It was a little bit of an accident, and a little bit of fate.
Hi there! If you're new here, welcome to my blog! I am Katie Holm, owner and photographer of Katherine Luisa Photography. I am a family and lifestyle photographer based out of Dexter, MI, serving Ann Arbor and the surrounding area. Learn more about me in my about me post here! I have been a family photographer for about 9 years - but I didn't really mean to become one. Let me explain.
I know what every photographer says: I've always loved taking photos! While yes, that is true about myself as well, I didn't ever think about becoming a photographer until I was an adult. Shortly after my husband and I got married, he gifted me a used, but with lots of life left, professional Nikon DSLR camera. He even got me a 70-200mm lens to go with it, so I wouldn't be stuck with the stock 18-35 lens. I loved it. I would take photos of everything. Everywhere we went - gardens, beaches, anywhere - I would take photos of the landscape, close-up detail shots, and lots and lots of photos of my main man! We were living in South Texas at the time, and I was working a full-time job. A short time later, we moved up to Washington state (my hubby was in the Navy so we moved around a lot the first couple of years!) We were stationed on a small island and I felt stuck with the lack of job opportunities in the area. I didn't know what I wanted to do or what I wanted to be when I grew up (lol), so I put a call out to our local military community asking if I could take pictures of people and their families. I had no idea if I even liked taking photos of other people, nor did I know anything about posing or lighting yet, but I needed a break from the job hunt. So I figured, why not??
I got about 10 different families who responded to my model call. I met people at the local playgrounds and chased around their kids snapping candids. I did a maternity session, a newborn session, and more. I had no idea what I was doing! But boy I learned a LOT.
Fast forward a little, and photography really became more constant while I kept it as a side thing, and learning-as-I-went. I mostly took photos for friends, and other clients here and there on the side. I did not start really investing in myself and in further education, or even build a website for myself, until my husband returned from his final deployment with the Navy in 2021. By then, we had our oldest daughter. I spent a lot of time finding online resources and building community with other local photographers, attended shootouts hosted by photography educators, and really gave my all into learning as much as I could do make my business grow and be successful. Since then, I've never looked back.
Along the way, I learned so much through trial and error, and could have given up so many times. My love for capturing growing families and their connections has kept me going. I am so happy and proud to be where I am now. And my love for taking photos for others to document important moments in their lives has not wavered. Photography was something I just kind of stumbled upon, but it has been one of the constants during my adult life that continues to inspire me every day!
