Life and Work with Grace Gatto

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Gatto.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
When I was eight, my mom signed me up for a summer photography class at a local art school and I just fell in love with the art. In high school, I took my second photography class and was lucky enough to have a teacher who was super encouraging of me. She consistently cheered me on and told me I had a gift I needed to pursue. If it wasn’t for her, I don’t know if I would’ve fallen in love with it as much as I have. After that high school photography class, I got my first DSLR and starting photographing everything. I loved carrying my camera around everywhere and I never lost that passion.

In 2015, I met a wedding photographer who said they really liked my style of photography and asked if I wanted to start shooting weddings with him. I immediately said yes and fell in love with capturing love! I began shooting as much as I could and was taking everything on. Senior photos, parties, events, conferences, maternity photos, engagement photos, you name it – I was shooting it. However, I always really loved photographing weddings!

In October of 2016, I left Colorado and I moved to Boston for a fitness job. Shortly after my move, I found myself in a bad place mental place from leaving Colorado and not loving my job. It was also the first time ever that I had given up photography. I knew I needed to move back to Colorado and pick up my camera again. So, I did.

I lasted four months in Boston. In January of 2017, I moved back to Colorado and officially started my own LLC. I’ve been doing wedding photography full time ever since and my business continues to grow year by year. I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled into a career that has been so, insanely rewarding and I feel like I’m exactly where I am supposed to be doing this amazing thing I get to call a career.

If you would have told me five years ago that I would be booking weddings all over the world, spending time with the most amazing people, and doing something that literally gives me life every day, I wouldn’t have believed you. Discovering this career and becoming a photographer is the biggest gift I’ve ever been given. There’s nothing better than meeting new friends, connecting with the best people and capturing the messy, happy, life-changing moments.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Honestly – it’s been a pretty smooth road once my business had been started. And I feel very lucky that I can say that. I think that the hardest part about the whole process was taking a leap to quit my job, move back to Colorado, and start a business completely from the ground up. I went through a lot of self-doubt and fear. I was so nervous I was making the wrong decision and I would end up failing.

Taking the leap was literally the best decision I ever made. And the biggest piece of advice I would give anyone is to never stop chasing your dreams and take that leap. Don’t doubt the amazing things you’re able to do if you put your mind to it. It’s so easy to fall into the hole of thinking you’re not good enough. But I truly believe that if you’re passionate about something and you’re willing to really work for it you’ll go so, so far.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Grace Gatto Photography – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I’m a photographer and I specialize in weddings. I’m most proud of capturing memories and raw emotions that tell the story of somebody’s wedding day. When all is said and done, your wedding day flies by. People count on me to relive those moments that happened so quickly on the happiest day of their lives and I aim to tell that story and capture every memory and emotion my couples experience on that day.

I also just really, really care about each of my couples. I recognize most people don’t love having their photo taken. I want my couples to feel like they’re my friends and I want them to feel as comfortable as they could in front of the lens. I work off prompts rather than posing to keep them moving so I can capture authentic love, feelings, and emotion.

There’s a wealth of academic research that suggests that a lack of mentors and networking opportunities for women has materially affected the number of women in leadership roles. Smart organizations and industry leaders are working to change this, but in the meantime, do you have any advice for finding a mentor and building a network?
Don’t be afraid to reach out to anyone and everyone! Networking has helped me grow immensely. I genuinely love getting to know people, so the thought of meeting with wedding planners, florists, venues, even other photographers really excited me. I really believe in community over competition. I want everyone to succeed. Making friends in the wedding industry has been so beneficial in so many ways, but at the end of the day, I feel so lucky to have the support of so many amazingly talented individuals. Reach out to everyone. Go on coffee dates. Meet for happy hour. Reach out to the people that inspire you. It’s one of the best ways to learn and to grow!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gracegattophotography.com/
• Email: grace@gracegattophotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_gracegatto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gracegattophotography

Image Credit:
Grace Gatto Photography

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