More than just a content day
it's a totally different experience going into a shoot with the sole expectation to just create,
Recently, I had the opportunity to join another photographer (shout out Benjamin Britton Photography) for a content day at Headlands Beach in Mentor, Ohio.
The session featured a wonderful male-male couple, a very stoney Lake Erie shoreline, and plenty of room to experiment creatively.
And while content days are, admittedly, a lot of fun (because who doesn't love photographing beautiful people in beautiful places?), I think they're also one of the best ways photographers can continue learning and growing their skills and business.
There’s no client timeline to worry about, no pressure to deliver an entire gallery, and no expectation that every frame needs to fit a particular shot list. Instead, there's space to try something different. To watch how another photographer directs an poses. To find your own angles. To experiment with movement, light, composition, and moments you might not normally think to photograph.
Basically? You get to play.
And sometimes, playing is where the best creative growth happens.
Every couple deserves to see themselves in beautiful photographs.
One of the things I love most about photographing couples and weddings is that there isn't one definition of what love is supposed to look like.
Your relationship doesn't need to fit a certain mold to deserve beautiful photographs. You don't need to look like the couples filling every wedding magazine. You don't need to know how to pose, and you definitely don't need to be a “traditional” couple.
You just need to be YOU.
Photographing this session was another reminder of why inclusivity matters so much to me as a photographer. I want my work to be a space where people can look through my portfolio and see themselves being represented not as a trend or a checkbox, but simply as people in love who deserve to have that love documented beautifully.
Whether you're a bride and groom, two brides, two grooms, partners who don't fit neatly into a label, or simply two people who found each other and want photographs that feel like you, there is a place for you here.
Everyone deserves to feel comfortable in front of the camera. Everyone deserves to be celebrated. And everyone deserves photographs they'll want to keep forever.
why i believe content days are a must
If you're a photographer, I can't recommend content days enough. If you're not a photographer, you might wonder why we willingly spend our free time photographing things that aren't technically our own client sessions.
The answer is simple: because creating just for the sake of creating is good for you.
Content days give photographers the chance to step outside of their normal routines and experiment. You can test a new lens, try a different editing approach, practice directing, play with compositions, or simply photograph something because it looks cool.
But there's another part I love just as much: learning from other photographers.
Everyone sees a scene differently.
Two photographers can stand ten feet apart, photograph the exact same couple, and walk away with completely different images. One might notice the light. Another might notice the movement. Someone else might see a tiny interaction happening in the background.
That's the magic of collaborating.
You get to borrow a little bit of someone else's perspective while still developing your own.
So yes, content days are fun. They're creative. They're a great excuse to make pretty pictures at the beach.
But they're also practice. They're education. They're community.
And I think all three are worth making time for.
so what does this mean for you?
It means that when you step in front of my camera, I'm not expecting you to know exactly what to do.
I'm constantly learning how to direct, how to find better light, how to create movement, and how to make photographs feel more natural and intentional.
It also means I'm committed to creating a photography experience where you don't have to wonder whether your relationship “fits” my brand.
It does.
You don't have to be a certain kind of couple. You don't have to have a certain kind of love story. You just have to show up as yourselves.
I'll take care of the rest.
