POV: YOU HIRE ME
{An elder millennial wandering the world for love stories}
hello bb, I'm summer
I believe that every couple is worthy and stronger than they know.
My mission is to capture love in a way that honors the journey that led you to where you are today.
As an empath, I care deeply for others and am here to provide a safe, supportive space for couples to express themselves and celebrate their love in their own way.
My goal is not just to document moments, but to capture the heart of every memory — the laughter, the tears, and all the glimmers in between.
I prioritize peace over perfection and want my photography to spread a message of compassion, understanding and empowerment — a belief that staying soft and kind is the best way to connect with others and honor the moments that matter.
Whether you're exchanging vows in a beautiful far-off place or keeping it intimate closer to home, your experience is all that matters. That, and documenting each second to keep the memories alive forever.
I'd love to hear what you've been dreaming up
It really began in middle school... I was that teen girl in the early 2000's listening to punk pop (Paramore, Mayday Parade) and simply couldn't/wouldn't stop taking pictures of everything.
But photography wasn’t just a passing phase. I studied digital media in college, and people started asking me to shoot everything under the sun — from couples to families, children to pets, I really captured anything and everything.
By 2013, I went all-in photographing weddings and every other shoot you could think of.
SLP started over 10 years ago, but photography has been part of me long before then…
In 2017, I REALIZED IN ORDER TO KEEP GOING, I HAD TO FIGHT FOR WHAT I LOVED & I EMBRACED a darker, moodier editing style THAT FELT MORE ME.
BUT AFTER 4 YEARS, I HIT A WALL.
Suddenly, I was booking more elopements and traveling for weddings—to Greece, Colorado, Ireland—it was a dream come true. Not only was I finally being true to my own creative eye, but I was getting to travel the world with my couples.
I was saying yes to everything and was really and truly burned out. On top of it all, my editing style just didn’t feel like me anymore.
My life at the time wasn’t sunshine and rainbows. In fact, I had some really dark moments. And I really wanted to capture that truthfulness. That life is the complicated, messy, beautiful duality of beauty and pain. Light and dark.
2020 WAS A DARK YEAR FOR MANY & IT CERTAINLY WAS ONE OF MY DARKEST.
Between a divorce and depression — 2020 and the years leading up to it really broke me. But I kept praying for peace, not just for me, but for my couples, too. It was the year of new beginnings, of staying soft, and staying kind.
I moved to Florida and centered my life around healing and finding peace in the dark moments – especially in the dark moments.
Through it all, I realized what was truly important: that life doesn't always go as planned, but there's beauty in the mess if you're willing to look. And you're so much more worthy and stronger than you think. It led me to my signature editing style – embracing the rawer, moodier feel that seeks to capture the soul of a moment rather than making it look perfect.
So here I am, embracing the mess of it all while traversing the most beautiful places in the world to capture the most beautiful, kind souls. Now it's just me, my camera and a whole lot of faith in the power of human connection and love.
LIFE'S LITTLE GLIMMERS
I love thrifting, and coffee, and books, and spicy food, and red wine, and pasta, and tacos, and pizza, and travel, and naps, and rainy days, and warm days, and greens, and neutrals.
I love the Office, Game of Thrones, Parks + Rec, New Girl, and Schitt’s creek.
I love animals more than life – I have a yellow lab named Nala, and a tortoiseshell cat named Peppercorn. <3
I am a *SWIFTIE* til I die.
{SUMMER'S VERSION}
