Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Smith.
Kaitlin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always loved photography. One of my favorite ways to describe what photography means to me was actually said to me by my grandmother-in-law. We were on a walk, and I was describing the green colors in a tree. She said, “You see more than anyone else, don’t you?” I think I blinked at her a few times before saying, “Ya, I sure do, Karyl.” Photography has always been a way for me to share with the world what my viewpoint is in a real physical form. It’s why I named my company My Viewpoint Creations. By the time I was a junior in high school, I was the kid with the “nice” camera. Always taking pictures of my friends and sharing them. Fast forward, I was the sorority sister at Purdue getting a photography degree. Fast forward again, and I’m a mom trying to work as a full-time photographer.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, not even a little.
The road has been uneven, terrifying, and full of switchbacks.
I wasn’t great at school. My brain just isn’t wired for subjects like math and science, so I struggled. A lot. Despite that, with the incredible support of my mom and dad, I made it through high school with good enough grades and test scores to get into Purdue University.
I wanted that Photography degree badly enough that I called my parents crying pretty regularly, convinced I wasn’t smart enough to graduate. Boy, did my dad make sure he brought that up the day I crossed the tracks: “But I thought you weren’t smart enough to graduate, Kate?”
I graduated in December 2012, and a month later I was living in Colorado, trying to figure out how to build a life there. A failed roommate situation, family friends coming to my rescue, moving into my first apartment, and finding an unlikely job all happened within my first four months.
That unlikely job didn’t work out, so I fell back on several retail jobs at once just to survive. And by survive, I mean it. I was taken advantage of at those jobs with all my experience, but very little pay, and there were times I had to choose between paying rent and buying food. My parents were understandably furious about that, and eventually they took me to Costco and made sure that particular choice would never happen again.
Then I found a job in data entry. I loved the work, but eventually I realized I was being taken advantage of there, too.
We’re in January 2020 at this point. Are you keeping up?
The road doesn’t get any smoother yet.
My husband and I had just gotten married, and I finally took the leap and started my photography business. Then… well, COVID.
I waited it out. Then I got pregnant, only to experience two miscarriages before finally making it to seven months pregnant with my son. He decided that was long enough, and he entered the world much earlier than expected. During that time, both of us came dangerously close to not making it, and he spent about a month in the NICU before he was finally out of the woods. We eventually got to bring him home.
And then, in the spring of 2023, our basement flooded.
So, no. It has absolutely not been a smooth road.
But I think that’s also why I’m still here. I believe in every fiber of my being that this is what I am meant to do, and I know if I do not stop, I cannot lose. There wasn’t really a path where I decided to go but I’m sure leaving a trail behind me.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a photographer, but I’ve never really wanted to be just the person who shows up with a camera.
Through My Viewpoint Creations, I specialize in weddings, elopements, proposals, and family photography. My style is true-to-color and natural, but what I’m probably most known for is making people feel comfortable in front of the camera. I want my clients to feel like they’re spending time with a friend who just happens to have a camera in her hands—not like they’re performing for a photographer.
For weddings and elopements especially, I’ve always wanted to offer more than photography. I help couples think through timelines, locations, vendors, details, and all of the little things that can become overwhelming when you’re planning a wedding. With elopements, I’ve even built a client closet of dresses, veils, and accessories because I love creating an entire experience rather than simply handing someone a gallery of images at the end.
I’m probably most proud of the fact that my business has grown out of a genuine desire to create something meaningful for people. I want the photographs to be beautiful, of course, but I also want my clients to look back and remember how they felt that day.
I think that’s what sets me apart. I care an almost unreasonable amount about the little things. I’m organized, I’m communicative, I’m invested in my clients, and I’m not afraid to get involved when someone needs help figuring something out. I want to take the stress out of the experience wherever I can.
At the end of the day, I’m not trying to manufacture perfect moments. I want to find the real ones—the ridiculous laughs, the happy tears, the nervous excitement, the way someone looks at the person they love when they don’t realize anyone is watching.
Those are the photographs I want to create: images that feel like the people in them, not just photographs that look good.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
Honestly, anytime we visited Purdue. And Fourth of July at Indiana Lake with long time family friends.
Pricing:
- 6 hr wedding – $2500
- 8 hr wedding – $3500
- Elopement – $4000
- Proposals – $400
- Family photos – $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.myviewpointcreations.com/littleton-family-photographer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myviewpointcreations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myviewpointcreations/
