Meet Kathleen Kennedy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathleen Kennedy.

Kathleen, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Born and raised in St Louis, Missouri, I grew up athletic. Sports were my passion. Playing pretty much everything, but softball was my main passion. It was what I planned on doing during high school and college. As it turns out, I had really bad knees. Three surgeries later, my worst knee was fixed but was something I had to give up.

When I got to high school, I had to find something new. I took a photography class and learned to load film and develop in the darkroom. I fell in love with something again. After learning the basics, I just began taking photographs of my friends. While everything else felt like a challenge, this was easy.

My mom moved to Dallas from St. Louis when I was a senior in high school. I really wasn’t wanting to apply to university and I didn’t have any plans. I was a rebel, I didn’t want to go the normal route. So, I moved with her when I graduated. She lived really close to the Art Institute, and a month after I graduated, I was enrolled at AI for photography. I have been shooting ever since.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It hasn’t been easy, but its been worth it. No risk, no reward, right? I have been confused, lost, broke, and all of the feels. In the beginning, I would do any job related to photo. I would spend my days doing random jobs or helping other photographers, learning from them. I would spend weekends shooting for free, building my book. At night, I would spend hours emailing every contact I could find hoping they would take a chance on me.

To be a freelance creative, I believe you have to work much harder because you are on your own. You are building something. Thats where the ‘worth it’ comes in, because it is yours. With perseverance and patience, things just fell into place. Someone believed in me, gave me a chance, hired me, and then recommended me to others and so on.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kathleen Kennedy Photography – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
I photograph people & product, specializing in natural light. I learned in the beginning on how to be resourceful with my equipment. Knowing it wasn’t your fancy pot you were cooking in, but your recipe and creativity that made it great. I began shooting portraits and that educated me on lighting. With blending studio and natural light, I learned to create something pretty and soft.

In the beginning, I would practice shooting my friends, which turned into shooting models, which turned into the ability to shoot a variety of things. I am a big fan of nature and hiking, so I would location scout while hiking. I would then take a crew out to my favorite spots and shoot there. I love blending a less than perfect landscape with a perfect outfit.

These days, I shoot everything from weddings to food, to events, to fashion. I retouch for others in my free time. When I am not shooting, I am editing the last shoot or planning for the next shoot. The thing I love about photography is that it is multifaceted. You can always explore something new within the same vein.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The future has always been pretty uncertain. Being a freelancer, you are putting everything at risk. You could not get hired, you could not know what your schedule is until last minute, or you can be waiting net 60 for a payment. Currently, we are going through a pandemic! Covid-19. It has been scary and unsettling. A lot of people have lost their jobs and most freelancers are currently out of work. Production just took a halt. Its times like these that make a savings account super important. I think its important to work hard, work smart, be kind, and things will work out.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kkennedyphoto.com
• Phone: 3145209550
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: kkennedyphoto

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