Rising Stars: Meet Courtney Haas of Arvada, CO

Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Haas.

Hi Courtney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a small town North Carolina surrounded by family, many of which chose professions in healthcare. My mom was an oncology nurse and influenced me early on in wanting a career path where I could help people. But healthcare just wasn’t a good fit for me. I didn’t have the stomach for it, and I always leaned into the arts more than math and science. This is what led me to study communications and photojournalism – I had the hope that even if I couldn’t directly help people in a clinical capacity, I could use my skills as an artist to advocate for positive change in the world.

My interest in photography started early. As a kid I was always playing with my parent’s film camera – they even had an underwater one that was bright yellow and I remember the joy that came with developing a roll of film. At 16 years old, my boyfriend gave me a point and shoot to play with and I took it everywhere. Even though I didn’t have a clear understanding of how a camera worked, I had the eye for photography and decided to build on that with a film photography class.

I fell absolutely in love with photography by learning to work with film – editing in the dark room, shooting endlessly to develop my own style.

Since then, I’ve been able to combine my talents as a creative with my goal of helping others by working for various international healthcare non-profits focused on expanding healthcare capacity around the world. For more than a decade I’ve held roles ranging from communications specialist and program coordinator, to fundraiser and and event coordinator, and so much more. But photography has always been there as a strong creative outlet for me. My jobs have allowed me to see the world – going from a small town girl that had never left the South to visiting more than 20 countries in just under a decade, has been a pretty special experience. Most of these locations have been in a work capacity, which is a luxury I don’t take for granted, and in each instance I always take my camera. I love lifestyle photography and shooting in countries like Nepal, Peru, and Rwanda have afforded me the opportunity to connect with locals through photography, often times photographing individuals that have never seen a picture of themselves.

The 8-5 work I do everyday has meaning and purpose, and the camera I carry on each trip allows me to share stories that matter in a way that creates lasting impact. Just by making connections within the communities we work and clicking that shutter I’m able to capture beauty in the midst of chaos. Photography allows me to tell stories of great need, stories of resilience, while also highlighting the joy – the exuberant joy that shines on each child’s face I’ve met along the way.

In addition to always having my camera on hand when traveling for work, I also have my side business – Courtney Haas LLC, which has grown throughout my career. I’ve lived in North Carolina, Tennessee, California, Ohio and now Colorado, and in each state – photography has been a tool that allows me to connect with the place I’ve called home for a while. Whether it’s a wedding day, a baby joining the family, a young couple adopting a puppy, or an entrepreneur starting their own business – you name it, I’ll photograph it in the most meaningful and authentic way I know how.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Photography tends to be a challenging path for many. When I started out, and this is probably similar for many photographers – I wanted to be successful right away, but the starving artist is a reality for the young creative. I’ve had people undermine my value in a variety of ways. I’ve had people try to get a lower cost; I’ve had clients apply their own edits after receiving the images; and I’ve had countless cancelations at the last minute – all with good reason, in the clients mind – but it’s apparent that people don’t always value photography as a real career path that relies on paying customers.

When finding my way as a creative, one of the best things a mentor told me was “always carry the camera.” It wasn’t until I was out in the world shooting for fun that I found my style as a photographer. While it’s been a slow journey building up my business on the side of my regular 8-5 job, I can confidently say that it’s the space I truly feel the most confident. I think it’s a big moment in a photographers career when you realize you don’t feel nervous going into a wedding day – and I’m there now.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
At Courtney Haas LLC I specialize in a full range of photography services. My primary areas are portraiture work for young families and outdoor weddings and elopements – along with small business marketing photography. I aim to create images that feel genuine, elegant and authentic to the clients without being too posed.

My background in photojournalisms allows me to capture individuals in a playful fashion without the stuffy discomfort of unnatural poses. This also means we end up having a lot of fun because I don’t want everyone looking at the camera. I want the kids running around the yard and playing on the swing set. I want the mom making cookies at home with the family dog licking it’s lips down below her. I want the real moments that make life beautiful. We see them everyday, but something about intentionally taking the time to document it allows everyone to see just how special the phase of life they are in right now, really is.

On the small business marketing side of my photography work, I love to collaborate with entrepreneurs and personalize their sessions to match their longterm business goals – a lot of people trusted me even when I was just getting started, so it’s important to me to give my all when working with other small businesses starting out in a similar fashion. Good photography is something that is essential for elevating small business branding and social media, but oftentimes it can feel unattainable. When pitching to new businesses – I try to keep the cost of entry reasonable and work endlessly to give them the best product curated specifically for their business.

To this day, my most treasured photography moments are my repeat clients. The relationships I form mean the world to me and I have clients I’ve documented for nearly a decade – which is incredibly special when you realize you’ve been invited on a life long journey filled with change, growth and development as an individual, as a family, or as a business.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was the youngest of three girls, and the peacekeeper in the bunch. I was pretty quiet but I enjoyed making people laugh; I’ve always been told I should have been a therapist, even as a kiddo – because if we’re friends or family, I’m here to listen and provide support however I can; and I always had a creative project in the works.

I spent all my free time outside climbing trees, building forts, loving all the wild animals on the property – everything from our three-legged pet deer that we named Clementine to the baby squirrels that we dubbed Billy, Bickett and George. It oftentimes felt like we were real life Disney princesses that could talk to animals.

When I was 12 years old, my dad passed away from cancer and my sisters and I were all forced to grow up a bit faster than normal. I stepped into a housekeeping role as my mom went back to school to become a nurse, and my sister Brittany stepped into the maintenance role of keeping the car running, mowing the grass, and cleaning the gutters. It was a brutal shift from the previous stress free existence I had known. But it shaped me into who I am today which is a caring and compassionate human that knows the pain of loss.

I think that is one the main reason I love working with people, and especially working with people to capture what life really looks like. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so I try to stay present and appreciate each moment. Life can be so beautiful, and for me it’s the people that really make it sparkle. So even when shooting a landscape shot – I tend to always include the human element. A backpacker, a mountain biker, a couple playfully dancing under the sunset. For me, the people make the picture.

Pricing:

• Family portraits starting at $450
• Small business starting at $500
• Wedding packages starting at $3,000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.courtneyhaas.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtikins3

Image Credits
The image of me to be featured was taken by my sister, Brittany Beckwith.

The image of me photographing a couple at their wedding was taken by my husband, Ryan Haas.

All other photos were taken by me, Courtney Haas of Courtney Haas LLC.