Conversations with Kate Holstein

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kate Holstein.

Hi Kate, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
There was never a moment when I thought, “I want to be a photographer.” Instead, I feel like I was born with it, and by that I mean I’ve always been drawn toward all things visual, creative, art, and design-oriented. Photography became my medium of choice because I traveled a lot, both as a kid and young adult, and it was my way of being creative and sharing my stories while on the road.

Shooting while traveling was really the beginning for me. My father and grandfather were what I like to call, “avid documentarians of daily life,” so I had access to cameras from an early age. I went to art school briefly at Parsons in New York and almost stayed to pursue a career in fashion photography. However, the mountains were tugging at my heart so I came back to Colorado to focus on finishing college (DU) and skiing.

While pursuing a brief ski career following college, I traveled a lot and always brought my camera with me. It was the very beginning of Facebook and that’s where I would share my travel photos. Friends and family would comment on how much they loved them and say that I should, “become a photographer.”

Then a friend asked if I would shoot her wedding. She liked my minimal, documentary style and wanted her wedding captured that way rather than in traditional posed wedding photos. I had never done a paid photography job before that moment and reluctantly (fearfully) agreed to it. That launched my wedding photography career which ultimately took me all over the world.

While traveling for weddings I would always shoot personal work (mostly landscapes and cityscapes). In 2014, I blindly submitted some of my personal work to a new British-based travel/lifestyle magazine called Cereal. That launched my travel photography career (I am now a regular contributor to Conde Nast Traveler) and ultimately my fine art career, which is where I am now.

I am best known for my unique take on landscapes and cityscapes, which through my lens appear ethereal, and luminous, and evoke a deep sense of peace. My upbringing in the mountains of Colorado, along with a brief career as a professional skier, have greatly influenced my landscape work. It was this time spent in nature as a child and young adult that gave me the unique gift to capture the very essence of it.

I shoot exclusively with natural light, and I seek beauty in the subtle, which brings an organic and captivating quality to my work. My landscapes have become collected photography, and are currently sold through Galleries in NYC, St. Barth, The Hamptons, Aspen, Charleston, and California.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been full of many unpredictable twists and turns. I never set out with a goal of ending up somewhere specific. Instead, I’ve followed my heart from the beginning which was to just capture what moved me. Having a passion for something and following it with no end goal leads to a very exciting and enriching journey.

During my stint as a wedding photographer, I was working very hard. It was extremely demanding, both physically and mentally, but it was also where I cut my teeth and really learned both the technical and artistic aspects of being a photographer. I always say, “If you can shoot a wedding well, you can shoot anything well.”

This is because in the setting of a wedding, the stakes are incredibly high, and you cannot control any of it. You can’t control, location, lighting, or subjects, and yet, you have to make it all look amazing. I know I wouldn’t be the photographer I am today without all my time and learning from shooting weddings.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in fine art Landscape photography. I am most known for my unique take on landscapes & cityscapes, which appear ethereal, and luminous, and evoke a deep sense of peace. I shoot exclusively with natural light and I do virtually no post-production work (meaning virtually no editing of the images).

People love to hang my work in their homes because the pieces have very serene and calming energy to them. I have shot all over the world, and focus predominantly on mountain and ocean landscapes. Nature is my muse and I never tire of how light can change everything. When you focus on light, everything becomes art and beauty.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Mentors are amazing and I recommend everyone seek them out, artist or not. I did have a mentor, however he was not a photographer or artist. He was a freethinker and bold businessman.

He helped me to broaden my mind and he showed me that truly anything is possible in life if you can open your mind and heart to it. He gave me one very valuable piece of advice which was that the quality and direction of your life depends on the questions you ask. This has guided me well.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kateholstein.com and store.kateholstein.com
• Instagram: @kateholsteinphoto

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