Connect
To Top

Meet Trailblazer Kyla Fear

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kyla Fear.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Nine years ago, I was working as a business insurance agent at my first real grown-up job and while I really did enjoy the job and the work, I knew something was missing. I spent my entire life up until then telling myself I’d never had a 9-5 job but never knew what I wanted to do. I found photography almost by complete accident. I started hiking a lot and picked up a crappy $50 point and shoot camera to take with me and I loved finding little details to photograph along the way. I started bringing my camera to family functions and eventually was asked by a family member if I would be willing to do some photos of their 6-month-old. I hesitantly (and excitedly) said yes and realized that this was what was missing. Soon after, I started taking on portfolio building jobs and spent a few years photographing kiddos and families and eventually moved into weddings as well. I went full time with my business in 2015, about six months before my husband and I divorced and my world got flipped upside down. But perhaps, that’s just life’s way of telling you that sometimes, the only real security you need is through happiness. Going through the struggle of finding myself again, even before the divorce, helped me start finding a voice that I didn’t know was there. A few years into my career, I started working with models to create emotive portraiture to use that voice in struggles I was going through and started transitioning some of the emotive qualities I was finding in my personal work over to the work I was creating for clients as well. Even when I first started taking on sessions, I was trying to find ways to incorporate both lifestyle and conceptual elements without really know what that meant. Nine years later, I’m still trying to determine what that means in the sessions I do which somehow means that every session is new and different and challenges me in a way that I really need to create the best imagery I can.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road, no. But what road is? And if the road was smooth would we have any fun on it? Sometimes, I think about when I was a kid and we had this wonderful dog growing up. Her name was Missy and she was the sweetest dog imaginable. We lived on a road that had a big hill and a speed bump at the bottom of the hill. My sister once had me put my roller blades on, tied me to the dog, and then, ran us both down the hill with the speed bump at the bottom. Of course, I went flying and I can’t imagine the dog came out of that unscathed either. And I was mad as hell at my sister and probably still am a little. And can I just tell you something? I don’t remember the fear I had when I hit that bump and went flying. But I do remember that rolling down that hill as fast as I was going without having a whole lot of control over myself was really freakin fun.

If someone had told me nine years ago that I could do this thing I loved AND make a living, I would have laughed at them. In fact, I remember having that conversation with someone I was close with at the time and I told her there was no way it could ever happen. How in the heck would I pay my bills? Here I am now, paying my bills, and when things get tight, there is always a way to make it happen.

The majority of what holds me back in all of this is myself and my own fear of failure. That failure doesn’t even mean that I’d end up having to find a job I didn’t love to support myself or that I couldn’t find a client who felt I was worth paying for. This fear is actually the idea that I won’t be able to consistently create imagery that I am proud of. It’s really easy as a creative to get in your head about your “style” and your “voice” and all the things that make you who you are in this big thing that is an extension of you, and in my case, it’s a direct extension of how I view the world. It has taken me a long time to learn that the images I love most are the imperfect ones. And that it’s okay that it is imperfect. The moments I love most are the ones where I’m FEELING it with the person I’m photographing.

I guess the advice I’d give is to be okay with taking a dive down a hill because at the end of the day, a speed bump may make you slow down, but it doesn’t make you give up and it certainly doesn’t take away the freedom you gave yourself. You will make it through even if the other side doesn’t look the way you expected it to.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I create an emotionally engaging imagery. I work with families, couples, or individuals who are seeking a way to tell their story. I am what is most often referred to as a lifestyle photographer. Even within the personal work I do in creating emotive conceptual imagery, I would prefer to photograph someone as real to them as I can while adding in storytelling elements. I think what sets me apart from others is simply that I am not afraid of making mistakes while photographing people and that I’m generally okay with continuing to photograph something to ensure I’m telling the story properly. It can take some time to move through the technical side of the craft back into the emotional side to make the story more personal and that can be an intimidating thing. I think I’ve realized it is a huge strength and not a weakness, though it has often felt that way.

I am a big Sabrina Ward Harrison fan and I often read through her books before a session to help open myself up to the story. A passage from one of her books is on the front page of my website and something I often hope shows through my work. “With my freckles and messy hair, bruised knee and chapped lips – this morning, I AM splendidly imperfect and alive.” – Sabrina Ward Harrison

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
I was terrified of making friends in the industry when I first started. The first professional photographer I ever met belittled me and made me feel the smallest I have ever felt so I didn’t participate in any form of community for a long time. The problem with that is if you stay inside your small little bubble, you likely won’t grow. I have grown tremendously over the years and I’m not sure I’d be the photographer I am today without that. I have an incredible community of photographers who I am grateful to call friends but it was only through being brave and really working on forming those connections. To anyone new to the photography world… don’t be intimidated to reach out to people and even if they aren’t open to meeting up and chatting, it doesn’t mean you aren’t worth it. You are. And the more you put yourself out there to find your community, the deeper that community will be.

I think the advice I’d rather give is to the photographers who are seasoned who end up being the mentors to people just starting out… please remember the kindness and remember the way it felt the first time you felt supported by someone who was your peer. Having a sense of community is one of the greatest things you can find in the world.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Kyla Fear Photography

Getting in touch: VoyageDenver is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in