Episode
Breaking Into Commercial Photography with Kara Mercer
- Published
- Jun 19, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3324
- Processing state
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Summary
In this episode, I sat down with Kara Mercer, whose career has taken her from photographing weddings to working with tourism boards, hotels, designers, and brands all over the world. We talk about what it looked like to make the jump into commercial photography, how she built a career beyond weddings, and the realities of motherhood, entrepreneurship, and reinventing yourself as a creative along the way. Meet Kara: Kara Mercer is a commercial photographer and creative director specializing in interior, architectural, lifestyle, and travel photography. With over 17 years of experience behind the camera, she’s known for her refined editorial style, artful use of light, and ability to tell a story in a single frame. She graduated with a Speech Pathology degree, but wedding photography led her around the world ultimately working for tourism boards worldwide and fashion campaigns before expanding her focus to commercial work. This experience informs her editorial eye and the emotional resonance that runs through her photography. Kara is based in Seattle and regularly works in Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and beyond. Her work has been published worldwide in magazines such as House Beautiful, Arch Digest, Traditional Home, Dwell, and more. Connect with Me: Join us at Summer Camp ! Become a Member of Summer School Subscribe here to our emails for updates on all things Summer School! Instagram: @summergrace.photo @the_summerschool Shop My Products: Summer Grace x G-Presets ( disco…