Redwood County came to me with a problem a lot of growing organizations run into: they needed photos for everything (website, social media, billboards, print brochures) but didn’t want to book a new shoot every time a need popped up.
The Challenge
Plum Creek County Park in Walnut Grove, Minnesota has a lot going on: campgrounds, a swimming beach, kayaking, disc golf, hiking trails, a playground, and more. Plum Creek County Park sits on the actual Plum Creek made famous by Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie, a detail that makes it a historical stop for visiting families, not just a place to camp.
The Solution
I built a year-long, four-season photography plan instead of a single shoot:
- 6 to 8 visits to the park over about a year, timed to specific moments rather than a fixed schedule
- 100+ high-resolution, edited photos for each season covering the campground, pavilion, beach, kayaking activities, hiking trails, disc golf course, baseball and volleyball areas, and playground
- Full usage rights delivered to the county, so they could use the photos across web, print, and advertising without limits or per-use licensing
Planning Around the Park, Not a Calendar
A generic “spring shoot” and “winter shoot” wouldn’t have cut it. Every visit was planned around the specific moment that would actually give Redwood County something usable:
- Winter: I waited for a fresh, picturesque snowfall rather than shooting whatever winter day was convenient, then brought models along to go sledding and hike the trails, so the photos showed the park being lived in, not just a snowy landscape
- Spring: Park staff let me know exactly when the flowers were blooming, and friends in the area flagged good conditions too, so I could hike the trails while everything was at peak bloom
- Summer: I worked the Fourth of July weekend on purpose. I knew from experience the campground would be completely full and lively, prime conditions for photos of campers, RVs, cabins, and the beach all in full use, holiday or not
- Fall: I timed a hiking visit specifically for peak color, the trickiest window of the year to catch since it depends entirely on weather cooperating with a tight calendar
That kind of planning, watching bloom reports, tracking reservation calendars, working holidays, and choosing the right day over the easy day, is what turns a photo shoot into a photo library that actually gets used.
Filling the Frame with Real People
Empty parks don’t sell anyone on a visit. I brought in a mix of models across nearly every season, from kids sledding in the snow to swimmers and paddlers in summer, and approached visitors on-site when the moment called for it, always respecting anyone who preferred not to be photographed. Model releases were secured for everyone featured.
The Result
Photos were organized by season and delivered digitally, so county staff could find and pull exactly what they needed without digging through hundreds of unsorted files. Once delivered, those photos showed up across the county’s website, social media, print materials, and even billboards!
The clearest sign this worked came directly from the client. After delivering that summer’s batch, Redwood County’s Economic Development Coordinator wrote back:
“These are yet again, another set of amazing pictures! You have a real gift to capture unique and beautiful images!”
–Briana M
She went on to confirm the library was already covering their needs well ahead of schedule, and no additional trips beyond what the contract called for would be required.
The Fun Part
I’ll be honest: getting hired to hike, swim, kayak, and sled at a genuinely beautiful hidden-gem park, often with my own family and friends along for the shoots, is one of my favorite projects to date. Work and play blurred together in the best way.
Why Every Project Gets Its Own Quote
This project looked nothing like a typical photo shoot, and that’s exactly the point. A single headshot session, a one-day product shoot, and a year-long seasonal library all take different planning, time, and expertise, so they’re priced individually rather than off a standard rate card. The same is true across everything I do, whether it’s photography, a website, a full marketing plan, or something else entirely.
If you’re picturing something specific, whether it’s a seasonal photo library like this one or something else on your mind, reach out and let’s talk through what it would take to make it happen.
