Celebrating 10 years of being a family photographer!

I cannot believe that I have been photographing families for over 10 years!

While I did not make Katherine Luisa Photography an official business until just 4 years ago, I first picked up my camera to photograph families over TEN years ago! That is crazy! I mean, I'm not old enough for that, right??

So how did I end up becoming a family photographer? How did it all begin?

About 11 years ago, I was a brand new military spouse. I had already moved to two different states with my husband, and I had begun looking for a job - yet again - in a new town - yet again. The new town we had just moved to was Oak Harbor, WA. It was this town on a island with not a whole lot going on outside of the Navy base. I had a degree in communications and Spanish, and had previously worked in public health for various research projects. I had been searching for jobs in a similar field, but most things would have required me to drive off the island or even drive as far as Seattle (which was 2 hours away). So, I was not having much luck.

I needed a break from job searching, and was brainstorming one day about what I could do in the meantime. I had just gotten a Nikon D7000 for Christmas from my husband the year prior, and I thought maybe I could try taking photos. Up until that point I had only taken photos of my husband, our cats, and landscapes whenever we were out for a hike. I wondered if I might like taking photos of people. I didn't have many friends in the area yet, but the ones I did have agreed to let me take their pictures just for fun. And fun it was!

Now if you don't know me, I'm very much an introverted person. So, it might surprise you what I did next.

I went on Facebook to the local military spouse page and basically just posted a model call for all who were interested in free photos. I wanted to build a portfolio, and people love free photos! This would really put my skills to the test and see if it was worth giving this photo business idea a real try.

Within hours, I had about 15 families lined up to take photos of over the next couple of weeks. Almost all of them were fellow military spouses, many with young kids. I met people at the local playgrounds and chased their kids around and snapped candid photos of them swinging and going down the slide. I did maternity photos for a mom and her young daughter while her husband was deployed, and they were hoping he'd made it home before the baby was born. I did newborn photos for a young family in their living room. I took photos of a couple with their dog on the beach.

This was a wonderful opportunity to get out and explore more of the beautiful island I had just moved to. I got to know the beaches, trails, state parks, and playgrounds. I got to meet lots of new people who were also experiencing the same feelings of living in a new area and not knowing many people yet. I also got a crash course on manual mode on my DSLR, posing people in real life, and learned to use Photoshop!

Here are some of those very first images I ever took:

It's a humble reminder to look back on old photos and to think about how far my little business has come. I've learned a lot, met so many wonderful clients and fellow photographers. My technical skills have grown, and so have artistic capabilities. I've networked with other photographers, gone to workshops and gotten mentored. And while there have been struggles along the way, like in any business, the creative fire within me has never gone out. I continue to take photos of others because I genuinely love it. I've never been in it for the money. The extra money is nice, don't get me wrong - but I do it because it is something for me. I truly love being able to give families these photos that I know they will continue to look back on when their kids are grown, and they want to remember how little they once were. I love being able to give people something that they'll remember the feeling they had during that stage of their lives.

So I conclude with some photos I've taken that I've felt so proud of myself in remembering how far I've come since I first picked up my camera all those years ago. It's been a wonderful journey and I've loved every part of it.