Hi, I’m Callie
My pronouns are she/her/hers. Thank you for your interest in me and my work.
I started photographing as a child when my mother put a camera in my hands and told me stories of stopping along I-24 at night in traffic to get a shot of a perfect building or that time she climbed along ridges in Colorado with a camera in hand.
I grew up believing in the magic of photography and taking my first photos before and throughout high school.
During college, I pursued studies in photography and journalism, learning of the marriage of imagery and word together and earning my undergraduate degree in mass communications in 2005.
In 2014, after almost 10 years in business and administration fields, I chose to pursue my passion in photography professionally full-time. Two years later, I combined that with a career in nonprofit, primarily working with international youth and underserved populations.
In 2020, a year that gave me pause to evaluate the real roots of my passions, my focus returned to photography, and Callie Forest Photo was born with a new mission: to serve in highlighting the beauty, happenings, and dynamic faces of our community. I’m a proud Richmonder, where I live and play. If I’m not photographing, I’m typically running or pursuing my love of fitness in my work as a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach.
I’m an extrovert with a passion for people and the belief that it is the connections that we create in this life that are its true currency, its real value.
I work to get to know my clients, connect with them and understand what they value, translating that to imagery. I work to bring that great laugh, that tenacity to succeed, that roaring spirit to each photograph I take of a client.
I learn my client’s stories and translate tales of their small business into moments that create a relatable narrative. I stand as a silent witness of moments like an exchanging of vows or a special event, taking in all the important detail often lost to participants, little treasures to be savored later. I serve as a documentarian of moments occurring in our community and beyond. I accomplish this with a keen focus on detail and a focus on listening.
I create this dynamic storytelling all through a body positive and inclusive lens. I believe that all bodies are exquisite, and each of us embodies beauty both physically and mentally. I have real conversations with portraiture and event clients about how they are feeling in their bodies, what challenges they are facing physically or mentally, and how I can help navigate those.
With a plethora of for-profit entities that directly profit from messaging that promotes insecurity about our appearance, it is my mission to promote the opposite: that no matter your size, your ability, or your shape, you are beautiful — and that beauty is something to be celebrated.
As a strong ally of the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities, the importance of inclusion and representation is at the heart of my work.
Creating spaces for queer and BIPOC creators and individuals to be celebrated and highlighted is a cornerstone of my work.
Join me in telling your story.
Let’s celebrate you, your small business, or your moment together.