Conversations with the Inspiring Katie Fletcher

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Fletcher.

Katie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was always interested in photography. My mom gave me a point and shoot camera as a birthday gift one year, and I spent many afternoons taking photos of flowers in our garden thinking that I was SUCH an artist! I sort of lost track of that passion in high school and my first year of college, but at the beginning of my sophomore year I bought myself my first DSLR. It was a Canon t5, and I thought again that I was just so cool!

I continued focusing on landscape photography, and when I started dating my current partner Nick, the landscapes really took off. We started traveling more and planning out trips to places that we wanted to photograph. We both pushed each other to get better with each trip we took. We started focusing on wildlife photography in addition to landscapes, and we both got better each and every time we went out to explore. This is still a huge part of my life, and we plan out trips to places we know we want to photograph.

“People” photography was something I hadn’t really considered until my good friend Lindsey asked me for some last minute senior photos. She knew I had a camera, so we went to a park and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. A few months later, one of my other friends got engaged and I offered to take some engagement photos. I told her, “I just want to practice, and if you hate them you can and should hire a professional! But I would love to give it a try!” After we did two sessions with her, I started advertising on Instagram. I was a senior in college by now, and I started taking friend’s senior photos just to make a little side money.

My first wedding was the summer after I graduated, and it wasn’t something I had anticipated doing. I learned so much just in that first wedding! Even though my style has evolved and I’ve gotten so much better since then, I still look back on those photos with so much pride.

Photography is not my full-time gig at this point, but it has started to grow more as I continue to improve and invest in myself. I do work full time in the sustainability field, which is something that I’m equally passionate about! My undergrad was Environmental Science, and I love that I’m able to make a difference. I’m so fortunate to have ended up pursuing two passions at once, and although finding that balance can be challenging, I can’t complain at all with where I’ve found myself in my early twenties.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I think I often struggle with “imposters” syndrome. The photography market is fairly saturated, so standing out in the crowd can be both exhausting and challenging. It can be so easy to fall into the comparison trap with the prevalence of social media. I follow so many inspiring photographers on Instagram, which is wonderful, but I do sometimes catch myself thinking, “Their work is so amazing, can I really compare to that?”

One of the best things I have done is reframe my mindset to “community over competition”. I have started networking with other photographers, and it has opened up so much growth for me. Everyone does something different, everybody has a different style, and that is all OK! Learning from others and really finding that sense of community has been so rewarding and helpful for me in my journey. I would always encourage young women to find their community. So many say, “Your vibe attracts your tribe” and that is pretty cliche, but it’s so true! Finding a tribe of others to help you grow is amazing.

My other piece of advice is to just to your thing. You are grinding at the pace that is right for you, and it truly is OK if you don’t have 30k Instagram followers and 40 weddings booked a year. You don’t know who is looking at YOUR life and thinking, “Dang, that chick is awesome and I wish I was more like her!” Just focus on yourself, your own hustle, and you’ll make it happen. We all have a different finish line.

What should we know about Katie Fletcher Photography? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As a photographer, I have heard that it’s best to really nail down your “niche”. But I do love every opportunity to try something new! I have tried all sorts of different session types, and I think each has a different challenge that I enjoy. When I think about my style, I would describe myself as bright and true to life.

But, if I were to narrow it down, the sessions I love the most are my couples (weddings and engagements), my seniors, and creative portraits. Those just really light my heart on fire! Of course, landscape photography will always be my first and truest love of photography.

I try to focus heavily on the experience my clients have because I know that not everybody feels comfortable in front of the camera. I truly feel like more of a professional hype woman! I want each person that I photograph to feel like a rock star after their shoot. If someone isn’t comfortable with me, it will show in their photos. Everyone deserves to feel like that, especially on the most important occasions in their life.

Truly, the thing that I am most proud of is the fact that I capture memories for people. Especially for weddings, I always tell people: Memories about the food and the decorations will fade, but you’ll have the photos forever. Photographs are magical in this way, in that they forever capture a specific moment in time so that you can always look back and remember it. It is such an honor to be able to give that to people!

Looking back on your childhood, what experiences do you feel played an important role in shaping the person you grew up to be?
My parents were always supportive of whatever it was that I wanted to do. They encouraged me to chose extracurricular activities, but they didn’t tell me WHAT to do specifically. I really appreciated the freedom they gave me, but that they still pushed me into choosing something to do. That always gave me an appreciation for staying busy and active, and it encouraged me to find activities that I liked.

I did mention that my mom gave me my first camera, which was a great way to gently nudge me in the right direction. She was always taking pictures of us, and even though I might have been annoyed as a kid, I look back on those photos and treasure them. It gave me that appreciation for photography.

Pricing:

• General sessions (portraits, couples, etc.) start at $250
• Weddings start at $1600

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katiefletcherphoto.com
• Email: hello@katiefletcherphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiefletcher_photography/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katiefletcherphotography/

Image Credit:
Nick Souvall (photo of me)

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