Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlyn Clapp.
Hi Kaitlyn, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My photography journey actually started during Covid lockdown while bar managing a large sports bar in Dallas. Once it hit, my company started moving people around to keep people with a job as much as they could. I moved into a Marketing/Social Media Managing position and was lent a company camera; a Canon 6D Mark ii (at the time I didn’t realize what a quality camera it was). While I started learning and using the camera often, my main priority was the Social Media portion of the job so my skill growth was pretty minimal. I kept that position for 2 years when I discovered I wanted to focus on photography. My job actually gifted me that Canon camera and that’s when I truly started my photography journey. I studied and still study from other photographers’ YouTube videos, IG posts, and shadow as much as possible to gain more experience with different lighting styles and optimal work flows. I haven’t yet nailed everything down but I’m definitely growing and I’m proud of myself for what I’ve achieved so far.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road and I’m not sure that will truly change. There will always be some sort of obstacle in front of me. Being a human being is all about struggling, overcoming, and growing and all over again. I’ve learned most that your mindset is your most powerful weapon and you must stay positive. I’ve cold emailed just about everyone I could think of. I’ve reached out via IG. I’ve offered free photoshoots. I’ve circled back. I’ve circled back again. And still sometimes you don’t get a response. It’s tough on the soul. But eventually, with persistence, I got leads and jobs and my skills grew. And now I’m filling out these interview questions about hidden gems in Dallas! Truly amazing to me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a photographer who specializes in Food, Hospitality, and Portrait photography in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. At the moment, I’m not sure if I’m known for anything specific just yet. I’m still growing and learning my personal style but I do enjoy warm, punchy, and vibrant photos. I’m most proud of my most recent photoshoot with an omakase and handroll restaurant in Fort Worth, my hometown. All the studying I’ve been doing with off camera flash and different types of modifiers really came together in that shoot. I can’t stop looking at them! Shoots like that just make you want to jump up and go out and create more immediately.
I think being from the service industry and worked as a social media manager prior has given me a good insight on the inner workings and needs of my clients from working with in-house teams, corporate timelines, and group strategizing making for a smoother process and execution.
What were you like growing up?
As a child, I was a pretty competitive kid who grew up playing a few sports including volleyball and was interested in all things culture and languages which hasn’t changed a bit since then. I love all latin langauges but I more focus on Spanish and Portuguese right now. I played clarinet pretty proficiently and loved being in band and experiencing all the different styles of music and being a part of such a large group of like-minded individuals. I’ve recently been learning violin which has definitely been a challenge!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kaitlynclappphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitlynclapp.photos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579113450078
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlyn-clapp-1910571a5
