A Winter Wondergold Update
- Jennifer Berggren
- Feb 19
- 6 min read
It's cold and wet in Michigan and very hard existing in the United States right now. Running a small business here? Super duper hard mode. Despite it, or, because of it, there is a momentum towards change and we've found so many grassroots imaginings of a better future here in our community in Lansing.
This business and our creative work still matter. We are here continuing our video and photo endeavors. We are doubling-down advocating for rest, caring for one another, and supporting our network of freelancers, communicators, and creatives. We are saying no to the AI-bubble and it's takeover of our industry. We're looking for the places our work can make a difference, can support causes that align with the future we hope to build together with you all.
✨📽️📸 We're booking 2026 video and photo projects. Forward this blog to someone who needs us. Our grassroots agency here is referral-based and driven by your recommendations and our lovely network of communication professionals, creatives, and fellow business owners.
The Moon Cabin @ Woldumar Nature Center
We're finalizing a video for the org behind one of our favorite local hiking trails, Woldumar Nature Center. The story of Moon Cabin is a rich one, it's a place where Lansing history can be seen, touched, and felt. The Moon family lived in this cabin and were early settlers in the area. One of the children, Darius Moon, went on to become a well-known architect who designed many historic buildings in our city including the Turner-Dodge Museum. Below are some photos from our shoot day, you can see our interviewees, the Woldumar team showing off the two-man saw, the lovely interior of the cabin, and of course, Holly in the morning sun!
Teaching at the Great Lakes Expo
The Handpicked Summit content creation workshop made it to the largest fruit and vegetable event east of Cali!
We taught our social media creation class to a group of agricultural experts. Michigan Apple Committee hosted, Sharon from FoodMix brought the platform expertise. We took the presentation to the expo floor and our attendees created their own videos of the event to share on their socials. Hands-on is the only way to get confident with video creation.
I'm loving the process of taking all my years of video creation and story development and making it accessible. This workshop is for anyone interested in using video to tell stories with just their phones. Don't get me wrong, we love our gear, our production crew, our process of crafting a good story, AND we believe in you having an access to creating your own video stories! Your business, brand, org has an audience that craves connection. We think having both professionally-created videos to impress, and user-created content to connect, is the way to go. At GLEXPO, that meant a lot of folks in agricultural industries or locally-owned farming operations. This workshop is focused on building their confidence around filming on their phones, learning the apps, and meeting their audience where they are with social media video.
Below is clip showcasing our conversation on "how did it feel to go shoot some footage on your own?!"
Inquire for public speaking rates or book your own workshop ✨ I want to more teaching in 2026! ✨
Recapping the Annual Conference
Working with our new friends at Michigan College Access Network has been a delight, the work they do is making an impressive and notable impact in the college-access landscape here in Michigan. Their 14th Annual Conference was full of educators, advisors, and invested industry professionals who believe in what they do. The video below is their highlight we created to showcase the event
<-- Take a look behind the scenes!
A peek at how your photos can improve your online presence
If you read our fall update, you remember how we worked with Allen Neighborhood Center to gather more images for them to utilize online, for social media, in newsletters, and print materials. We love to see how the website showcases them!
The updated headshots for the ANC team are photographed more simply around the neighborhood, greenhouse, and the center parking lot! We were able to gather a lot of images in a short amount of time. This helped us check off their wish list of photos. We kept the logistics and gear simple, chose to prioritize quality time in our conversations, and could move quick without bringing in styling or a production crew. Offering flexible options for different needs is an important part of our offerings to creating quality images for our community.
Kat left us this LOVELY review that I have to share with you all:
Jenny worked with our nonprofit - Allen Neighborhood Center - to provide a whole portfolio of photos for our various programs ranging from an urban farm to social programs for elders, and from door-to-door canvassing to staff headshots. Not only did she do an excellent job capturing the community-minded nature of our work in every photo, but I was blown away by her ability to work so easily with anyone and everyone. She was able to connect with and direct kids in our youth programs, but also help staff who are more camera-shy easily pose for the best headshots they've ever had.
Want to leave a review? Tell Google or Facebook you liked working with us or fill out our Internal Feedback Form
Book photo hours with us to level up your online presence: https://www.wondergoldpictures.com/inquire
Jenny's Personal Corner
I want to share all the ways that I'm creating these last few months! My sketching is improving, I'm playing with new mediums and exploring textures, body-memory in creative practices, and I'm writing more. A poem I wrote will be printed this spring in our local writing groups second edition zine! I took a trip with friends to create in a rental together for a long weekend. Video below!
What I'm up to in the form of a list and in turn, some recommendations:
Media recs:
Scream it out to this banger by Sylvan Esso that hits on reality online: Sylvan Esso - WDID
Get inspired to be alive during this time with this podcast episode on Community Archiving and The Long Dark with Francis Weller by the wonderful End of the World Podcast
Remember photography is about connection before hitting the shutter: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus Directed by Steven Shainberg
A volcanolgist love story in the vein of Wes Anderson and a true FEAT of archival storytelling: Fire of Love 2022 Directed by Sara Dosa
Book recommendations based on my recent reads:
Late to the game on The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Huge by Taylor Jenkins Reid but highly recommend, earns the LGBT+ tag
It is Always a Circle by Aleah Black 10/10 illustrations and writings on being human, finding patterns in it all, healing and communing.
Homie by Danez Smith to wreck and inspire, you'll find these poems coated in mourning across the pages. This quote is just from the acknowledgments...
“you made coming out coming in from the storm”
Planning for:
A trip to Mexico, my first time for a wedding
Finding creative video projects in 2026 that mix ecology and my love of storytelling
A portrait session with my fave Leigh Ann Cobb
Tending to:
My art practice and various new mediums
My health and wellness (always!) with functional medicine, pilates, and building strong routines
My community! With local organizing efforts and my file organizing kink
Thanks for reading, babes, stay connected with you community, make time for what you love.
Jenny
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