By Jason Stephenson
With a normal room inside her normal house, Katie Smith does something extraordinary on a regular basis: snapping photos for a living so that other people can look back at their past.
Originally just a hobby of hers, Smith eventually realized that photography just clicked with her, so she began attending classes about perfecting the craft in the 7th grade, and after graduating from college, decided to turn one of the rooms in her home into a makeshift photography business. Her mother Deena Spafford, who always wanted to be a photographer herself but never got the courage to make it a job, assists Katie with giving her photos just the perfect lighting and camera angle.
According to Smith, the intrinsic joy that comes from photography is being able to capture memories for people in such a unique way.
“There’s nothing quite like a photo, especially when you want to look back on the most important moments in your life like having a new baby or capturing a member of the family before they pass,” she said.
Smith’s mother and assistant feels the same way.
“They [photos] capture moments and save them forever,” Spafford said. “ A photo cannot be replaced by any other form of preserving a moment; once it’s taken, that moment is only that moment, never to exist again.”
Operating a photo studio from home may come off as unprofessional to some, but Smith believes that it gives her more freedom than she would have if she was typecast into a stuffy business person in an office by operating a studio with a professional storefront.
“The market is very saturated, so coming up with unique concepts, or making yourself stand out, can be a challenge,” she remarks.
Spafford holds a similar viewpoint, believing that operating from home also makes Smith friendlier towards the people who would like to commission her photography skills for their projects. “It lets her be both more personal and more personable around her clients,” she said.
Being a successful photographer isn’t always easy, as it might take hours of moving around with the camera to find that perfect spot for taking pictures. Plus, as Spafford explains, “people not following through when [Katie] books times with them can be frustrating for her if she puts that time aside. What she has done to solve the problem is to get a deposit ahead of time and have a contract with the people who book a photography session with her, so she doesn’t have to waste any money or time for shoots.”
However, the grind is worth it to Smith.
“Photography has become an outlet for me,” she said. “I am able to bring my ideas to life, and it has given me a sense of confidence that I never had before.”
“She definitely has taken this interest of hers, and turned it into something that allows her to express herself in a creative way and support her self esteem,” said Spafford.
Her hard work certainly pays off, both literally and metaphorically: plenty of people consult Smith
to help apply her unique style of capturing the past to help preserve memories of family
gatherings, birthday parties, and weddings.
In addition to capturing photos of the little moments in a person’s lifetime, Smith also provides small businesses the opportunity to grow via services like product shots. “When you are running a business and you have photos taken of the product that you provide, it helps clients see exactly what they will be getting,” she said.
Katie also makes sure to add her own technical wizardry with the power of her photo editing tools to help a client stand out. “She can really get creative and make something pop, which is useful for a client who wants to showcase their products in the best light possible,” Spafford said.
Sure, she gets money for her effort so she can pay her bills, but just the satisfaction of knowing her skills helped make someone’s day is more than enough for Katie to smile.
“I’m so grateful to have photography in my life,” she said, “and I encourage anyone interested to try it out, because it might just be the thing you need!”
As for how to determine whether or not you think photography is something you could successfully do as a career, Smith recommends the following strategy: first, either ask a person you love to appear in your first project, or if you have one and know it’s not camera-shy, find your pet. Second, find a place you love and the person or pet is comfortable being in to snap pictures of them at. That way, your passion for that person and place can inspire you to push as hard at perfecting your craft as possible.
Spafford sums up Smith’s advice wonderfully. “Just have fun and be creative,” she says.
