New Hampshire Photographer Launches Storytelling Studio After Life-Changing ICU Experience

When Cassandra Clarke flatlined in the ICU after the birth of her second daughter, Maya, she was not supposed to make it. What pulled her back into the world was not a procedure or a prescription. It was a nurse with a camera.

“She told me, ‘I am going to roll your baby in, and you are going to hold her, and you are going to smile as big as you can, so she has this photo with you,’” Clarke recalled. “That photo stayed with me. It taught me how powerful a single image can be.”

Years later, that lesson has become a livelihood, as she recently launched Cassandra Clarke Photography, a Rochester, New Hampshire-based studio specializing in business branding, family portraits, parties, and events.

Clarke did not arrive at the craft through art school. She came to it through motherhood, marriage, and the “trenches of small business ownership.” Alongside her husband Shawn, she helped build Trash Bandits, an eco-friendly junk removal business, from the ground up. 

“It was all or nothing,” she said. “We were scraping food together. It was hard.”

That experience left her with what she called “a soft spot for small businesses,” which shapes the heart of her new venture, as she offers complimentary branding sessions to selected local entrepreneurs each month. “I know what it feels like to build something from nothing,” she said. “Your image on social media and a website makes a huge difference in how your business is perceived. It is so powerful, so I have been reaching out to small business owners and asking, ‘Do you want a free photo shoot?’ I want to give them that boost.” Regarding her approach to photography, it is rooted in narrative, as she seeks the story already present in her subjects rather than imposing one. She pointed to a recent food truck shoot as an example. “You could tell through their photos how much they care about their food — the cleanliness, the way they lay things out, their movements,” she said. “It just shines through the lens…My job is not to create the story. The story is already there. My job is to capture it.” It is a job, she noted, with equal parts heart and homework. Ahead of an upcoming equine shoot, Clarke said she has been researching horse behavior in detail, describing herself as a planner and a researcher who thinks about everything before a session. “I lead with my heart,” she said, “but it is backed by care, research, and attention to detail. I want every client to feel that what they are hoping for — their vision — is what shows up in the final image.”