Casey Templeton Photography

There are very few jobs where I feel as proud of as I do this one. One of my very best friends, Jesse Isenberg, owner and head craftsman at The Stinson Company, launched his new brand and website today and I had the honor of directing and shooting his video with our Check The Gate Films team.

The inspiration for this film was to offer a glimpse into what takes place behind the scenes at Stinson, highlighting an emphasis on authentic, hand-crafted elements fused with the most innovative technology and equipment. The film was shot over the course of one evening, using a single incandescent clamp light ($8) we bought at The Home Depot.

I met Maggie Ingram on a cold December night for a portrait shoot. We shook hands and went through the normal motions of getting to know each other. I asked her to bring her daughters with her, not only because she regularly sings with them, but because I wanted her to be surrounded by loved ones in hopes that she would be more comfortable. I started setting up a single light and sat Maggie in a chair with a hymnal. I asked if she had a favorite song she could sing for me while I tested the lighting.  She looked at her daughters and started into a beautiful hymn. Slowly Maggie began to clutch her hymnal and her eyes closed, her voice rose and soon, she was lost. To her, nobody else was in the room, nobody could hear her except for her God.  It was a moment in my life I will never forget. At no point have I ever felt more surrounded by the Lord. I could feel him all around me. I couldn’t help but shed a tear and by the time she opened her eyes and sang the last note, I had it.

Moments like this help me to forget about all earthly worries that weigh me down as a professional, a man, a husband, a father. Its a beautiful reminder of what life is all about: Living for God.

I used to keep my favorite verse on the front page of my website,  Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Faith seems to be something we don’t talk about in a professional setting.  Often, it is laughed upon and I say nothing to defend it. I am disappointed in myself for not keeping it there when I went through my rebranding, but my hopes are that I do a better job of keeping my faith on the forefront of my business in the new year.

Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”

I often find that I get depressed when looking at other photographers amazing work or see what exciting projects they are working on.  In the past this has eaten away at me and made me think less and less of myself. For the past year, I have prayed nightly that I can put my personal, business ambitions aside, and place it entirely in the hands of the Lord.  I want to work for Him.  By recalibrating my standards of success, from appeasing the industry to finding value in my family, friends, and the love of photography, I have found a richness I never anticipated.

I may not be as wise or gracious as Maggie, but I long to see my photography as my hymn and may it be glorifying to my Lord.

I take a lot of bad photos and sometimes that is exactly what it takes to get the image that works.  Too many photographers look at bad photos as failures, not opportunities to learn.  These are the photos that take me a step towards the ideal image. The following video shows all 1579 images I took while working a recent fashion shoot.

I had the pleasure of working on this fashion shoot with art director Justin Vaughan, of Richmond Magazine, who gave me extreme freedom to pour my style into the project.  I also worked with stylist Molly Todd and models Mendy St. Ours and Nick Vitale, who were provided by Modelogic Wilhelmina.  You can view this project in print on Richmond Magazine’s Issuu.