Iceland Trip | Winter 2018
Iceland Trip | Winter 2018
Jon had some extra PTO days left for 2018, so I started looking at the cheapest flights to see where we could go. Turns out, Iceland round trip tickets were only about $250 - score! You may think we’re crazy for heading to Iceland in winter - actually, I think you’re right, we are pretty crazy (the crazy part is I went back less than a month later) . But seeing the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list for a while, and this was our chance. Spoiler alert - we didn’t see the Northern Lights on this trip.
Iceland Trip | Winter 2018
Jon had some extra PTO days left for 2018, so I started looking at the cheapest flights to see where we could go. Turns out, Iceland round trip tickets were only about $250 - score! You may think we’re crazy for heading to Iceland in winter - actually, I think you’re right, we are pretty crazy (the crazy part is I went back less than a month later) . But seeing the Northern Lights has been on my bucket list for a while, and this was our chance.
Spoiler alert - we didn’t see the Northern Lights on this trip.
It actually wasn’t as cold as I had expected. Sure, it was windy, but the temperatures were in the 30s pretty much the whole time. In fact, it was colder in Pittsburgh!
Iceland was pretty amazing. I fell in love with the landscape (one of the reasons I went back so soon!). We saw waterfalls, glaciers, mountains & more. The pictures don’t do it justice.
Keep an eye on the blog, because soon I’ll be sharing my January trip to Iceland, which included an amazing, out-of-this-world epic engagement session.
Want to travel together for some epic photos? Let’s chat!
Paris Trip | Summer 2018
Summer in Paris | 2018
As most of you know, I left my office job this past spring so that I could focus on my business 100%! I don’t like to say I went ‘full-time’, because I was definitely already putting in full time hours running this biz. Because I was working two full-time jobs, I missed out on a lot of social activities, and had to put things like vacation on hold. The last trip Jon (my hubby) and I took was our honeymoon in 2013 (yes - five years ago). So it was long overdue.
One of the promises I made to myself and to my husband when I left the office was to make time for us, and to make time to travel. Jon had never been overseas before, so while we saved up so that I could leave, I told him to pick his top city in the world to visit. That day we bought plane tickets to Paris.
Summer in Paris | 2018
As most of you know, I left my office job this past spring so that I could focus on my business 100%! I don’t like to say I went ‘full-time’, because I was definitely already putting in full time hours running this biz. Because I was working two full-time jobs, I missed out on a lot of social activities, and had to put things like vacation on hold. The last trip Jon (my hubby) and I took was our honeymoon in 2013 (yes - five years ago). So it was long overdue.
One of the promises I made to myself and to my husband when I left the office was to make time for us, and to make time to travel. Jon had never been overseas before, so while we saved up so that I could leave, I told him to pick his top city in the world to visit. That day we bought plane tickets to Paris.
The tickets were for June, and we bought them in January - so we had time to get excited. By the time we made it, we were ecstatic! We got off the plane, took the train into the city, and immediately got drenched by a downpour.
Then we got lost.
Luckily, that was the worst part of the trip. Once we found our airbnb (5 min walk from the Louvre), we were home. That week was incredible, and now Jon has the travel bug along with me.
Since we’re headed to our next destination on Friday, I figured it was time to share a few pictures from the trip! Make sure you follow along on my Instagram for real time updates!
Follow along
Behind the Scenes | The Wedding Process
Behind the Scenes | The Process
What Goes Into Being a Wedding Photographer
Hello!I get asked, "how many hours do you put into a wedding?" or, "what do you do all day?" quite a bit. My impression is that some people thing I come to a wedding, snap pictures, then go home and party! (Side note: I'm not that cool. No parties for me.)
Behind the Scenes
The Wedding Process
What Goes Into Being a Wedding Photographer
Hello!
I get asked, "how many hours do you put into a wedding?" or, "what do you do all day?" quite a bit. My impression is that some people thing I come to a wedding, snap pictures, then go home and party! (Side note: I'm not that cool. I wish I had parties to go to!)
This impression is my fault to an extent. On my website and on the blog, I talk a lot about the images, and the pretty stuff, because that is the BEST part! So I figured that I would tell you a little bit about my process - how we get from that initial inquiry till delivering the images from the wedding. It may be a little more complicated than you think!
- I get an email or a phone call asking about a wedding date.
- I usually send a starting pricing & request to set up an in-person meeting.
- If I get an email back - we set a date!
- Before meetings, I always send an email reminder with directions.
- We'll meet at my studio, learn their story, discuss packages & options, look at albums, and create a sample timeline to see how much coverage they need.
- After, I email a thank you from consult with timeline we created, and ask about any more questions they may have.
- If they decide to book, I email a contract & invoice.
- Then I try to get a phone call (or continue emailing) to discuss the engagement session (i.e. style, locations, etc).
- Sometimes I collaborate on a Pinterest board with them to get the style exact!
- More email reminders for the engagement shoot!
- 2 hour engagement shoot on-location.
- I back up the engagement photos on THREE hard-drives (just in case!)
- I edit the engagement photos within two weeks.
- Then I send sneak peeks, blog, and upload all the images for the clients.
- After the engagements, there's usually a little break, but I keep up with my clients in our private Facebook group!
- The next step is to schedule a final meeting to discuss the timeline.
- We meet at the studio for about an hour to finalize the timeline, family groupings, and details.
- I then email the timeline to my second shooter & have a phone call to discuss details.
- The day before wedding I email my clients to wish them luck and confirm one more time.
- Shoot 8-12 hours on the wedding day (so much fun!).
- The same night I come home and upload all images to three different hard-drives.
- That night I also usually edit a sneak peek for social media.
- I edit the wedding within 4-6 weeks from the date.
- I create and send a gift to clients while I'm in the editing process.
- Throughout the process, I upload sneak peeks & blog posts.
- The best part is uploading the final gallery & delivering it to my clients.
- I also meet with them for ordering any prints or albums (again at the studio!).
- If an album is ordered, I spend a few hours designing it, and redesigning it based on my client's feedback.
- Final product delivery.
Whew! That's a lot of steps. I hope that helps you understand a little more what goes on behind the scenes. If you're a current client, now you know where you are in the process. If you're just curious about what I do, now you know!
xoxo,
Katie
The election is over | 2016
Hi everyone,
I do my best to stay out of politics publicly because I run a business. Every single one of my clients have different opinions, and I respect those differences. The fact that our country has the right to free speech is something to be celebrated. People won't always agree, but I hope and pray that we all continue working together to better the world we live in, and to help the people around us. Regardless of political affiliation, I believe that goal is always what we aspire to.
People have a lot of intense feelings right now, on both sides of the aisle. No matter who you voted for, I want to reiterate something that I hope has always been clear. My place of business is, and will always be, a welcoming, safe space to everyone, no matter your color, place of birth, gender, sexuality, or religion.
Love & peace,
Katie
House Update #1
House update #1
If you've been following my blog or my facebook page, you probably heard that my husband, Jon, and I just bought a house (with the help of our awesome realtor Vince Sullivano). Yesterday we passed the first month mark, so I felt like it was time for an update! You can check out the first announcement blog here.
We knew the house needed some love & care, but I don't think we realized quite what we were getting in to. The house is 95 years old, and it wasn't well kept. Every single room needed patched and painted, along with other minor projects. We did the majority of this work on our own, with the help of awesome friends & family.
The exterior needed work too. The very first thing we did was repair the roof, remove lots of overgrown landscaping, replace a retaining wall, and get new sidewalks poured (we outsourced all these things - the contractors are linked). This work is still in progress, so I'll share pictures during update number 2!
Today I want to share the first floor, and the den on the second floor. We've (almost) completed the living room, dining room, and entry way! Eventually we'll get around to painting the kitchen cabinets. Maybe next year.
I can't wait to share more with you soon! It has been slow going, since October is an extremely busy month for photographers, but we'll get there eventually. The next projects are finishing off my office (which is currently our catch-all room & closet; alllll the boxes are in there), and getting our bedroom finalized. I've heard that building Ikea furniture brings couples closer together.....right?
Talk soon!
Katie
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Fall 2016 Update
Hi everyone!
I have exciting things to tell you! This season has been a whirlwind of weddings, seniors, and family shoots, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down (which I am so grateful for!). On top of all that craziness, my husband and I just bought our first home! Woohoo! We're in the process of doing some cleaning and renovations. The house is almost 100 years old, and it needs a little TLC.
Me & Jon taking our first selfie in front of the house.
Notice the falling down retaining wall and overgrown landscaping? Yep - lots of TLC.
So that is the main purpose for writing today! Most of you are friends with me on social media, so you probably already know. But for those of you who are new here, I just wanted to tell you why it may be taking a little longer for me to respond to emails, texts, and phone calls. I promise I care deeply about your shoot, and I WILL get back to you as soon as I put down the paint brush and check my phone. All shoots & weddings will be delivered on time, guaranteed; so don't worry about that!
Some people have asked for pictures along the way - and I have to tell you that I got too excited about the project, and forgot to take before pictures! Oops! So unfortunately, I won't have before pictures to share. Trust me, it wasn't a pretty sight. Hopefully the after pictures will more than make up for it!
That's all for now! I hope your autumn is going great!
Thanks,
Katie
PS: I am also starting to book Holiday Mini-Sessions! There are only a few spots open, so call me if you want one!
A Long Weekend | Chicago Vacation
My mom and dad were invited to attend my cousin's wedding in Chicago a few months ago. My Dad decided it was too far for him, so my mom called and invited me. Of course I was ecstatic and eager to go with her. For one, I love weddings! There's a reason I am a wedding photographer. My cousin Casey, and his beautiful (now wife) Aarathi were having a traditional Indian wedding, and we were invited to both the sangeet and the main ceremony. I've never attended or worked a Hindu wedding, and I was excited to be there and celebrate with them. Second, we decided to go early and tour downtown Chicago. I hadn't been to Chicago since I was a part of the St. Patrick's Day parade in high school, plus I was ready for a vacation!
Taking a Moment to be Grateful
Hello!
Thanks for stopping by. This dreary Pittsburgh weather, combined with other depressing news (election - boo!) have had me feeling a little down-in-the-dumps lately - like a lot of people I'm sure. Times like this, along with working two full-time jobs, and lack of sleep, start to wear me down. Wedding season is picking up, and senior portraits sessions are just beginning to start. I'm beyond excited for it (seriously - so so excited!), but it can be exhausting at times.
Luckily, I have a wonderful support system that saves my sanity daily. Today I want to take a moment to be grateful for that. I couldn't do anything without my amazing husband. When my alarm went off this morning, I didn't want to open my eyes, let alone get up and ready for the day. But then I smelled coffee, and a homemade latte magically appeared in front of my eyes (or so it seemed). He kissed my head, and left for work.
Pictured: Jon putting up with me while I test new flash equipment...on a holiday.
Jon does this for me almost everyday. He always makes sure I have coffee (a necessity for me!) before he leaves the house - usually while I'm still in bed. Back when I first started this business, he let me put countless (unpaid) hours into it, helped me buy equipment, and believed in me, even when other people thought that it would just be a side gig - never a real job. He even models for me when I need someone to help me test new lighting/locations.
I'm sure that you have those people in your life too; the friends and family that are there for you no matter what, and support your dreams no matter how far out of reach they may seem. So today, take a moment to thank them for what they do. They probably don't even realize how much they help us, and how much those little gestures mean - like making coffee in the morning. Thank you!!!
Happy Friday,
Katie
PS: Drop me a note in the comments about your biggest supporters and the little things they do to help get you through!
