Towards the end of January, I had the opportunity to head to the United Kingdom with my new group of Webflow teammates. (In case you missed it, I’m continuing to run my photo business because I love you all so much, and I’m also now working with Webflow as well, which is basically just the best combination ever.) 

I’ve had a lot of people ask me why our group of 11 decided to hop across the pond – and the answer is, one of our teammates, Stu, lives in Nottingham, but it’s not the easiest for him to travel. So, we figured, let’s travel to Stu! And I’m just so beyond glad that we did. It was my first time meeting the majority of my teammates since we all work remotely and are scattered across the globe. I’ve gotta say, getting to hang out with these fine folks was such a treat, and though video chat is great, being able to work together, laugh together and communicate together in real life is just the best thing ever. 

Anywho, I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story. :) Enjoy! 

Left: Ben grabbed a quick snap of me, Micah and himself (Waldo isn’t pictured here) as we were about to board our little prop plane from Scotland to England. We were all a bit bleary-eyed after hours and hours of long flights, but also ridiculously excited. Right: Nottingham made sure we knew we had arrived.

Our view from the conference room rooftop deck. Nottingham mornings treated us to mist, soft light, and lots of green.

I left Missoula at around 5 am Saturday morning and arrived to England around 11 am Sunday morning. The afternoon we arrived, we decided to stretch our legs (which was much appreciated after being cooped up on the airplane), and take a tour of Nottingham University, which was full of lush, mossy landscapes.

Andrew, Stu, and Sonia were all super happy to be together, out on that rooftop deck!

This was the lovely conference room where we spent most of our days working, sharing ideas, and planning for great things for our team. The light was pretty sweet. :)

Monday night, the majority of us all took to the town and hit up George’s Great British Kitchen for some dinner. Brandon and Amy couldn’t resist these fun little caricatures in the entryway.

George’s Great British Kitchen was a super cool space. As we waited for a table that could accommodate all of us, Andrew and Micah chatted, and Brandon and Waldo cheesed for the camera.

If you can’t tell, we all really like being together. Left: Amy and Brandon. Right: Brandon, Waldo and Dave.

Such a fun place. And that bar, tho!

What did I tell you? The bar was just so pretty.

When in England, one *must* get fish and chips. And mushy peas. (Yes, that’s the actual description of the peas you get with fish and chips.)

Left: While we were waiting for our table, I decided to wander around a little bit and found a cool balcony no one else was using – perfect for a bird’s eye view of the place. Right: the dessert (pudding) menu. (They were so, SO good!)

Just a few of the puddings they served – can you guess which is which? (I have now also become completely smitten with Bakewell tarts. Yum!)

Ambiance, baby. Ambiance.

Sonia and Dave were most pleased with their puddings.

Ben was surprised with a giant mountain of candy floss (cotton candy) with his pudding. As it turns out, Andrew is a big fan of candy floss, so he helped Ben make that disappear.

These little caricatures were just too good. Waldo couldn’t resist their charms either.

Boys and their beards. LOL!

Tuesday afternoon we took a little excursion to Warwick Castle. Dave and Brandon spiffed themselves up for Dave’s selfie-stick camera.

Lily worked it for the camera before we made our way to the castle grounds.

Hey yo! That’s one heckuva castle! Per the castle’s website (that feels a little weird to say, ha!), “the records of a walled-building in Warwick can be traced back to the Saxon fortification which Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, used to defend against the invading Danes. The first castle to appear on the site was a wooden motte and bailey constructed in 1068 at the command of William the Conqueror.” 1068, you guys! TEN SIXTY EIGHT!

Dave exercised his selfie stick magic to grab a shot of the entire team together.

I mean, who doesn’t want a selfie with a castle, right?! Waldo, Amy, Brandon and Ben smiled for Ben’s camera.

The castle entryway! And very large clock!

Such a cool place! These are the inner grounds.

One of the rooms inside was full of all sorts of weaponry and armor. Pretty darn impressive.

People who live in castles are definitely not minimalists.

An eagle carving adorned one of the fireplaces.

I sort of loved this ceiling. And, hey, I was there too! Courtesy of a giant mirror.

This hallway was full of more armor and a HUGE cauldron, which I, for some reason, didn’t photograph. At right, I caught Andrew in a photo before he could dash away from me. And hey! There I am again, courtesy of yet another GIANT MIRROR.

The castle also boasted quite a lot of intricate stained glass. And wooden carvings that I found to be just spectacular.

I mean, look at this guy! Incredible!

Can you fall in love with a stairway? Because I certainly did. Next time I’m in the market for a castle, I’m going to make sure this kind of a stairway is added to mine. Just beautiful.

Gah! Look at that stairway and stained glass! (And that teal/blue color!)

We climbed higher to get a view of the surrounding country.

Thanks, Ben, for documenting that I was on this trip, too! As it turns out, the people of yesteryear were quite a bit shorter. I could not stand up straight in this doorway.

Ben also could not stand up straight in the doorway. Right: He makes his way up one of the few non-winding staircases.

At the top of one of the castle turrets, we had this great view of the inner courtyard.

I will wedge myself into tiny crevices for the shot. (Thanks to Ben for the photo.)

A view of the surrounding neighborhoods. I wonder what castle frontage costs?

Left: From atop one of the turrets we caught Andrew and Amy down on a walkway below. Right: I just loved these skinny little windows we’d come across as we made our way up and down the incredibly narrow, incredibly spiral staircases in the castle turrets.

The local cathedral isn’t too shabby either.

I am obsessed, OBSESSED, with these little black and white houses all along the cobblestone streets. Check out their backyard gardens! Love!

Thank you, red convertible, for parking here. My color-loving, graphic-loving self was beyond giddy.

Left: Sonia caught the light in the castle entryway. Right: it was a rainy, damp day. Which made the stone pathways even prettier.

We couldn’t resist some castle gift shop shenanigans. Dave decided to let his inner Viking show. (Dave, you just crack me up in the BEST way possible!)

As we left the castle grounds, a bunch of female peacocks decided to dash across the road. So I dashed right after them and found that they had perched atop this colorful brick wall in the last of the golden, evening light. Be still my bird-loving, color-loving heart, light-loving heart!

Left: You probably can’t tell from this image, but these old black and white buildings were extremely crooked. :) Right: The peacock shows me her best self and puts up with my cooing.

We popped into the Tudor House Inn for some drinks in their pub. According to their website, “the Tudor House Inn is an authentic oak-beamed 15th century building and one of the most recognised and well-known medieval buildings in the town.” Nifty!

That is one heckuva fireplace (this is inside the inn).

Ben grabbed another snap of part of the group as we sat down to beers in the medieval inn.

Ben’s intent on his beer. The bar was lined with an assortment of coins from all sorts of places.

Waldo demonstrates the way to drink a Strongbow cider. Dave was impressed!

Sonia loved her beer too!

After grabbing drinks inside the Tudor House Inn, we went right next door to have dinner (along with more Strongbow cider – it brings me back to my London days when I lived there in my early 20s! – good memories!). Stu was quite pleased with his burger.

On my last day in Nottingham, Stu took the remaining four of us (Waldo, Ben, Micah and me) to Wollaton Hall (where apparently part of the Batman movies were filmed – though I wouldn’t know as I’ve never seen a Batman movie). The old trees on the grounds were just beautiful and huge!

Can you believe that this is the BACK side of Wollaton Hall?

The carved cameos all over the building were pretty amazing. And the statues on the grounds were lovely, too. (This statue had THE longest toes I’ve ever seen!)

Little carved gargoyles protected all the windows and entrances – I particularly loved this little dude. Look at his eyebrows and nose wrinkle!!!

Waldo, Ben, Stu and Micah – the boy band of Wollaton Hall. Haha!

Alas, we had to say our goodbyes Friday evening, so Stu grabbed one last snapshot of him with the remaining four of us still in Nottingham. From left: Micah, Waldo, Stu, Ben and me. So we bid Stu, “Toodle Pip!” and were on our way to the airport to make our way to Scotland.

Left: The East Midlands airport was decorated with painted tiles local schoolchildren had made. I liked this guy a lot. Right: Back to our prop plane!

The four of us had a 10 hour layover in Scotland, however. So, despite getting there around 11:30/midnight, I knew I didn’t just want to go to sleep. It was Friday night in Edinburgh! So I talked Waldo and Micah into hitting up an old pub in downtown Edinburgh to grab some authentic Scottish whisky with me.

Which we did – quite joyously!

And then we decided to wander around town to see bits and pieces of the castle in the dark, random cemeteries, and ancient gravestones. (And, while doing all of this, be serenaded by drunken Scotsmen wearing kilts, which I found to be particularly fantastic.)

And that’s about it for photos! The rest of the trip was filled with many, many planes, but was uneventful (which is a good thing!), and everyone arrived back to their respective homes safely and soundly. 

It goes without saying, I suppose, but I’m going to say it again. What a wonderful trip, a wonderful team and a fantastic company to get to work for. Can’t wait to see everyone again soon! 

And, meanwhile in photo business world:

On the Docket:

Portraits, intimate weddings, editorial work and more! Stay tuned!

Cheers,

-Kristine

I spent the past week in San Francisco working, and had my life totally and completely changed – but I didn’t divulge to anyone what kind of work I was doing because…well. Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

And by beginning, I mean, the very beginning.

I’ve always been an artistic, creative person. The more ways I can find to express myself creatively, the happier I am. Whether that’s through painting, clay and pottery, drawing, knitting, sewing, writing, photography or web design, etc. – I like it all.

Waaaaay back in the stone ages (ok, perhaps not quite that long ago), I dabbled in web design by writing simple, basic HTML. While I was in high school, my family had come across a lost, abused dog who needed a home and I thought – aha! I can make a website for him to try to find his owner! We never did find his owner (which worked out because we ended up adopting his silly little self, thus enriching all our lives), and in the process of all of this lost-dog-not-lost-dog-stuff, I found that I really liked what one could do with web design.

Fast forward some years, and again, I found myself designing a website. This time for my master’s thesis in photojournalism. I had found a program (Freeway Pro or something along those lines) that allowed me to custom design a site the way I wanted it to look (not the way website templates thought it should look) and it was great! I didn’t have to hand write code! But it was still early on in this type of visual design. It worked, but it was more clunky than it was awesome, and it definitely had its limitations.

Zip ahead a few more years, and again, I needed to design another website – this time for my photo business I had decided to promote to a full time operation. Again, I used another program that was a visual designer by proxy of Photoshop (SiteGrinder was the name). But it was bloated and pretty painful to use. However, it still allowed me the freedom to stay away from templates and coding. But to my chagrin, its developers pulled the plug and I was left looking for another design platform to use. (I guess I’m stubborn and didn’t want to spend precious time learning code.)

Enter Adobe Muse. I (mostly) happily used that program for years up until April of 2018 when (again!) it was added to the growing heap of other programs that had its development and support removed. So there I was again. Looking for another design program. Again. And, of course, it was literally about two days before I was about to go live with a new site I’d designed in Muse. So I found myself tearing my hair out and frantically searching for something that could replace Muse.

Cue Webflow’s entry stage left and Muse’s serendipitous exit stage right.

After poking around some Muse help groups where I, along with many other web designers, were absolutely freaking out about Adobe’s announcement, suggestions for alternatives began coming in. And one of them was Webflow.

So I checked it out. Suspiciously. Remember that heaping pile of abandoned visual web design programs? I was bound and determined to not be hung out to dry yet again.

So I began investigating it. Trepidatiously. Dipping my toe in here and there. Wary of what it offered.

But as I explored more and more of what the program offers designers, the more I liked it and the less suspicious I became. This seemed like one heckuva solid product. Their documentation blew…just BLEW…me away. The videos outlining their program had me in awe. I specifically remember thinking to myself that if a company could invest time and energy into making educational videos as spectacular as these, then it really was doing something fantastically right. And I wanted to know more. In fact, I wanted to throw my money at a company like that.

I jumped into their user forums because I had many, many questions to ask once I decided I’d design my site using Webflow. And, once again, I was blown away. The fellow designers on that forum and the moderators I encountered were so kind, open, and eager to help me, even when my questions were totally newbie silliness (sidenote: everyone starts somewhere – newbie silliness is ok!).

I began geeking out and telling my friends and family about Webflow. “It’s super cool! And I can do the most amazing things with it!” Kindly, they listened to my nerdy soliloquies. My terror at leaving Muse had been replaced with a sense of gratitude and joy. Sometimes big, scary changes are the kick in the pants we need to find something better. Thanks, Adobe, for kicking Muse to the curb. You changed the entire course of my life.

Fast forward a bit, and summer began and my busy season started up. I worked on my website on slower days and into the wee hours of the morning because I had made a promise to myself that I was going to get a new website up sooner rather than later, no matter what.

Finally, September rolled around. I had (mostly) finished my website to the point where it was acceptable to go live. So I published my brand spankin’ new site that I had put so many, many hours into, shared it with the world, and then also shared it within Webflow.

Remember that forum I mentioned earlier? They have a show and tell category within it where designers can share their most recent projects. There’s also a showcase area for users in another section of their website where projects can be shared with the community there as well.

Before I knew it, I began to receive the most incredible feedback. People were blown away. I was blown away by how blown away they were. I was giddy! They were giddy! We were all so very, very giddy! My website was in the top list of the most popular sites showcased on Webflow. I seriously couldn’t believe the response I was receiving. I mean, I liked my site, but I never in a million years expected it to garner the attention it did.

And then, literally one day after I shared my finished site on the forums and in the showcase area, I received an e-mail from Webflow asking me if I’d be interested in talking with them about a potential job with them.

I. Was. Floored.

Say whaaaaa?!?! This amazing company might want me to work for them? No way. No way in a billion years, no waaaaay. This can’t be real!

But it totally, totally was.

Since September, I’ve had several video chat/interviews, I made another website in four days explaining why Webflow should hire me, they invited me out to their San Francisco office to do a trial week with them (which was the most fantastic whirlwind week of amazing people, packing my brain with all sorts of new things, oodles of laughter, incredible camaraderie, lots of excitement, the most Lyft rides ever, and on and on), and……drum roll please….

I got the job!

I think a lot of people may be pretty surprised by this. Maybe even a little shocked. To be honest, I kind of am too, but at the same time I’m also not.

Here’s why:

I love my photo business. I always have. I always will. More importantly, I love my clients, many of whom I can call friends. Seriously – it’s the best job in the world. I still stand by that.

But Webflow is in a tie for the best job in the world too. It offers me things my photo business cannot. I will get to have co-workers again – and they are some of the most incredible people ever. I don’t say that lightly. I know I’ve been a bit loquacious in this blog post and that it’s full of superlatives, but I truly mean every word of its superlative-y goodness (did I just do that? Yes, yes I did).

The people at Webflow are so dedicated to being good people, doing good things with their work and their lives, and they constantly encourage and help one another to bring everyone up higher together. It really is unlike anything I’ve ever seen at a company. And I love it. Not only that, they feel the same about their product and its goals in the world too. I can totally get behind that.

These folks are so highly intelligent, some of the wittiest, most fun people I’ve met, and genuinely, genuinely care. As I said previously, it was a whirlwind of a week with a lot thrown at me to tackle, and while it initially was overwhelming (not going to lie), the culture of the company and the genuine hearts of my co-workers meant that every step of the way I felt embraced, listened-to, and cared for. And I know it’s not for show and will continue on into my employment. I still cannot believe I get to work with this company.

In addition to the people at Webflow and the company itself, it offers benefits that I’d never be able to get by running my own business. There are a lot of photographers out there who have part of the burden of running a business alleviated by a spouse or a partner. I have neither (perhaps one day I’ll find the right guy! here’s hoping!), so right now it’s just little ol’ me running the entire ship. Hence, the benefits that come along with this new job are a HugeBigGiantDeal to me too.

I’ll have a regular paycheck. I will actually be able to go to the doctor when I need to, because I’ll have health insurance that actually covers things and I won’t have to sell organs to afford it (kidding kidding – I still retain all my organs). I can take vacations! I will be able to travel more! I’ll be able to take on more photojournalism work and not feel guilty about accepting the low pay they typically offer. And I’ll get to do all this while still maintaining my home-base in Missoula because I’ll be working remotely for Webflow (pretty rad, right?! – strike that – unbelievably, amazingly rad!).

While I love my photography business and all of my clients, the nitty-gritty details of running a business can sometimes be a challenge to deal with on a day-to-day basis.

So, all this to say: yes, I’ll be working at Webflow now. But I will still be working as a photographer, too.

Which leads me to another reason I love this company. Webflow realizes I have a true passion for photography and the people with whom I get to work. They don’t want me to give that up and they’ve made it so I can still make that happen too. (This was something I thought about long and hard as I considered taking this job.)

Which means, yes the structure of my business will change slightly, but not to its detriment or yours. Here’s what might change:

• I’ll need to be more selective in the number of shoots I can do, since I cannot humanly work a bazillion hours a week, which simply means: I can absolutely do your shoot, but we’ll need to plan ahead for it so we can both get it on the calendar, that’s all!
• It may take me just a touch longer to respond to your messages, which means: I’ll still answer all your questions and notes, of course, but I’ll just have a more limited timetable in which to do it.
• That’s it. Really nothing more than that.

Here’s what won’t change:

• How much, much, much I care about my clients and making sure you have the best experience possible. That won’t change at ALL. It’s core to who I am and how I run my business.
• How much I love photography. It’s got my heart forever.
• How much I love documenting your lives. Doing this gives me life and always will.
• My home-base in Montana. Yep, I’m not moving to San Francisco. I’ll still be right here in Montana.

So, to sum it all up, and that was a lot, I’ve got a new job, which will coexist with my photography job. I love them both equally and I adore all of you.

I’m super stoked for this new step in my life, and I’m excited for you to join me on it! Thanks for hanging in there with this long post, and here’s to embracing positive change and new life adventures!! :)

And, because it would be weird not to share a few photos, here are some from my week in San Francisco (yes, I take selfies, too – haha!)

Cheers!
-Kristine

A little boat scooting across the very smoky bay in front of Alcatraz.

It’s hilly in SF. Ships were decorated for Veterans’ Day.

A Western Gull chills in the orange, smoky light of the afternoon as sea lions bask in the sun.

Did I mention it was smoky in SF while I was there? The Golden Gate Bridge barely peeked through the haze.

The first night I arrived in SF, my friend from high school, whom I haven’t seen in far too long, made a 2-hour drive to meet up with me for a delicious dinner! Such a great time catching up with her and laughing our heads off, and the carnitas and flan were pretty darn incredible. Thanks again, Carrie, for zipping over to see me! :)

The first day of my trial week I got to go to the California College of the Arts where two of my fellow employees were presenting about Webflow to curious students – I had a chance to tell them a little about my site, too! On the right, as the smoke and air quality worsened, my Airbnb hosts gave all their guests respirator masks to use.

Each morning I’d walk to work at Webflow’s office and get to pass by some really awesome, colorful street art.

Webflow’s office is really an amazing place to work. Open and full of natural light, plants, comfy chairs, snacks and standing desks, it makes for a great work environment. Wish I could transport it to Montana!

A San Francisco trolley at night.

A ferry boat waits along the piers as the Bay Bridge boasts its own light show in the background.

I had just a TON of fun walking along the bay with fellow Webflow-er and amazing, amazing magician (yes, you read that right – magician!), Magic Mark. What a blast! Thanks for putting up with me and all my photos, Mark! SO nice to meet you IRL! :)

Mark made sure I ended up in a few photos too – we certainly had a good time being goofy! Haha!

I had the chance to meet up with my cousin, Jon, and his fiancée, Amanda, and they were so generous to treat me to an incredible meal and drinks at Mourad in the Financial District. It was so great to see Jon, since the last time I saw him was in 2013! Egads!

Click the image above to check out a fun little website I put together to feature this image. :)

Last, but not least, these wonderful people toasted to my new hire status with champagne right before I had to zip off to the airport – such a wonderful end to an amazing week! (Pardon the blurriness – we were all laughing too much!)

This is how excited I am about joining Webflow – thumbs up all around! (P.S. My shirt reads: “Design Responsively” – yasssss.)

Et voila! That’s the end of the story for this past week, but just the start to this new adventure!

And, in the meantime, I’ve still got shoots going that will be hitting the blog soon, so stay posted for those! :)

Cheers!
-Kristine