Carley McCaughan is the mama behind Our Girlie Little Life.  She and her husband currently live in Austin, TX though their hearts will always be in the Northwest. Together, they have two sassy daughters: Kate and June. A spoiled golden retriever rounds out their girl gang. Before becoming a photographer, Carley was the right hand woman of a mama-owned children’s boutique where she wore many hats. In her free time, you can find her planning shoots, editing and shopping small. Community, kindness, learning and coffee (okay wine too) give her life.

Carley is an Instructor at Unraveled Academy, who teaches on Product Photography. See the full Course Catalogue HERE.

For more inspiration from Carley:

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Here is Carley Unraveled…

What inspired your art?

Gosh, so many things! My kids for sure. I also have a tendency to romanticize memories and history and photography has given me a way to document my family story. I love THINGS and find random objects incredibly inspiring. And as far as product photography goes, I accidently got into it. I used to manage an online boutique and working with product images for so many years inevitably influenced my journey.

What do you shoot with?

Camera body and favorite lens? Sony A7iii and Sigma 35mm. I also love playing around with my Sol45 LensBaby.

What other ways do you express your creativity?

I love home decor and shopping. Shopping is definitely creative right?

How do you de-stress at the end of the day?

A hot shower, melatonin and an audio book in bed. 

What kind of music do you listen to while editing?

I am a podcast girl. I am also a pretty big nerd and love historical fiction audio books.

What is your favorite book?

With two toddlers I think I read more children’s books than anything. But, a few recent titles I have enjoyed are: Where the Crawdads Sing, Little Fires Everywhere, The Paris Wife, Small Great Things and The Kitchen House. 

Name one movie that inspires you.

I rarely watch movies… The most recent one I watched was a documentary about bees called “Honeyland.” It was insanely boring but it was also raw and really beautiful.

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?

I whine to my husband every day until it passes… Just kidding. In all honesty, I feel like my entire journey has been one huge slump with sparks of creativity. I haven’t been doing this long so I am just realizing that creative slumps are a natural part of the journey and every artist struggles with self-doubt. I am still experimenting with ways to cope; but being gentle with myself, connecting with other artists and shooting even when I don’t feel like it has helped so far.

What has been the most difficult part of your creative journey?

Identifying as an artist. The comparison trap. And not rushing my journey.

What has been the best part of your creative journey?

I am adding this question because I want to shout out to my small group, The Westsiders. They are the most incredible group of women I have EVER known. Seriously, the stars were aligned just perfectly when our group was formed. We talk about a lot of photography related things but we also cry together, decorate our homes together and love on eachother HARD! I want to encourage everyone to find your people.. It’s going to take some time but I promise… when you find them it will change everything!

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Pepperoni and Mushroom

What is your favorite kind of light and why?

I prefer even light and I really enjoy shooting in cloudy conditions. 

Who is one of your favorite photographers?

To be honest, the most inspiring artists I find are the ones that aren’t well known. All the artists in this group are insane and I find the magic in the growth… I am awful with names but when I see something inspiring I can’t forget the image.

What is your favorite lesson or course in Unraveled?

Gosh that’s a hard one… anything by Lindsay Saunders or Samantha Dell. I also LOVED “The Beauty of Boyhood” by Shannon Douglas. “Food Photography 101” by Anna Hurley and “In the Frame” by Jessica Rasmussen.