{goldfish tea} | michigan freelance commercial photographer

I love capturing emotions. People. Love. Laughter. So when I decided to try out commercial photography, I was not really sure where this would take me or if I would even enjoy it. A couple of weeks ago, AK asked me if she could send this blog and my fb page links to her friend who was asked to connect a company based out of Seattle with a Michigan freelance photog. I was then introduced to {Guidant Financial}. Their tagline is ’create the life you want’ with one of their facets being in small business financing. GF is in the process of creating new marketing materials for this sector and I was to showcase one of their clients: our very own {Goldfish Tea} in Royal Oak.

Located on 4th Street (next to the Aveda salon), the owners, Jim and Janice Girling, have created a place that is very warm and welcoming. What I found most interesting was that Janice told me that she and her husband were once avid coffee drinkers. When they were living in Beijing, they ‘accidentally’ fell in love with tea when they visited a local wholesale tea market and were bartering for a gorgeous gold dragon embossed tea set. They were invited to sit and enjoy a tea tasting and not only learned about the tea itself, but my favorite part was that the language and cultural barriers were diminished as they learned the ancient tea rituals. After spending a couple of hours with them on a Saturday afternoon, it was clear to me that both Jim and Janice are passionate about both the tea and their customers.

What was even more surprising to me was when Janice made me a complimentary cup of {First Love} premium black tea, I drank it, well, black. I usually have to add cream and sweetener in order to enjoy it … and there was no need! After that afternoon, I walked out with some more First Love, along with some {Osmanthus Oolong Tea} and a stainless steel tea filter. The filter sits right on top of my favorite mug for the perfect tea infusion. I plan to go back with E for our very own tea tasting, and you should, as well! It is complimentary. But, good luck getting out of there without purchasing some tea basics of your own!

Okay, enough tea pushing. PUSHER! More important than my newfound {tea} knowledge, is that GF is extremely pleased with the images I produced, which thrills me to no end:

It is always nerve-racking to hire a photographer who will work with one of your clients without any supervision and little creative direction. Kristin’s professionalism, warm personality, and creative eye allowed us to feel confident in her ability to operate independently on our behalf. She exceeded our expectations and delivered some of the best photography we’ve received to date. She matched our brand’s specific photographic style flawlessly and yet expressed her personal creativity. I’d happily recommend her to anyone who is looking to for an excellent commercial photographer with whom they can trust their brand. It was a pleasure to work with Kristin.

-      Garrett Jackson, Guidant Financial
www.guidantfinancial.com

Here is a little glipmpse into the world of Goldfish Tea. I hope after reading this you decide to enjoy this little gem yourself! xo