Today we’d like to introduce you to Kwang Westrate.
Hi Kwang, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. I got my first camera while getting my Bachelor of Fine Arts there and fell in love. After college, I started teaching art but decided to take a break after a few years so I could see more of the world. I met my husband while travelling in America and have been here ever since. After my first child was born, I quit my full-time job to be a stay-at-home Mom, and my love for my kids and my love for photography were a perfect match. When my friend was getting married, she asked me to shoot her wedding, and I had a blast! Building a business from the ground up was hard at first. I am so grateful for each of my early clients who were willing to take a chance on me. Their trust in me on such an important day really inspired me to give it everything I had. From working weddings from sun-up to sundown (and beyond) to running three cameras at once when the videographer was a no-show to photoshopping the tan lines from every picture of a bride in a strapless dress, my client’s satisfaction is always on my mind. I am an artist, and I love the artistic side of photography, but wedding photography doesn’t often have a timeline that is set up for that. I feel fortunate that I have been able to find the same satisfaction in the joy my clients express to me when they receive their photos. After seven years of doing this, I have come to realize that art doesn’t come from lighting setups or fancy backdrops, or f-stop settings. It comes from the feeling the viewer gets when they see the photos. I don’t take pictures for strangers to look at in a magazine; I take pictures for my clients to look at over and over and over again whenever they want to recapture the magic of one of the most important days of their lives.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The life of a stay-at-home Mom and amateur photographer balances very well, but finding the balance between spending time with my kids (not to mention husband) and building a business has been very challenging. At first, it seemed perfect. Weddings happen on the weekend when my husband could watch the kids, and I could fit in the photo editing during nap times or after the kids were in bed. But as I started to get more popular and it became two, three, and then sometimes even four weekends a month it got to be quite a strain. Since weddings are booked months in advance it was always so exciting to make a booking when I was trying to grow my business, but the Saturdays spent waking up at 6 AM to drive two-and-a-half hours to the venue, taking pictures until 10 PM and then driving back home so I could finish editing last weekends photos on Sunday began to take their toll. Especially when I was breastfeeding, and there wasn’t really time to pump (Moms will know what I’m talking about). Despite all of that, I never showed up late for a wedding or cancelled a wedding. That is, until Covid. We were living in Michigan at the time, and all of the wedding venues were shut down for months. I rescheduled everyone I could and refunded the deposits of anyone I couldn’t, but for us, it was a dark cloud with a silver lining. My sister had recently moved to Dallas, and while I had always hated the Michigan winters it was hard to make the move with my business just starting to take root. But with so much disruption, it was the perfect opportunity to start fresh in a new location. After taking care of the rest of my obligations in Michigan, I took a year off to get the family settled in our new home. Not only is Dallas a much bigger and better market than I had in Michigan, but due to the warmer weather, the wedding season is much longer here, so it should be easier to spread my work time out throughout the year. I don’t regret the time I put into my business in the past; I think it was a necessary part of my journey, but I am committed to having a better work-life balance here. For instance, I have blocked out the entire month of July so we can do some travelling in Texas as a family and get to know our new home. And with our youngest child entering school soon, I am looking forward to seeing how far I can take this business that I have put so much into.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have loved art my entire life. When I was a child growing up in Thailand, my father was a construction worker, but when he came home every night, he would go into his art room and play music or paint or work with metal to relax. Watching him inspired me, and I knew art would be a big part of my life. When I was 15, I didn’t go to high school like everyone else; I went to art school and went on to college to graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Before coming to America, I worked as an art instructor and freelanced as a fashion illustrator for a women’s magazine. My goal as a wedding photographer is to capture real moments. Of course, I take the family portraits that everyone wants and the posed pictures of the bride and groom, wedding party, etc. But my real passion is for taking candids. Every wedding is different, every family is different, and every venue is different. I try to tailor my approach to each situation. Some couples value the quite moments together, some value the wild and crazy moments surrounded by friends and family. For some the venue is a very important part of the experience, and for some it’s just a room that’s large enough for everyone to gather together in. Once I get a feel for who my clients are and what they value, I make it my goal to record their own personal story, not try to write it for them. And that is where I am so thankful for my artistic background. Moments don’t last long. Nothing feels better than to take those years of training and use them in an instant to capture a laugh, a tear, a glance. You’ll never see me sitting when I’m shooting a wedding. From the moment I arrive to the moment I pack up my cameras, I am constantly moving, constantly looking for that one perfect shot. I think the thing I am most proud of are the comments I receive after sending out my finished work.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters the most to me is that I am able to continue to create art that matters to me and that reflects who I am, and that will be used and enjoyed for many years to come while at the same time still supporting my family. I don’t enjoy the business aspect of wedding photography like advertising or constantly replying to emails (and don’t get me started on taxes), but even though it can take me away from my family the fact that it pays well means that it also gives something back. When I was in school, I didn’t dream of being a wedding photographer; I dreamed of being in galleries and magazines, and museums. But I enjoy the idea that even though the art I make now may never mean something to a lot of people it means an awful lot to some people.
Pricing:
- Wedding Packages Starting at $1500
- Engagement Sessions $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bluecakephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluecakephotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bluecakephotography/
Image Credits
Blue Cake photography
