Visit California • Luxury Travel Guide

It was the middle of an endless summer in Austin when AFAR reached out asking if I’d be interested in working on a travel guide for Visit California, one of the nation’s largest and most successful tourism boards.

With the blazing sun and 90% humidity beating down on my home office, I happily said, “yes!”. If I couldn’t spend the summer in California, at least I could distract myself with a deep dive into some of the most beautiful images of its mountains, beaches and beautiful cities.

The brief:

  • Source unique, stunning, and high quality imagery from over 500 points of interest across the state. Find images that evoke a sense of quiet luxury, focusing on unexpected experiences.

  • Manage permissions, model releases, and licensing.

The sources:

  • Favorite California-based lifestyle photographers, including Amanda Friedman who captured the beautiful poppy field moment featured on the cover

  • PR firms

  • Hotels and restaurants

  • Regional and city tourism boards, including Visit Palm Springs, Visit Anaheim, and Go North Lake Tahoe, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism, and many others

The results:

A beautiful, antiqued copper wire-bound source book, as well as a stunning digital experience.

The bonus:

Appreciating the beauty of the images alongside the playful and fun illustrations of the amazing Libby VanderPloeg!

Kate Benson

Kate Benson is a New Hampshire-based product, lifestyle, and fashion photographer with an elegant style that feels fresh and modern while giving a nod to timeless beauty. We updated her website to showcase the variety of client work she’s produced and tell the story of the kind of work she is passionate about.

Texas Tribune Festival, 2022

I’ve had the pleasure of working with the Texas Tribune Festival since 2016. Of course, Covid really put a damper on large scale events like TribFest, so I appreciate the event even more now that it’s back in full force.

For the 2022 festival, I focused on producing all of the sponsorship and marketing-related photography coverage, managing the budget, scheduling and photo assignments for the team of photographers and photo editors.

See more of the photos, including those produced by the editorial team.


FHI 360 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DC-based photographer Rebecca Drobis was awarded a contract by FHI 360 to create a custom image library for the CDC to use for its diabetes prevention campaigns. CDC realized that traditional stock photography just wasn’t connecting with their users, and wanted to focus on real people talent and situations that would resonate.

I served as the project’s creative director. My priority was ensuring that the CDC’s missions and goals were furthered through Rebecca’s photography.

I reviewed CDC focus group findings, brand guidelines, and other marketing documentation in order to arrive at a list of key themes the photos should touch on.

We approached the project in phases over the course of 14 months, collaborating on what locations, talent, and situations would help the CDC achieve its goals. I created mood boards to help hone the creative direction, and once that was finalized, I created shot lists with location, art and talent direction.

Rebecca and her rock star producer Nancy Swenton took the months of prep and turned into shoot day magic, creating relatable, authentic imagery.

Texas Book Festival, 2022

I got to work with the rock star photo crew for the Texas Book Festival again. Everyone was so happy to be IN PERSON and enjoying the beautiful, fall weather. Thanks to Bob and Janis Daemmrich for having me be their photo editor and to the amazing photographers: Laura Skelding, Stephen Spillman, and Bob Daemmrich.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.

Attendees pose on Congress Ave / Laura Skelding
Xelena González / Stephen Spillman
Volunteers / Stephen Spillman
Sandra Cisneros / Bob Daemmrich
Jacques Pépin / Laura Skelding

Texas Writer Award boots / Bob Daemmrich
Beautiful weather and good eats / Bob Daemmrich
Chef Chris Scott / Laura Skelding
Rabia Chaudry poses with a fan / Laura Skelding
Capitol rotunda / Bob Daemmrich
Omar Epps / Laura Skelding
Capitol / Stephen Spillman

Big Weekend Calendar, 2023

Hard to believe it’s been over 10 years since I joined the Big Weekend Calendar team as their photo editor. The 2023 edition was a joy to produce. From vintage clothes shopping in Austin’s North Loop neighborhood to hot rods and chihuahuas, this year’s calendar had something for everyone.

Here are a few of my favorite photos.

Dell Technologies, Fall 2020

Photo production and editing for the most recent issue of Dell’s magazine, Realize.

We produced these shoots in March, right the country started to lock down due to Covid-19. Seems like so long ago!

A Robot to Fix Us All
Photographer: Jeff Wilson
Location: University of Texas

Chief Digital Officer Jen Felch

Photographer: Bryan Kuntz
Shot on location at Dell Headquarters in Round Rock, Texas

Dell Issue 4-7.jpg

Photo Research and Licensing

Photo by Maggie Steber/VII/Redux

Photo by Maggie Steber/VII/Redux


Endangered Wildlife Trust

Endangered Wildlife Trust

DUSTIN CHAMBERS/The New York Times/Redux

DUSTIN CHAMBERS/The New York Times/Redux

Kate Benson

I recently had the pleasure of working with Kate Benson, a commercial photographer based in the Boston area. She also travels frequently to shoot in New York City, Miami, Dallas and Charleston. Her new site is full of sparkle (in the form of jewelry and dishware), bright and poppy product photography, and warm and inviting fashion work.

Kate’s work has been featured in magazines such as InStyle Magazine, Food & Wine, The New York Observer, BBC, Luxe Interiors, Allure, Vanity Fair, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and more.

Check out her website at katebenson.com

Audra Melton Website

I had the pleasure of working with Audra Melton on her new website, which just launched last week.

Audra is an Atlanta-based storyteller and portrait photographer who often focuses on social issues.

Some of her clients include AARP, Oxfam, The Atlantic, The Coca-Cola Company, The New York Times, UPS, and The Washington Post.

For her website, we used PhotoFolio, and organized her work into a few main theme-based galleries, as well as featuring individual commissioned editorial, corporate, and commercial projects.

I love the new look. Please take a look at audramelton.com.