shooting for myself again, because I’ve been putting that on the back burner for the last two years.

I'm excited to go out there and show off my new skills, what my style is, and get a portfolio going. I am scared, terrified and truthfully unsure of what’s going to happen because going freelance holds many financial risks. It's going to be the first time I haven't had a steady paycheck coming in.

And where do you want to go?

Looking back retouching is one of the most valuable skills I’ve learnt. It is often quite boring and daunting work, but it helps a lot when paying the bills. Next year of my life is going to be focused on just making sure that I can stay afloat financially while building my business. I'm going to be taking on more e-commerce and retouching jobs, while also shooting personal work for my own portfolio.

After that initial year, I want to be shooting for brands that combine my career goals and my personal goals. I would love to work with brands like Everlane that care about the ethics, transparency, and the cost of their products. I want to work with brands that I align with creatively and consciously.

I also think that video is important and it's only growing in this industry.