Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Stover.
Hi Katie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I went to college to be a civil engineer, actually! I worked for the Department of Defense and traveled to build facilities to support our Nation’s Armed Forces, but then I met a soldier of my own and started the military wife lifestyle of moving every 1-3 years. It was difficult to keep trying to find engineering jobs that frequently, so I needed something more portable. I had always loved photography and photo retouching, so I started a family photography business. I stumbled across a tattoo shop in Savannah that was offering free tattoos to servicemembers for Veteran’s Day and I asked them if I could come to cover the event – I loved that they were so kind to the military and I wanted to give back some photography to them to use for their social media. Plus, I am too chicken to have any tattoos of my own, so I wanted to see what a day full of tattoo artistry and brave military members would look like! The tattoo shop owner looked how you would imagine… tattoos and all, but it turned out that he was also a pastor that offered church services to the leather-clad, pierced and tattooed of the town in his shop at night! The more I learned about the interesting stories behind the staff, and got to see what happens “behind the scenes,” I was HOOKED on wanting to do more photography for small businesses. I couldn’t stop thinking of the faces, the products, the shops, the staff, the clients… all of the parts that make a homegrown, labor of love business into something that the whole community can really enjoy. THAT is what I wanted to capture. So, here I am today… A small business branding photographer (that is still talked into family photography by people who bribe me with green salsa).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’ve felt like I am just MEANT to be a photographer for about 10 years. That’s powered me through some of the struggles… when you feel like you’re destined to do something, you can’t just give it up. Frequent moving with my husband’s career has made building a clientele base hard. I also have struggled terribly with social anxiety. I have won National Awards and been published multiple times in magazines and newspapers, but when people ask if I know a good photographer, I used to still get so nervous that I’d actually say “no sorry, I don’t know of any.” Sometimes I think I should send my social anxiety a bill for all of the clients that it cost me… ha. Luckily, it’s much better now. I think it’s also helped me, too… for people who are also shy or anxious in front of the camera… I know exactly how they feel and can make anyone feel relaxed now!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a branding photographer – traditional headshots, lifestyle photoshoots of the “vibe” of a business, or photos of their office space, offerings, or products. This is a fairly new niche of photography – businesses now have to consistently post fresh material on multiple different social media accounts, as well as having traditional photos done for websites and brochures. I think the trick to being successful is to be able to quickly evaluate where a business currently stands with their existing branding materials, and then to help them shape how they are seen online through my photography. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words… it’s important to help businesses craft that message with INTENTION. When I am shopping for a service online, I feel so much empathy for the businesses that I know have a good product, but whose photos don’t represent that at all. They probably aren’t intending to send the messages that they are, and I’m sure that they are losing money and clients because of it. I’m most proud of my ability to take a good look at how I can help them craft that message, then use my technical skill to really bring it home for them. I’m a lifelong student… always perfecting my craft and learning the latest software, photography trends, lighting equipment or branding tricks to help my clients shine.
How do you define success?
Success for me is seeing that I helped someone. Being a small business owner is HARD. There are so many late nights spent hustling and piles of red tape and paperwork to wade through. If I can show off someone’s hard work in a way that will be appreciated by their clients, and will take a load off of the business owner’s back in helping with their branding… that is my success.
Contact Info:
- Email: inkphotohaus@gmail.com
- Website: www.inkphotohaus.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/inkphotohaus
Image Credits
Katie Stover (INK Photo Haus)
