You both work as commercial photographers, and you both live the parent and fur parent life in Portland, Oregon. Adding a creative studio to that mix…was that always a dream of yours and what was your vision for it? I’m not sure if it was always our vision to own a photo studio, but over the past four to five years it’s been a shared vision we’d discuss from time to time. We started looking much more seriously for a studio together in 2022, and it wasn’t until this space popped up late last year that we decided to take the leap. 

After seeing it for the first time, we asked the building manager if we could spend some time alone in the space before we committed. He was probably thinking 10-15 minutes, but after two hours of brainstorming in what we now call the “sunroom,” we were sold and knew we had to make it happen.

Can you both share a little glimpse into your life and photography? Did you both grow up in Portland and did you always know that you would work in the photography field? Kaitlin: I lived in the suburbs of Portland until I was five, when my parents decided to make our beach house in Gearhart our full-time residence. My dad was just switching careers from being a commercial photographer in Portland to making custom furniture as a blacksmith, and my mom eventually opened a bookstore. After a pretty idyllic childhood on the Oregon Coast, I attended college at Oregon State University and got a degree in photography—also where I met Paige! I spent about 11 years post-college in the wedding photography business, a few years as a photo producer and have since moved on to a mix of commercial work, photographing for local brands/shops and interior photography. Every day and every shoot looks different. It can be really hard to develop a real routine, especially with children, but there are very few days that I’m not super grateful I get to do what I love and call it a job.

Paige: I grew up in Southern California and was homeschooled up until high school. I took my first photography course my senior year as an elective and laughed when the teacher would discuss career options, thinking that there was no way that people could ever make a living taking pictures. I then attended Oregon State University and quickly figured out that all of the traditional intro classes I was taking weren’t for me. I turned to photography (met Kaitlin!) and was inspired to make a career out of it. After college, I played professional softball for a bit, then got a desk job working for a right-of-way consulting firm and built my photography business on the side. I gave myself a date that I was going to quit and jump into photography full time, and I’ve never looked back. I started in weddings and have transitioned into commercial work. I love working on a team and collaborating to make visions come to life. But most importantly, I love making people feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera. Being self-employed is incredibly difficult, and there is never really any downtime. But, I feel very lucky to have a career that provides for my family and also fills me up creatively.  

When you enter your studio, the first thing that catches your eye is the open space, the concrete wall and the pops of color. What would you say sets you apart from other creative studios? When envisioning the studio before we opened, we really wanted Sunroom to be an inviting space—light, warm and fun. We’ve jokingly trademarked it our Happy Place™. The hope is that it’s enough of a blank slate that our clients have plenty of creative freedom, but the idea is that everything (aside from the metal shelves and kitchenette), can be moved and used as props. 

The first few weeks after getting the keys were dedicated to deciding exactly what we wanted in here. We put a ton of thought into every single purchase, down to the mini fridge and tea kettle. I think what sets Sunroom apart is that we’re not afraid of a bit of color. 

When you think about a physical space for visual work, what advantage does it have for photographers? How can people and brands benefit from a creative studio like Sunroom Studio? All of our lives are so busy and can feel so cluttered—adulting is hard. Walking into Sunroom—a calm, blank slate with beautiful natural light—feels like a breath of fresh air. Creatives can relax and focus on the task at hand. We have curated Sunroom to be warm, inviting and inspiring, and we love sharing it with fellow creatives to help bring their visions to life.