I've been going to the Tokeland Hotel for seven years. Brunch. Mimosas. Steak dinners. More mimosas. Oyakodon. Did I mention the mimosas? For the better part of a decade it was just my favorite place to eat on the coast, full stop. It never once occurred to me that I would eventually be photographing it professionally. Honestly for a long time it didn't really occur to me that commercial photography was something a person could build a real career around, but that's a different blog post.

So when I was wrapping up brunch with a friend, at the tail end of a mimosa flight (or two), the owner's son caught us on the way out and said "hey, you're Chelsea, right?" and I gave him finger guns and said yes and nothing more. Because apparently that's how I network.

I genuinely did not expect that interaction to turn into photographing their new cabin, let alone their events. And yet here we are.

The Spring Farm Dinner was exactly the kind of shoot I love. Good light, good food, people who are actually having a good time and not performing having a good time. The Finnriver cider pairing was a nice touch and I may have sampled some of it in the name of understanding the vibe. Professionalism.

The Tokeland Hotel is one of those places where the decor is gloriously, unapologetically a lot, the staff makes you feel like a regular even if it's your first time, and something about it just stays with you. I've known that for seven years as a customer. It's a little surreal to know it now as their photographer too.

xoxo Chelsea