Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Peterson.
Hannah, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I bought my first camera back in 2018 and quickly fell in love with everything about photography. I was obsessed with learning manual settings, all the different lenses I could get, posing/prompt ideas for portraits, all that jazz. Fast forward to today – I’ve been taking photos for 5 years now and can’t see myself ever *not* doing this. It is so much fun to meet such cool people and be trusted to document insanely special moments for them. I’m so thankful for this job every single day!
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?
No journey is ever perfect, but I will say that pursuing photography has felt more natural than anything else in my life. That most certainly doesn’t mean that I’ve not dealt with imposter syndrome or being much too hard on myself. I have to be very intentional about giving myself grace, especially if I don’t meet a deadline or if a gallery didn’t turn out exactly how I had envisioned. The ease at which I fell into this job makes it a lot easier to get through the struggles because I trust that this is exactly what I’m meant to be doing in this moment.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a lifestyle photographer, so I’m here to document all seasons of life and love – graduations, engagements, weddings, families. From a business perspective, it’s encouraged to niche down on what you photograph, but that’s never really felt ‘right’ for me. One of my favorite parts of this job has been being with couples from the proposal to photographing their wedding to taking their very first family photos. It is so sacred to be trusted to be a part of these moments, and I pour so much love into documenting them.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Gosh, probably that as long as I pour love into each session I shoot, it will turn out great. I say this because when I first started photography, I had a list of poses/prompts that I wanted to do for each session (which is so great when you’re first starting out!! No hate at all for this, it is how I learned), but I also found that I was a ball of perfectionistic anxiety and wasn’t operating from a place of love. After years of photographing people, I’ve learned the importance of prioritizing the comfort and confidence of my grads/couples/families. I typically ask if there is anything that they find themselves doing naturally or if one pose feels more ‘normal’ than the others, and there is always an answer! A lot of the time, I just notice sweet in-between moments and say, “Wait! stay there!” or “Do that again!”
The photos will always turn out good if the person being photographed is being themselves, and that is where the love comes in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hannahkatephotography.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahkate.photo/
