Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Bascue
Hi Kate, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in Southern Colorado, where my early years were filled with family trips & exploration outdoors. I was extremely fortunate to have mentors who invested in me and taught me to shoot with a variety of camera types from a young age. I’ve always had a fascination with older things – some of my earliest favorite photo subjects were vintage cars and older historic architecture. I always had a camera at my side and loved to capture family especially. My grandfather spent a lot of time curating and organizing family photos as a big project during my teens, and it was super impactful to look back at the story of our family, even long before my time.
I started working more regularly with clients in 2018, and shot my first wedding in 2020. I was instantly astounded by what a special privilege it is to be welcomed into such a heartfelt and intimate moment of someone’s life. Not just the clients, but their families as well. It quickly became apparent that capturing weddings was what I was meant to do, and I haven’t looked back since. I think those early years of family adventures, as well as exploring those family photos taken and preserved from before my time have heavily shaped my view of photography as a medium to preserve history, and motivated me in my efforts to create work that truly captures who my clients are and the events of their lives. This perspective has really lead me to my creative voice in the last few years, and continues to shape the way I work with my clients and see the world.
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?
Self employment feels like a constant road of ups and downs, but I think that is one of the beautiful things about it. In my experience, the creative work put in during the lulls has lead to some of the most exciting seasons of growth and progress, so I’m thankful for the bumps in the road.
Just like with any art form, self doubt is a big challenge that I think all entrepreneurs face. There is constant temptation as a creative to compare yourself to others – whether it’s rate or method of growth, differences in working or visual style, or something else, I’ve learned that no business owner’s journey is the same. It has been a very refining and exciting thing to focus on not just developing, but also appreciating my own creative voice & style.
There are those seasons of busy where it feels very tough to take time aside and invest in caring for yourself to keep your creativity flowing, and there are those times when you have a little too much down time for your liking – both are very valuable, and learning to balance them has been super important to give each and every client my absolute best. As I spend time adjusting to growing a family with my husband, I know that this is going to be a continual part of business development through different seasons of career and life.
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 wedding and lifestyle photographer based in Orlando. I travel all along the US East Coast & also have roots in Colorado + Texas, but would travel anywhere for my couples. I believe that photos have an amazing power to pull us back in time to a moment & capture the essence of who someone is, so storytelling through photography is a big part of what I do (and what I would say I specialize in!)
I am super passionate about capturing moments in time that will never happen again – it’s one reason I love family photos and wedding reception photography so much. I’ve learned firsthand that there is nothing valuable like that photo of your family member that you’d put on your fridge – the one who just represents that person so perfectly, that you hang onto to remember them. This really fuels me creatively. As a photographer with multiple media at my disposal in a time when film photography has bounced back into popularity, I’ve also used this mindset to help make decisions about which camera and medium will capture each subject and moment best.
I believe that visual storytelling requires connection & comfort between photographer and client – this has shaped my communication style & process a lot. Showing up as someone who not only takes photos, but who has also built trust and connection makes a world of difference. I will never stop trying to learn the story of each and every person who passes in front of my lens, and striving to capture them accurately. I think this perspective sets me apart, and I’ve worked hard to nurture a style that pays attention to the little details while also capturing those traditional shots that are absolutely essential, and indescribably important.
How do you think about happiness?
Time with family is a huge deal to me – it truly recharges me like nothing else. I’ve been married to my best friend for 3 years, and his support through my business journey has been invaluable. We’re expecting our first baby this year, and we’re so excited!
Pricing:
- My prices do change from booking season to season, but transparency is a super important value of mine, so potential clients can always find my pricing information on my website www.katerachelphotography.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katerachelphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katerachelphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katerachelphotos
