Meet Casey Whalen | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Casey Whalen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Casey, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Taking pictures is savoring life intensely every hundredth of a second” – Marc Riboud

This is without a doubt one of my favorites. It describes exactly how I feel about photography and why I got into it in the first place. I almost never go out with a specific shot in mind, I just always have my camera on hand ready to capture a moment or detail that brings me joy.

It’s also a great reminder when photography jobs start to feel more like work than fun. I remind myself to take a step back and think ‘what are those key feelings and details we want to capture here?’.

What key factors contributed to your success?
I like to think two things are primarily responsible for my success.

1. The Bay identity – Aligning my brand identity with San Francisco has allowed me to work with so many other SF based companies. It’s a very transient city, so when brands also love SF and have a foundation here, they look for the same in their partners. This makes it easier for me to get discovered.

2. My inability to filter myself – I am my own boss so there is no one to tell me to be ‘more professional’. and I love that. You won’t find me filtering my personality or creative vision out of my work. I’ll always keep it genuine and weird. And luckily, people like that.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh wow this is tough stuff.

A walk through Pacific Heights is always in order. I mean the houses and views there are mind-blowing. There’s a ‘Billionaires row’ there for a reason.

Checkout whichever new park I’m loving at that point in time. Right now Crissy Field Beach and Grandview Park.
Crissy Field Beach is just so peaceful and zen. Grandview speaks for itself.
Bernal Heights Park is also always a favorite to visit. There’s something about laying in the tall grass looking out at the city.
If its 69+ degrees on a Saturday though, Dolores Park, without question. Followed by an evening on Valencia or Mission st.

Kirby Cove and Mt. Tam are the go-to’s outside of the city.

Eating and drinking? My neighborhood bar (ya know, the one where you’re friends with all the bartenders) is Boardroom, so we have to go there at least once.
Original Joes. Arcana. Lone Palm. The Page. Vesuvio. Hobsons. Hookfish Co. Curio. Latin American Club. Madrones Art Bar. (Not sure if you can tell, but I’m not the biggest foodie, but I love a good bar)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Definitely my parents, first and foremost. I think they knew I loved photography before I did. They recognized I enjoyed taking photos on my phone and got me a camera for graduation. And when I first moved to SF, I only knew one person, so I figured ‘I have nothing to do, but I have a camera, so I guess I’ll go explore and take pictures’. And the rest is history.

Professionally, my best friend Maria Arriviello. We really grew our skills and passion for photography at the same time, but she was the first of us to establish it as a career. She inspired me to see photography as more than just a hobby and guided me through how to start my own business.

Website: ilysanfrancisco.com

Instagram: ilysanfrancisco

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilySanFranciscoPhotography/

Image Credits
Casey Whalen