Meet Casey Lee Cole | Film Photographer and Owner of Casey Lee, LLC and Co-Owner of The Cole Sisters

We had the good fortune of connecting with Casey Lee Cole and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey Lee, how does your business help the community?
My work currently focuses on the relationship between natural and built environments. When I say “built environment” I am referring to anything human-made. I hope to show the effects and ongoing relationship on how humans interact with the natural world. This could be through a spiritual connection or a physical one.

When I was pursuing my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography & Film at Virginia Commonwealth University, I created my thesis around this topic. “Oh I Can See Her Now,” was an exploration into the spiritual relationships women had with the natural world, both of them having the ability to create. The work included analog and digital images, mounted on wood, and a poem engraved on wood.

After graduating, I began exploring this topic even further, broadening my research into everything encompassing the built environment. From something small; two recently caught fish laying on the ground beside a styrofoam cooler, to something large scale; recent construction in Guatemala City with the trees continuing to grow at the towers’ feet. Having this relationship documented at a multitude of scales allows viewers to see how this dichotomy is evolving. I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Architecture at Clemson University, allowing me to dive deeper into architecture and how its relationship with the surrounding environment could be mutually beneficial. I hope for those who see my work, to be conscious of their relationship with the natural world and work toward improving this relationship and try to make this connection intentional and pure.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the owner of Casey Lee, LLC and the co-owner of The Cole Sisters. Both of these are photography companies emphasizing the art of photography.

Casey Lee, LLC focuses on sharing beautiful images with others through fine-art prints. The images are created using a Hasselblad 500 C/M on medium-format color film. Each image is intentionally created to highlight the beauty of the world around us. I make it a point to travel to many different places to highlight the dichotomy of the natural and built environments. The prints are made in-house on high-quality Hahnemühle fine art paper. Each print is its very own work of art. Even though I choose quality materials for prints, I still try to make them accessible so everyone can enjoy them.

The Cole Sisters is a wedding photography business run by my sister, Whitney Cole, and myself where we focus on genuine connections between couples, artful moments, and a timeless aesthetic. We believe we are different than many other wedding photographers by not pushing our couples into a “one size fits all” box. We truly get to know each couple and what is important to them, listen to their story, and adapt to creating the images that will mean the most to them. We photograph using both analog and digital cameras, making intentional images for our couples to enjoy for the years to come. After the wedding, we focus on creating heirlooms for them with archival prints and handmade albums.

Creating both of these businesses was not easy. Each took hard work and dedication to create something special that would bring joy to our client’s lives. We overcame challenges by making connections, and constantly continuing our education through workshops, webinars, and research. It was also very helpful to ask for feedback from anyone that would have time to get many perspectives and opinions on the brand we were trying to create. Once the businesses were up and running, it is all about being personal and genuine in what we are offering, whether it be a service or a fine art print.

Along the way, I have learned that offering a service that does not hold my heart is a distraction to my bigger goals. For example, Casey Lee, LLC used to offer family sessions and event photography. As I was hosting these sessions, I was giving it my all and providing the best service I could for these clients. I noticed myself not looking forward to photographing these sessions as much and once I decided to not advertise for them, I had more energy to put toward my personal work and print shop. Now that I am focused on creating film images, it brings me such joy and I look forward to seeing each image after the negatives are processed. It is a tricky balance between doing something I love and making it my job, it’s not for everybody. If someone takes their skill that brings them joy and forces it to be profitable, it can be emotionally and physically exhausting which may make them want to quit-which almost happened to me.

My advice would be to do something you love and let it become profitable by not relying on that income. I have the opportunity to create delicate, genuine images and share them through fine art prints and photograph weddings. It is the best of both worlds, for me.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Everything in my life has led me to where I am at today. The influence of photography began when I was a child. My mother had hung antique portraits of family members lining the hallway in our home. My father would document us as children on his 35mm camera. My sister, Whitney Cole, is also a photographer. She is five years older than me so when she was able to take photography classes in school, she would come home and teach me what she learned. While in college, I worked for a student-run newspaper, The Commonwealth Times, which helped me learn the art of documentary photography and photojournalism. I also spent many summers working at an Episcopal summer camp, Chanco on the James, where I was able to explore the connections between spirituality and the natural environment. Chanco on the James is also the first place I officially worked as a photographer. I pioneered the position, documented many memories for campers and their families, and worked on multi-million dollar fundraising projects. After I graduated from VCU, my friends and family supported and encouraged me as I started my business photographing portraits and recently, creating my print shop. I also work with Whitney as “The Cole Sisters” where we photograph weddings and focus on genuine connections between humans. Specifically, thank you to Eva, Billy, Whitney, Josh, Lauren, Rob, Rebecca, Kaitlyn, and Tabbie. I am grateful to everyone and everything for each experience that has shaped the person I have become.

Website: www.caseyleecole.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseylee.photo/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caseylee.photographer

Image Credits
Images by Casey Lee Cole