Photographer - It’s more than a job.
As I sat down to write this blog, I realized I have never considered photography as a job. It was always a calling. Something I felt compelled to do. I talk a lot, in my personal life, about the universe and the signs it sends me. Some of them are loud and others are quiet. These signs have always pointed me towards photography.
The last couple of years have given me some undeniable signs that I am going in the right direction. The most recent was a styled shoot I planned to do in Florida. I love to visit Florida and have friends who live there, so adding Florida to my list of places I will travel to for photography was on my bucket list. In August last year, before I even started making travel plans, I had contacted Florida Facebook groups asking if anyone would be willing to model. A woman reached out to me, saying I just had to let her know when and where, and she and her husband would be there!
Over the next few months, I bought a plane ticket, made plans with my best friend, planned the styled shoot, and kept my model updated. February came, and I flew out to Florida. We went sightseeing. I set a time for the photoshoot, and wouldn’t you know it? The day came, and there they were! We start the photo session, and at some point, the model says to me, “By the way, I saw you went to Purdue. Are you from Indiana?” I said “yes”, to which she replied, “Oh, cool! Me too! I’m from Evansville.” (Evansville happens to be the city I say I am from, since no one typically knows where Newburgh is.) My jaw drops, and it takes me a few seconds to gather my thoughts. My response is something like, “You are kidding? What high school did you go to?” “Oh! I went to Castle High School.” The way chills descended on me in the Florida warmth was something out of a book. This woman, whom I have never met in person, whom I met online and lived half way across the country from me, just told me she went to the same high school that I did. It was too much of a coincidence to be a real-life situation, and yet there we stood!
Being a photographer is more than a job to me, it’s a calling. I have always found purpose in documenting moments, bringing attention to subjects you wouldn’t normally see, and bringing people joy through photography.
Talk soon,
Kate
