Good afternoon, everyone! I hope you are all doing well and having a great start to your week!

For this week’s blog post, I wanted to chat about my experience shooting this weekend at the Heights House Hotel in Raleigh with my dear friends – Kash & Zach – at Haven Coffee! It was my first time photographing at a Public Marketing Event, and everyone’s booths were absolutely beautiful! I really did have a blast – and, of course, it’s always nice to see old familiar faces.

As usual – grab your coziest seat, your comfiest blanket, and your fave daily bevvy! Let’s catch up together!

But First, an Update from RLP

For my first trip out to Raleigh this past week, I had an Updated Branding Session scheduled with my gal Emily [Emily McPartland Photography]. IYKYK – I literally cannot get enough of her and her talents. She always helps me bring my photo dreams to life, and I cannot recommend her enough to those of you looking for an alternative photographer!

For the photos, we used Lumina Studio Loft (I’m a huge fan of their mix rustic colors, brick wall, and solid white wall for the “cleaner” looking portraits) and had such a great time! The studio space itself is so beautiful, and I love all of the large windows and fireplace area that they have! If you’re in the area – or just like the vibe of the studio – I definitely recommend! As for Emily, well, we all know she’s amazingly talented (LOL).

Anyway, yesterday I got those photos back – and now, you can see them all throughout my website since the update was published earlier today! I am SO happy with how they came out, and feel like they truly reflect me and my personality perfectly – both as an individual and as a business owner! As I gear up for the 2027 season, you’ll definitely be seeing more.

A Trek out to Heights House Hotel

Another highlight of my day yesterday: getting to visit with, shoot for, and catch up with my friends Kash & Zach at Haven Coffee. It really always is such a pleasure to see them. They really are some of the most kind, genuine people that I’ve met in this industry – and I recommend them a thousand times over! Their Salted Maple Iced Coffee is my top recommendation, though I’m positive everything else on their menu is equally as good! They also occasionally switch their menu up to coincide with the Seasons, and I’ve heard their Chaider is DELICIOUS!

Visiting them at the Heights House Hotel in Raleigh was such a fun experience. They were there for a Public Vendor/Marketing Event for their community – along with several other clothing, candle, food, and artwork Vendors. Up until this time, I had only worked with them at Styled Shoots – so it was super cool to get to see how they interact with and mingle with “regular“, everyday clients. While I pride myself in being one of the first to work with them, I couldn’t be more excited to watch them flourish and grow as a business and as people in general.

The Fastest Gallery I’ve Ever Completed

As soon as my feet hit the door, I was so excited to get to work on their gallery. While I have done some quick Branding Photos for them at my LLITS Styled Shoot, I have been dying to get them back in front of my lens ever since. Within minutes, I had my laptop out and was loading their photos up to Lightroom.

However, when culling through their gallery I realized that just about every photo that was taken came out exactly how I wanted it to. As each session goes by, I can feel myself getting more and more confident in my settings when actively working a session. It still takes me a little bit of adjusting when I first arrive, but it is such a rewarding feeling to have so many recent physical/visual examples of how all of my hard work and practice behind the camera are paying off. I think I may always be an “over-shooter” – you’ll have to pry that title from my cold, dead hands. But, it is nice for me to have less and less photos to delete (am I right, fellow over-shooters? LOL).

Closing Thoughts

The end of the year is coming up quicker than I anticipated, and with my break in hindsight I truly haven’t felt so refreshed, encouraged, and inspired for more!

Next month, as many of you know by now, I will be hosting my 2026 Fall Festives Creative Sessions (the first of their kind!) with spaces in both Raleigh and Winston-Salem. I have openings for both locations, and openings for either the indoor [studio] session and the outdoor ones too. If you’re interested in booking, please feel free to visit my Booking Website linked HERE.

I look forward to seeing what the remainder of 2026 brings along for Ruhe Liebe. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me!

Katelynn | Ruhe Liebe