Today we’d like to introduce you to Kasie Craig.
Hi Kasie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a photographer for more than 13 years, but I don’t think I ever could have predicted where this career would take me when I first started.
Photography began as something I loved and slowly grew into a business, a career, and ultimately a huge part of my life. I built SLO Town Studios on California’s Central Coast, where I spent years photographing weddings, couples, and families and eventually grew the business beyond just myself. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph hundreds of incredibly meaningful moments, work alongside some amazing wedding professionals, and build a team that allowed us to offer both photography and videography.
One of the things I’m most proud of is that I didn’t build SLO Town Studios around chasing trends. I’ve always wanted our work to feel timeless, warm, and honest—to document what a day actually felt like, not just what it looked like. Some of my favorite photographs are often the little in-between moments that nobody planned for.
Then, in 2025, life took me somewhere completely new: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Moving away from the place where I had spent so many years building my business was both exciting and terrifying. SLO Town Studios continues to serve our couples and families on the Central Coast, and I travel back to California regularly for weddings and sessions, but moving to North Idaho gave me an unexpected opportunity to start creating something here, too.
In a lot of ways, I feel like I’m in a really special chapter of my career right now. I have the experience and foundation that came from more than a decade of running a creative business, while also getting to experience the excitement of being new to a community again—finding new places to photograph, meeting local families and couples, connecting with other small businesses, and figuring out what I want this next chapter to look like.
More recently, that creative energy has even expanded beyond photography. I’m currently launching CDA Hat Bar, a mobile custom hat bar here in Coeur d’Alene, which has given me an entirely new creative outlet and another way to become involved in the North Idaho community.
If there’s one common thread through all of it, it’s that I’ve always loved creating experiences that make people feel something. Whether I’m documenting one of the biggest days of someone’s life, photographing a family as they grow year after year, or helping someone design a hat that feels completely their own, I love getting to create something meaningful and personal for people.
Thirteen years later, I’m still growing, still creating, and—maybe most importantly—still genuinely excited about what comes next.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not—and I think most small business owners would probably laugh at the idea of a “smooth road.”
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned over the last 13 years is that owning a creative business means constantly learning how to adapt. I started as a photographer because I loved photography, but very quickly had to learn that being good at your craft and being good at running a business are two completely different skill sets. Suddenly I also had to understand marketing, contracts, finances, customer service, scheduling, taxes, websites, social media—the list goes on. A lot of that was learned through trial and error.
The wedding industry itself has also changed tremendously throughout my career. Trends change, technology changes, social media changes, and the way couples find and hire their vendors changes. Then, of course, there was 2020. The wedding industry essentially came to a halt overnight, and navigating postponements, cancellations, changing restrictions, and the financial uncertainty that came with it was probably one of the most challenging seasons I’ve experienced as a business owner. At the same time, it taught me just how resilient both I and the business could be.
Growing SLO Town Studios from just me into a team brought its own learning curve. I had to learn how to let go of doing everything myself, how to lead people, and how to create consistency while still allowing each person on the team to bring their own strengths and creativity to the table. That transition wasn’t always easy, but it ultimately allowed the business to become something much bigger than what I could have created alone.
More recently, moving from California to Idaho has probably been one of the biggest personal and professional leaps I’ve taken. I spent more than a decade building relationships, a reputation, and a client base on the Central Coast, so there was definitely a moment of wondering, “Am I really about to move hundreds of miles away from everything I built?”
The answer was yes—and I’m really glad I did.
I still travel back to California and continue to run SLO Town Studios there, but starting over in a new community has been humbling. In California, I had years of word-of-mouth, vendor relationships, venue familiarity, and name recognition behind me. In North Idaho, I’m the new girl again. I’m introducing myself, building relationships, finding my place in the community, and proving myself all over again.
But I think there’s something really beautiful about that, too. Starting over has reminded me why I started creating in the first place. It has pushed me outside of my comfort zone, opened the door to new ideas like CDA Hat Bar, and made this season of life feel a little bit like the beginning again—except this time, I get to bring 13 years of lessons with me.
We’ve been impressed with SLO Town Studios, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
SLO Town Studios is a wedding photography and videography team based on California’s Central Coast. While I now live in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, the Central Coast is where the business was built and continues to be a huge part of what we do. I travel back regularly, and our team photographs and films weddings throughout San Luis Obispo County and beyond.
At our core, we specialize in documenting weddings in a way that feels timeless, warm, candid, and true to the people we’re photographing. Of course we’re going to create the beautiful portraits and capture all of the important details, but I’m equally interested in the things happening in between—the way your dad looks at you before walking you down the aisle, your grandma on the dance floor, your best friend trying not to cry during her toast, or the split second your new spouse reaches for your hand when no one thinks the camera is watching.
Those are the photographs that become more valuable with time.
I think one of the things that sets SLO Town Studios apart is the experience behind the camera. After more than 13 years in the wedding industry, I’ve learned that being a great wedding photographer is about so much more than taking beautiful photographs. Weddings are unpredictable. Timelines change, weather happens, emotions run high, dresses get dirty, people run late, and lighting conditions are rarely perfect. Experience allows you to stay calm, problem-solve quickly, and still create beautiful work without making the couple feel like their wedding day has turned into a photoshoot.
We also offer both photography and videography as one team, which I absolutely love. Having photographers and videographers who already know how to work together creates a much more seamless experience for our couples. We’re not competing for the same shot or meeting each other for the first time on the wedding morning—we’re working toward the same goal and telling the same story in two different ways.
Brand-wise, I’m probably most proud of the relationships we’ve built. So much of our business comes through referrals, past clients, venues, and other wedding professionals, and there’s something incredibly meaningful about knowing people trust us enough to recommend us for such an important day.
Even more special is when wedding clients come back years later. We photograph the engagement, then the wedding, and eventually maternity photos, babies, anniversaries, and growing families. I have families I’ve photographed through multiple chapters of their lives, and that has become one of my favorite parts of this career. It’s also the inspiration behind our seasonal portrait offerings—we want to give people a reason to keep documenting their lives even after the wedding is over.
Ultimately, I don’t want SLO Town Studios to simply be known for pretty pictures. I want us to be known for taking really good care of people. I want our couples to feel comfortable, supported, and able to actually enjoy their wedding day. And years from now, when they look through their photographs or watch their film, I want them to remember not only how everything looked, but exactly how it felt.
That, more than anything, is what we’re trying to preserve.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
One of my favorite childhood memories is actually pretty funny considering what I ended up doing for a living.
My mom was always taking photos of my sports teams, and she and I would sit together, sort through all of the pictures, and cut and glue them into these big action posters. I remember having so much fun choosing the photos, arranging everything, and turning all of those individual moments into something that told the story of the season.
I also have such a vivid memory of one of my very first little photography “businesses.” I started taking photos of the football team and set up a booth where the parents could look through all of the images I had taken and buy them…from me, on CDs! It makes me laugh now thinking about how much photography and technology have changed, but apparently the entrepreneurial photographer in me showed up pretty early.
Looking back, I love that those memories combine so many things that eventually became such a huge part of my life: photography, storytelling, creating something tangible from memories, and even figuring out a way to sell my work. At the time, though, I wasn’t thinking about any of that. I was just having fun with my mom and a camera.
Pricing:
- Wedding photography collections with SLO Town Studios begin at $3,600.
- Wedding videography collections begin at $5,000.
- Combined photography + videography collections are available for couples looking for one cohesive team to document their wedding.
- Seasonal portrait sessions are released throughout the year
Contact Info:
- Website: https://slotownstudios.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/slotownstudios/
