Hello, I'm Adam
A photographer who fell for the quiet craft of working smarter.
I photograph weddings around Edinburgh and across Scotland. Somewhere between the shooting and the editing, I found a second love: workflows. The unglamorous art of making the hard parts of this business quieter, lighter and quicker, so there's more of me left for the people and the pictures.
Why The Co Lab exists
The last couple of years changed how I work. Life got fuller: two children, a second business that has nothing to do with photography, and a stubborn determination to still be around for my family rather than swallowed by my desk. Something had to give, and it was never going to be the time with my kids.
So I started quietly building little tools to take the weight off the dull, repeatable parts, a timer to keep my edits moving, a tracker to see where my hours actually went, simpler ways to manage enquiries. Nothing fancy. Just small things that clawed back an evening here and there, so more of my week could go on the people and the pictures instead of the admin.
The more I made, the more I noticed how much of our stress as photographers isn't the photography at all. It's the admin, the systems, the behind-the-scenes friction. And almost all the advice out there treats efficiency as a way to take on more, more weddings, more clients, more hustle.
I don't buy that. I want the opposite. I want the smooth systems and the smart tools precisely so I can shoot a sensible number of weddings, be properly present for the people I love, and still make a good living. Working smarter, so I can live better.
The Co Lab is where I'm putting all of that in one place, the tools, the ideas, and the gatherings, and sharing it with other photographers who feel the same. It's a workshop and a community, not a launch. Come and build a gentler business with me.
What I stand for
A few things I believe.
Life first, work second
The point of a smoother business isn't more work, it's more life. Every decision here bends toward giving you time back.
Small and honest
No bloated suites, no yearly lock-in, no dark patterns. Tools that do one thing well and pricing you can read in a glance.
Collaboration over competition
Photographers do better when we share. I'd rather lift the room than guard my corner of it.
Made from real practice
Everything starts as something I needed on a genuine shoot or edit day, not a clever idea in a vacuum.
Fancy building a gentler business together?
Say hello, poke around the tools, or come to a gathering.