Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie DeGroot.
Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Back in senior year of high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study in college. My grandfather, who passed away when I was just 1, had been into photography, and when my high school offered a printmaking elective with a darkroom, I signed up on a whim. I fell in love with it and ended up earning a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in photography, with a minor in marketing. It was a wonderful program and an incredible experience.
After college, my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) encouraged me to try shooting weddings. I photographed my first few that summer and never looked back. We’ve been photographing and filming weddings for over 15 years now!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course not! Like everything in life, it came with obstacles. A lot of my early success came from trying random things and a fair amount of luck, along with a whole lot of self-teaching along the way. I worked full-time at a terrible receptionist job for a year while trying to get my business off the ground. I actually got let go from that job after calling in sick one day — thankfully — and dove headfirst into being a full-time photographer and business owner. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise!
Every year brings its own highs and lows — some are extra busy, some are extra slow — and a big part of being a business owner is learning to find balance and fill in the gaps. Then there was the big “C” word (COVID), which was another major obstacle. The wedding industry has definitely changed since then, and we’re still seeing fewer big weddings to this day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
For the last 15+ years, we’ve specialized in weddings and elopements, with a good number of them being travel and destination weddings. We offer both photography and videography, which has turned out to be such a great combination. Our work has always stood out to clients for the way we incorporate people into stunning landscapes — something that comes naturally since I studied landscape photography throughout college. We’re travelers at heart, and we love documenting love around the world.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
When I was a kid, I was definitely the shy one — the observer. I remember always being told that I still had quite a personality, though. I loved art, music, and soccer, and my life pretty much revolved around those three things.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.degrootfilmco.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/degrootfilmco
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/degrootfilmco
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-degroot-94540235b/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@degrootfilmco
