We recently connected with Hillary and Will Prescott and have shared our conversation below.

Hillary and Will , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Moving from Boise to San Francisco wasn’t just a change of scenery—it was a leap. We had built a steady wedding photography business in Idaho, with loyal clients and predictable seasons. But we craved more. More creative freedom, more artistic collaboration, more room to evolve. So, we took the risk: we packed up, left behind our comfort zone, and dove into one of the most competitive and saturated markets in the country.

The original plan was simple: grow our wedding photography brand in the Bay Area. But the reality quickly challenged us. Despite our experience and portfolio, bookings were slow. The industry here was saturated with competitors who had advantages over us, ranking high in search engines. We had to adapt, fast.

So, we pivoted. We embraced real estate photography, product shoots, and food styling—things we have experience in, and were willing to take on. And then came the second, more creative risk: integrating AI-generated imagery into our photography. We started experimenting with replacing real backgrounds with imaginative, whimsical ones—fantasy storybook landscapes, surreal wedding gardens, otherworldly ideas—all while keeping the people, lighting, and emotion grounded in realism. We didn’t want gimmicks; we wanted storytelling that stood out and to give clients the freedom to have something unique and artistic.

This choice set us apart. Clients who were curious about blending art, tech, and reality found us. We’re still climbing, still adapting, but the risks we took have shaped something more fulfilling: a hybrid visual style that’s ours alone. The story’s still being written, but we know we’re finally on the right page.

Hillary and Will , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We’re Willy and Hilly—a husband and wife creative duo based in San Francisco. Hilly comes from a background in filmmaking, with a deep love for storytelling through visuals. Willy spent years as a touring musician, capturing emotion and energy through sound. Along the way, our paths aligned, and we turned our individual crafts into a shared vision.

Together, we offer photography and videography services that go beyond standard visuals. From cinematic shoots to aerial footage, from branded content to food and real estate photography, we help clients tell their stories with clarity, depth, and imagination. We also specialize in social media content creation, crafting imagery that connects and converts—whether for small businesses, artists, or larger brands.

What sets us apart is our willingness to evolve. We don’t just shoot—we explore. We incorporate cutting-edge tools, including AI, to expand what’s possible. From whimsical AI-generated backdrops to realistic composite images, we merge art and technology in a way that’s grounded and intentional, never gimmicky.

We’re most proud of the trust we’ve built with clients who want something different—something personal, expressive, and visually powerful. Whether it’s a one-day shoot or an ongoing content strategy, we approach every project as artists first and problem-solvers always.

What we want people to know: we care deeply about every frame. We’re not just documenting—we’re crafting.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Supporting a thriving creative ecosystem starts with valuing the work behind the work. A great photo or video isn’t just a click—it’s hours of preparation, shooting, editing, refining, and storytelling. What happens after the camera stops is often where the magic begins. That’s where time, skill, and care turn raw footage into something meaningful.

In a world where everyone has a camera in their pocket, what sets a professional creative team apart is not just gear, which is still very important—it’s vision, technique, experience, and trust. It’s knowing how to make people feel at ease, how to read a moment, how to capture it in a way that feels effortless but took years to master. It’s about making you feel seen—and doing it beautifully.

But today, small creators are being squeezed. Big companies flood the market with ads and race-to-the-bottom pricing, pushing clients to prioritize cost over creativity. That erodes not just income for artists, but the quality and soul of the work itself. It also ends up pushing creators to compromise their own best practices in order to just get bookings, to undercut the pricing of their competitors in a race to have work at all.

To truly support creatives, society needs to choose depth over convenience, relationships over algorithms, and value over volume. Hire artists not just for a product, but for the passion and care they bring. When you support a small creative team, you’re investing in something personal, honest, and lasting.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being a creative is the quiet moment when someone sees their story reflected back through our lens—and feels understood. It’s when a couple cries watching their wedding film because it captured not just what happened, but how it felt. It’s when a small business owner tells us our photos finally made them feel “seen” professionally. Or when someone says, “That’s me, exactly how I hoped to be remembered.”

There’s something deeply human about turning fleeting moments into lasting images. We get to witness people in their realness—nervous, joyful, proud, vulnerable—and hold space for that, with care and artistry. That trust is never lost on us.

What moves us most is knowing that what we create can outlive a moment, a season, even a lifetime. Sometimes the feedback we get can come years later, and it is an often missed validation that the extra effort we put in matters. We get to build visual memory for others, and in doing so, help them remember who they are, what they’ve built, who they’ve loved. That’s the magic. That’s the reward.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.4karmastudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/4karma.studio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4Karma/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillyprescott/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@4karmastudio
• Other: https://www.sfcontentcreator.com, https://www.instagram.com/sf_content_creator/, https://www.instagram.com/aisweetdreams/, https://m.youtube.com/@Wilaria

Image Credits

Willy & Hilly Prescott