It's been an interesting and rewarding ride over the past year, as I've invested a lot of time, energy, and hard work into my photography business (here's to many weekend hours).  I think my path (and I've just begun) has been different from the norm, but fun nonetheless.

I work for Intuit, the small business accounting & tax software company (you know, QuickBooks, Turbo Tax, etc.).  A little over a year ago, I worked on a product idea that originated from the question around how/ where small businesses go to learn, network, share best practices, etc.  A small team and I set out to better understand the ecosystem and test several hypotheses by talking and working with many small businesses over the course of several months.

As part of the project, I decided I could learn a lot about the process and a bit about myself by starting up a "business" of my own.  Over the past year I've been learning the art of photography and small business--equally challenging and important.  Education is everywhere these days, especially on the web.  I've read my fair share of blogs, technical books, how-to videos, and even 1:1 consulting from industry trendsetters.  All have paid off, but it takes time to be successful, and as I've previously mentioned, I'm just beginning.

So what do I mean by "coming full circle?"  A couple of months ago, I was asked by our marketing team to shoot some "commercial" images for an upcoming customer loyalty campaign.  I thought this was a great opportunity for several reasons:

1. It would be my first commercial-like shoot (something beyond my default)
2. I got to work with other creatives (always rewarding)
3. I was shooting for and giving back to Intuit ... the place I started from, the original reason for venturing out and "starting a business" or coming full circle
   

All in all, a rewarding experience.  Here are a few shots from the session and a sample of the campaign:



To see some additional images from the local shoot, click here.