We moved to Lake Chelan in March of 2012 and I was lucky enough to make friends with Dedee Starcher, a local massage therapist and yoga teacher. All those years ago Dedee gifted me an essential oil spray called “Mood Elevator” made by Jamayma Gecko Herbals. Barbara Korando was the owner and maker of J. Gecko and her line of essential oil products could be found all over Lake Chelan as well as local farmers markets in the area.
I fell in love with the Mood Elevator essential oil spray and faithfully purchased replacements year after year. I remember meeting Barbara in Wenatchee at Pybus Market one day and was beyond excited to put a face to the creator of my favorite skin care products.
Fast forward to this past July when I opened an email inquiry from Katie. She was interested in having their new herbal business and family photographed. All I knew was they lived in Manson and had an organic permaculture farm. Of course my response was, heck yes let’s do this!
Connecting with and getting to know my clients long before the camera comes out is a priority of mine, especially when working with businesses. It is important to fully understand visions and values so we can maximize a photo session. I suggested to Katie we meet in person to exchange ideas and come up with a plan.
Upon meeting at The Vogue in Chelan, it didn’t take long for us to put our circles together and giggle over how much overlap there was. We were so surprised we hadn’t already crossed paths. When I realized Katie and her husband Seth were taking over his mother’s business, Jamayma Gecko Herbals - and this was part of the process she wanted documented - I was so excited! Because there were two pieces to their story, business and family, I suggested we schedule not one but two portrait sessions to allow time and energy for both perspectives. There was the transition of J. Gecko to Seth and Katie and the birth of Chelan Valley Botanicals. And then there was Katie and Seth’s family taking on this new roll of farming as a family while growing a business.
Katie fully trusted me (yay!) and we marched forward scheduling two sessions; one at sunrise and one at sunset. I set up a time to visit their house and farm plus I was able to meet their two kiddos, Isaac and Elise. It was an icebreaker if you will, where we were able to connect without a camera present and I got to know the lay of the land to prepare for each session.
Today, I am sharing the story of J. Gecko Herbals transitioning into Chelan Valley Botanicals with a new look and new name. I spent the morning with Barbara and Seth exploring the farm and documenting this special time in their lives. The sun rose around 0630 which meant I arrived at 0530. We worked until the light became harsh and eventually transitioned inside where Barbara and Seth processed lavender essential oil with the kids.
Photographing this monumental time in their family business was an honor and so much fun.
At the foundation of this entire project was building a relationship and taking the time to truly know the vision Seth and Katie have for Chelan Valley Botanicals.
Seth and Katie connected with the talented Nicole Conner for product photos and the teasers I have seen from Nicole are phenomenal. Watching this project grow over the months has been extra special and I can’t wait for their story and our visuals to come together in an online presence with a website.
Chelan Valley Botanical products are available at Spirals in downtown Chelan and come from the very hands and earth you see in these photos. Part two with the family is coming next week!.