Meet Trailblazer Kathryn Kim

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Kim.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Kathryn. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Going into college, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, then my freshman year I went on a trip to Europe with a couple of friends. One of the guys was an amateur photographer, and as I watched him create interesting photos throughout the trip, it really began to spark something in me. I truly believe I came home from that trip seeing the world differently. I began to view life through photographs. I started seeing compositions all the time of what would make a beautiful photo. I changed my major to photography, applied to the art school within my university and was on my way to becoming a photographer.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Georgia and next thing I knew, I had my own business and was being asked to shoot multiple friends’ weddings. At first, weddings were absolutely terrifying, haha, but after I had a good amount under my belt I began to realize how much I loved them.

A year after I graduated, I moved out to California to do a ministry school. I ended up meeting my now-husband there, and two years later we were engaged and moving to Colorado.

Colorado is where my business really began to flourish and I found that there is an incredible community of artists here who all love to support each other. A few years of networking here, and growing my business, and I was finally able to go full time with photography. I am so grateful for this career. It is hard work and always challenging. It’s vulnerable and it means always wearing your heart on your sleeve. But it is also so rewarding. I feel honored to be allowed a glimpse into someone’s life and to be trusted to document some of their most precious moments and memories.

Has it been a smooth road?
Honestly, no. It hasn’t been smooth at all ha. I wish I could go back and do a million things differently. I kind of got thrown into having my own business. Which I am thankful for now, but when I was starting out I just had no idea what I was doing or steps to take to be successful. I wish I had known earlier on that other photographers are not my competition, but actually, my colleagues and we are all in this together! There is plenty of work to go around. I wish I would have built relationships with fellow photographers sooner, as well as with other vendors in the wedding industry. I wish I would have learned more about running a business and put time/money into growing quicker in that area.

Most people don’t realize that when running a photography business the art and creativity aspect is what you spend the least amount of time doing! It’s mostly all business. And that is hard to navigate when you have no business experience and that side of it doesn’t come naturally to you.

I would advise young women just starting their journey to be aware of all the resources that are available to you in order to flourish and run a business. They are everywhere, anything from podcasts to youtube videos to online and in-person workshops. And people are so willing to help you along if you just ask. Do the research, practice your art, ask questions, and never stop learning!

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am a wedding photographer who specializes in outdoor mountain weddings for laid back couples who love the outdoors! I am very proud of the heart behind my business and the effort I put into making this an incredible experience for my couples. I get to know my couples well before the wedding and try to develop that relationship so that come the wedding day, they feel like they have a friend alongside them capturing the most joyful, intimate and emotional moments all day long.

One of my gifts is bringing out the couples’ true personalities, and being a great documentarian. This means less posing and more natural cues and capturing of real, authentic moments. The smiles, laughs, hugs, tears. Give me all the real stuff!

I do have ten years of experience photographing weddings, but I feel what sets me apart is my love for my couples and my heart to serve them, the special relationship I strive to create and foster, my personality, and my artistic and creative eye for beauty and capturing real moments.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I think my parents have played a huge role in my success. They were always very supportive of my sister and me. They encouraged us to go after things we loved and to stick to our commitments. They always told us they were proud of us, and that they loved us no matter what. I am pretty different from everyone in my family, and even when I wanted to major in photography and go after an art career, none of them could relate, but they still encouraged me in that endeavor. I think the fact that I have always felt so secure in my parents’ love and support made me feel confident that I can succeed if I follow my heart.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kathrynkimphotography.com
• Email: kathryn@kathrynkimphotography.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/kathrynkimphotography
• Facebook: facebook.com/kathrynkimphotography

Image Credit:
Katie Keighin Photography

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