Anjola is a muralist that I was paired with as part of an Etsy initiative for small business development. We met up at one of Anjola’s own pieces in Phoenix and her work became the backdrop, the color palette, and the entire mood of the session. If you look at my work, you can tell I’m often intimidated by super bright colors, but once I started shooting, the whole thing just clicked. It was one of those shoots where the entire time I was thinking, “I can’t believe I actually get to take these photos.”

I’m so grawn to the effortless intentionality of these photos images. The paint-splattered apron, the brushes, the color swatches, the printed mural map, even the wrinkled drop cloth, all represents her process, and I think all of that builds to this overall goal with branding photos. The images aren’t traditional headshots, they show her as a muralist. You can see how she works, her process, the paint on her apron and down the sides of the paint cans, and it allows you to visualize what it might be like to work with her. I love these images as a representation of what a really well designed shoot looks like.

Follow Anjola at @anjola.ay on Instagram
Check out Etsy’s small business programs here

Denise Karis is an Arizona brand photographer who enjoys cooking, theater, and a good time travel movie. IG @denisekaris