An award winning, creativity-centric branding and senior portrait photographer in Denver, Colorado.
Meet Willy
My name is Willy Wilson, which confuses people immediately. You can call me Willy, Wilson, Willie, or Wil; I even occasionally answer to Nelson. But not Lily.
I live with my husband, my youngest kid (who doubles as my part-time assistant), Odys the Puppy Wuppy (a bouncy Bernadoodle), and KatHISS Everscream (shouty cat). The names are accurate.
I’m a lifelong reader currently deep in my romantasy / dark romance / Dramione era, but I’m always happy to talk all day about Lord of Scoundrels. I read or listen to 2–4 books a week, annotate for fun, occasionally bedazzle book covers, and maintain a very serious personal book collection that is not quite a library but is also definitely not small.
I don’t watch much TV because I get impatient sitting still, I’d rather be making art or working on some kind of craft, but I will absolutely binge Bridgerton, Heated Rivalry, or pretty much anything Star Trek-related. I’m a bit of a space TV nerd.
I never met a craft I didn’t like. Actually, that’s not true. I don’t think I like sewing. Which is why I’m not a fashion designer. I just want to wear and look at the fashion, not sew it, dammit.
I love paper. Planners, notebooks, Japanese stationery, printed photographs, artist books; if it involves paper, I’m interested. That love of physical materials shows up in my artwork and in my belief that photographs deserve to exist off-screen and in your hands.
I’m also an artist with an ongoing studio practice (you can see that side of my work at thewillywilson.com). I have a long-standing fascination with demolition, architecture, and buildings in general, which probably explains more about my art practice than it does about my personality.
I’ve built a long career by intentionally balancing client work, community work, and creative exploration, and that perspective informs how I approach every session. I bring all of those parts of myself into my photography, which means my work is thoughtful, collaborative, and grounded in real human experience rather than just aesthetics (but I still love beautiful photos!!!!!)
Professionally, I photograph branding clients, seniors, and anyone else who wants images that feel like themselves rather than stiff versions of themselves. My sessions are collaborative and creative, and I take the responsibility of representing someone’s story or brand very seriously.
I’m a member of NAPCP, PPA, APW, and CPAC, and I’m the founder of the Senior Portrait Project, a long-running community initiative providing free senior portraits for students who might not otherwise have access to them.
I also started a romance book club. Want to join?
xo
Willy
