The Soul Society

The Soul Society Where photography has soul. Based in Kansas City, Missouri-traveling anywhere you are

I wouldn’t call myself naive. But somehow I ended up there anyway. Naive. I walked into the event at Blackbird Collectio...
09/01/2026

I wouldn’t call myself naive.

But somehow I ended up there anyway. Naive.
I walked into the event at Blackbird Collection riding on a feeling. An emotional tug to show up.

I was stunned to learn the statistics surrounding Domestic Violence & hear a personal story from someone who found themselves in experience with Hope House

I left that night wanting more.
More stories. More education. More angles of Hope House I’d never heard before.

When they reached out about having us document their annual gala at one of Kansas City’s iconic hotels, I knew this was exactly what I needed. An immersive opportunity to exposure myself to the staggering facts of DV, the mission behind Hope House & to document it well.

I never expected the stories that came flowing that night.
I never expected to meet Christy Martin & hear her story firsthand.
I never expected to make a spontaneous donation in a crowd of 700 people.
I never expected to connect with people that were paying attention to the way we document.
I never expected to meet the family of the woman who started it all.
I never expected any of this.

After the event, my husband & I couldn’t shake the high that came from an evening with that kind of energy.
The kind that you tell everyone about.

The facts surrounding DV will make your stomach hurt.
The truth about what Hope House provides & the lives they’re changing - honestly, immeasurable.
The Hope House mission will always be a much needed one, unfortunately. A place of safety, security & never ending stories.

I walked into that event with a tug I couldn’t ignore.
I wouldn’t have called myself naive. But now I know, I really was.

It started months before we created together. We met on a wood bench waiting outside our daughter’s ballet studio. We pr...
08/06/2026

It started months before we created together.

We met on a wood bench waiting outside our daughter’s ballet studio.

We probably started with random mom comments about their little outfits & how many kids were in the class.
But AFTER THAT,
We quickly yapped our way to business & creative ideas.
Mom life AND entrepreneurship.

I got the juicy rundown on what it took to build MOXIE & how she made it THE curly hair salon.

To no surprise, she’s not running on fumes (ok maybe some days) but most days, SHE’S RUNNING ON STRAIGHT PASSION.

Passion for what she does & how she does it.
Passion for the people she works with, creates with & invests in.
Passion for how her brand shows up.

That’s the kind of story I want to document. YOUR STORY.

The one you’ve poured your soul into.
The story that brings everything to life & deserves to be told longer.
The story that wraps artist & art into one.
The story that carries the photos forward.

It’s not just another salon, it’s Moxie.
Where the curly girl story lives on 💫💫💫

This wasn’t a typical wedding day. It felt better than typical. Besides the obvious - beautiful wedding dress, the pictu...
07/10/2026

This wasn’t a typical wedding day.

It felt better than typical.

Besides the obvious -
beautiful wedding dress, the picturesque ceremony site & the curated bouquets.

Besides the posed rings & silky ties.

There were some things I noticed that I can’t stop thinking about.

I can’t stop thinking about the way seeing her daughter carry her wedding dress had tears rolling down my face.

I can’t stop thinking about how the weather changed every 30 minutes but it was somehow the most timely shifts.

I can’t stop thinking about the cut off sleeves seconds before reception.

The people going all in on the dance floor.
The story behind Little Piney Lodge.
The connections & conversations that had us talking the whole way home.

I can’t stop thinking about the way my story put me right in the middle of their wedding day.

All because they wanted someone to document the day.

All because their story brought them here too.

This didn’t feel like a typical wedding day.
It felt better.

Wherever your story takes you this weekend, Live it well & share it even more 🇺🇸
07/03/2026

Wherever your story takes you this weekend,
Live it well & share it even more 🇺🇸

This almost didn’t happen. A minute sooner or a minute later, we wouldn’t have crossed paths that evening. If I would ha...
06/29/2026

This almost didn’t happen.
A minute sooner or a minute later, we wouldn’t have crossed paths that evening.

If I would have put my camera away the second I got in the car we wouldn’t have needed to stop to get my bag from the trunk.

If we would have packed up & left when my “coverage ended” we wouldn’t have met you.

That’s the thing about the plan not going as planned (per usual) it leaves room for serendipity, curiosity & intrigue.
It opens the door for opportunity & perspective shift.
It never keeps you prepared.
I like to think that’s the whole point.

You probably recognize this photo.
You meet a random person & suddenly you know their life story & they are showing off random photos from the camera roll.

We actually live for those minutes.

Those minutes where you forget about your own life, your own struggles, your own successes.
The minutes where you find yourself eager to know how they even ended up here in the first place.
The spontaneous urge to say & ask whatever you want because you don’t actually know them at all.

Those minutes where you realize the capacity of slowing down.

What started as a simple thank you before we hit the road, ended with plans to come back & document their life story.

Here’s the thing,
We’ve all got a story.
If you dig a little, you’ll find they’re all JUICY.

We almost didn’t meet you.
Hear your story.
Or see those beautiful photos of your wife.

We almost didn’t stop to say thank you. It was late & 2 hours past the plan to leave.

This almost didn’t happen.
If I would have put that camera away.
If we would have left on time.
If we kept driving for the sake of “he looks busy”.

If we simply went another way.

& what a shame it would have been to stick to that plan.
The one that never left room for life stories & camera rolls.

I can still remember the day I learned my grandpa & grandma met in photography class. It was like a puzzle piece had set...
06/22/2026

I can still remember the day I learned my grandpa & grandma met in photography class. It was like a puzzle piece had settled into my life’s story. Like, somehow the love for photography would have found me either way.

I wish I could see them in that photography class, locking eyes over film & photo paper. TALK ABOUT ROMANCE.

My grandpa carried a camera almost everywhere.
Snapping photos left & right of anyone or anything.
Grandma tells me “I wasn’t near as invested in that class as he was” I giggle & make jokes about the dark room.

It wasn’t until after grandpa was gone, I felt like we connected over photography. He wasn’t here but somehow he felt intertwined in my work & vision for this brand more than ever.
I wish we could have connected on this before.
I often get stuck there.
Kicking myself for not exploring his love for this craft & forcing him to show me his favorite work.

I remember when another grandpa of mine passed off his silver case. Another puzzle piece.
There was a random day I decided to stop by, just a quick hello I told myself. No reason, all feeling.

He called to me from way down the hall “Taylor come here!”
As I got closer I saw the silver case that had a manila tag hanging off.
I honestly had no idea what this was.

He told me (with a sense of 100% certainty might I add) “I want you to have these”
I opened the case & I know I looked surprised.
“ARE THESE YOUR OLD CAMERAS?!”

Obviously a photographer & vintage fanatic’s DREAM.

They were really special to him. I could sense that in his voice.

I’ll treasure these cameras forever, just because they’re grandpas. I’ll never forget the teary eyes & shaky voice that explained why he was sure they were meant for me.

The stories that live behind these cameras moved me & motivated me toward something new. Something I just couldn’t shake.

The drive to be a storyteller. Not just another photographer.

I like to think the camera would have always found its way to me. That the stories would have always pulled me in.
That somehow those puzzle pieces were laid before me, I just had to open the right case.

Grandma & Grandpa Ripley

Grandpa Ripley with his camcorder

Grandpa Buhler with his fi

Tatem & Brynn
06/16/2026

Tatem & Brynn

I can’t believe I’m saying this.We did this crazy thing where we left the “safe” job & went ALL IN ON THE SOUL SOCIETY!!...
05/30/2026

I can’t believe I’m saying this.

We did this crazy thing where we left the “safe” job & went ALL IN ON THE SOUL SOCIETY!!!!

I thought I’d have the perfect words for this.
But I don’t.

I thought I’d have some grand plan when the day came.
But I really don’t.

Honestly though?
We are the happiest we’ve ever been,
We’re running after the biggest tug toward what we want our life to look like (right beside our 3 kids) & can’t even believe it’s reality now.

I’m overwhelmed that we’re in a place to pursue this giant dream of storytelling & documenting as husband & wife.
What’s once was all hypothetical suddenly became reality???

The day I landed on “The Soul Society” (with the woman that taught me every thing I know about photography) I knew in my BONES this could be what I do the rest of my days.
I had zero idea what it looked like but I knew I wasn’t letting this thing go.

Now, it’s grown into our familys mission.
This craving to story tell became inevitable for us as husband & wife.

So anyway,
Hi! We’re Zach & Taylor!
A husband & wife storytelling team.
Delivering stories & photos you can’t look away from.

There’s so much to come.
Let’s create!!!

It took 10 years for me to notice. The story that’s woven into Dear Society. Their first ever fashion show was an ode to...
05/01/2026

It took 10 years for me to notice.
The story that’s woven into Dear Society.

Their first ever fashion show was an ode to the past 10 years of fashion, a community well built & a purse full of other successes. That got my attention.

I’ve been inside the shop a handful of times, a newly proclaimed fashion nerd like me, left inspired every. single. time.

You tell me you’ve got vintage, I’m in.

But here’s the thing.
It’s not just a pretty shop, with pretty clothing & pretty jewelry laid neatly near the front. DS is after the connection between fashion & community. CHECK.

I had an idea.
Let me document, let me experience & I’ll share about it afterwards. Something like this feels exclusive, with limited tickets, a high-end look & successful creatives RSVP’d.

Before I knew it I had a ticket with my name on it.

I walk into most experiences “blind”
No shot list.
No preconceived opinions.
No real plans.

Unless you consider “show up & document” a real plan.
I like to be surprised. Especially when photographing.

I made my way to the back of the shop, where statement pieces were being plucked, touch ups were made to under eyes & models were eager to be directed.
I liked this view.

The one where you see the personality being poured into the plans. You see the vision being brought to life. You see the details that can’t go unnoticed. At least, not by someone like me.

Seriously, it felt like the tiniest textures were screaming at me to be noticed!!!

I’ll skip to the part where the show was (obviously) a smashing success, people raaaaaaving about the freshly printed newspapers on their seat & the energy in the shop.

I’ll skip to where I met new people, connected with other cool people & pretty much didn’t think about anything else until the next morning.

I’ll skip to the part where before leaving, I found myself FILLED with questions for Chanel, the owner of this neat spot.
A place that’s 10 years in has to have a story I’m interested in.
(We’ll save more of that for later 👀)

See, that’s the thing about taking your shot.
You end up in a room that asks you to notice, begs you to stay & still leaves room for the story to go on.

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Kansas City, MO

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm

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