EMILY FOSS
Q: What’s your occupation? Explain your career, your accomplishments and professional highlights.
A: I’m a wedding and lifestyle photographer (Sweet Justice Photography), owner of Fort Collins community photography studio, Cache Creative Studio, owner of photobooth rental, Stella the Photo Booth, and creator of the charcuterie grazing table business, Plentiful Platters. I have been self-employed for over a decade, while also adding my husband, Alan, to my team in 2020.
Q: Tell us about yourself, your history and how you came to be where you are now.
A: My career began in 2012 when I graduated high school and began taking photos professionally. I had taken photography classes during school and was raising money to go on a service trip to Nepal. After that, I photographed friends’ weddings all throughout college. I’ve since grown my photography brand while expanding my creative entrepreneurial endeavors.
Q: Tell us something unique about you.
A: Travel has always been my inspiration. I grew up moving all over the country, so travel became second nature as I learned to relate to different kinds of people and explore the vast landscapes of the world. I’ve gotten to combine my greatest passion with my work, traveling the world and documenting stories ranging from nonprofits to weddings.
Age: 29
Occupation: Lifestyle photographer, owner and founder of Sweet Justice Photography, Cache Creative Studio, Stella the Photo Booth and Plentiful Platters
Q: What do you consider your biggest accomplishment, either professionally or personally?
A: During the pandemic, I was tired of being stuck at home as a self-employed creator. After beginning a lease at an Old Town office, I identified a gap in the Fort Collins community: A studio space for creatives to shoot photographs and host workshops and intimate events. I immediately began searching for a larger space in Fort Collins to create this vision and opened Cache Creative Studio in November 2021.
Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? In 10 years?
A: In five years, I would love to scale all my businesses to new levels in the event industry and provide clients with a service experience that leaves them comparing every service to the experience my team gave them. In 10 years, I want to be a leader in the Colorado event and creative industry.
Q: What piece(s) of advice would you give to your younger self?
A: I would tell her to not listen to anyone’s advice who has never done what I’m doing now. My biggest setback was listening to people who have never owned a creative business. Identify your expanders: The people who are doing exactly what you want to do successfully but are just ahead of you in the process. Dream with them, listen to them and aspire to be like them.
Q: How do you balance managing all your businesses?
A: By creating a clear workflow for each job, and I’m obsessed with my Google Calendar. Every day looks like a rainbow. I also make time for spontaneous fun every day, which keeps my head clear.
Q: How does seeing the world inspire you and your creative work?
A: Seeing the world inspires my creative work by revealing to me all the endless ways of living. I have a passion for bringing to life the stories I witness in different corners of the earth. Having new experiences and meeting people of foreign cultures is my fuel for creativity.
