Cassandra is a self-taught “recovering” wedding photographer with a decade of experience following her artistic wild. Cassandra’s distinct style & editing process melds digital imagery with the intricacies & textures of oil paintings on canvas. Her emotive and painterly pieces will transport you to a land where fairytales do exist and where magic is, in fact, real. 

For more inspiration:

Instagram | Website

Here is Cassandra, Unraveled…

What inspires your art?

It was a few years after our daughter, Isla, was born that I began to feel restlessness surrounding photography. I was missing time, weekends, and moments and more surprisingly I felt creatively stifled and unfulfilled. I fought creative burnout with passion projects here and there, but was apprehensive. I had packed myself into a box - the prim, proper & professional wedding photographer box - and felt If I were to create the moody & ethereal themes I had been seeing floating around in my head, I would scare off new clients and confuse my existing ones. The thought of moonlighting as an artist just felt completely ridiculous to me too; I was a photographer, not an artist. 

As quickly as I became a wedding photographer a decade ago, I definitively recall the quick yet almost silent pivot from photographer to Artist. This artistic path began with one shoot titled Wild Woman. A past client and friend modeled for me. My goal was to portray this wild woman as her unabashed self in power & gentleness with a haunting undertone.  After that shoot, I began to explore my wild woman within. Who was I, truly?  I felt as though I was on a creative train chugging full steam ahead. The more I created, the more creative I became, and with each completed piece I stripped away a layer of who I was not. Work just flowed from me and it was almost euphoric. I was excited. I was fulfilled. 

What do you shoot with? Camera body and favorite lens?

Canon Mark iii - 50mm 1.2 or 35mm 1.4 

What other ways do you express your creativity?

All of the ways! I absolutely love to dance & sing. Music is such a big part of my life. I also love to cook and bake -  just not clean. I love decorating and especially love decorating my home for the seasons. And I adore nature, flower pressing, etc… For me, it’s all about how something feels and I work to portray those creative feelings in my everyday life. 

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

Working out for sure - sometimes a family bike ride, sometimes a glass of wine. Often a binge-worthy show.

What kind of music do you listen to while editing?

Like I said before, music is such a poignant part of my creative process that I’ve created specific playlists for the mood of my creative piece. Often, I’ll listen to instrumental music only, as it’s less distracting. I categorize my playlists as breezy, ethereal, moody and witchy and they are available on spotify to listen to.

What is your favorite book?

The Alchemist

Name one movie that inspires you.

Rocky Horror Picture Show - If you know, you know, and if you don’t, stream it tonight! I love that something that started as a quirky passion project,  that was also not received well initially, soon became an infamous (and LOVED) cult classic. You don’t need everyone to “get” you or your art, but eventually you’ll find the right people who do.

How do you handle self-doubt or creative slumps?

Create more. Push through… Create for the sake of creation. Our ego brains like to make us question ourselves, but if I’m in a pure state of creative flow there’s no time for that silliness. 

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

Completely switching my path as a wedding photographer to an artist. 

What is your favorite pizza topping? 

Basil!

What is your favorite kind of light and why? 

Light for me is so dependent on the mood of the piece, however there is just something special about overcast and foggy light - or lack of light, rather. 

Who is one of your favorite photographers?

Jamie Beck