We were contacted by Quiltfolk Magazine when they were looking for a photographer to document someone being featured in their special Quiltfolk Cats issue. That person ended up being Pamela Jane Morgan, a quilt and fabric designer whose home and studio happened to be surprisingly close to where we live. Pamela had previously released her cat-inspired pattern book, Purr-fect Patchwork, and is also well known within the quilting community for Kitty Litter, her playful fabric collection built around cats.
The session gave us the chance to document Pamela’s creative world in a way that felt natural and lived-in. We photographed the details of her fabrics and designs, candid moments of her working in the studio, and lifestyle portraits that showed her within the environment where so much of her work takes shape. Rather than making everything feel overly staged, we wanted the photographs to reflect the personality behind the work and the fun, eclectic way she incorporates cats into her quilts and fabric designs.
We also included Pamela’s husband and, naturally, her cats. Those pieces helped the final collection feel less like a traditional portrait shoot and more like a glimpse into her life, home, and creative process. To say the least, this was a unique and genuinely fun assignment for us. We later had the opportunity to photograph quilt artist Denyse Schmidt for the same issue, making this the beginning of another memorable collaboration with Quiltfolk Magazine.
If you’re an artist, maker, publication, or creative business looking for documentary lifestyle photography that shows both the person and the work behind the story, we’d love to hear from you.
We are the husband + wife photo team behind Hand and Arrow Photography, specializing in the documentation of wedding, elopements and couples portraits in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and beyond!
