Meet Katrina Crawford

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katrina Crawford.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Let’s backtrack to my junior year in college at Winthrop University, Spring semester 2009. As a student declaring a BS degree in Integrated Marketing Communication, one of the required courses was Introduction to Photography. Sigh, I could not have been more disappointed. I couldn’t wrap my brain around the reasoning for the course and to make it, even worse, the course was a 3-hour evening course from 6 PM to 9 PM.

Our professor required a 35 mm film camera and everything we shot was in B&W. We also learned the entire process from shooting to processing to post-production. That’s right, we developed our own images from the negatives in the darkroom! My aggravation quickly transformed into excitement. It seemed like three hours in the classroom just was not enough time. With every new assignment and project, my interest grew and grew.

Fast forward to January of 2014. While going through my closet at my apartment, I stumbled across my photography portfolio from college. As I sat and smiled from ear to ear sorting through it, an old love was rekindled. I gave myself the task of recreating the portfolio in digital format. Of course, that meant buying a digital camera and testing my skills out to see if I still had it.

I purchased my first entry level DSLR, a red Nikon D3100. Oddly enough, I never recreated my portfolio but instead jumped right back into shooting. I started with personal projects and then started advertising freelance work. Not going to lie, it was rough at first. I was getting booked but not at all as often as I desired.

Present day and two camera upgrades later, Katrina S Crawford Photography is now an LLC and is growing business daily; repeat clients continue to return. We could not be more grateful for the entire process. How I got where I am today in business is by never giving up even when I wanted to. Success is a combination of hard work, perseverance, and determination.

Great, 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?
Well, nothing worth having comes easy. There have definitely been some detours taken, however, I have still managed to make it to the destination and continue to travel on the journey. One of the biggest struggles I encountered was landing shadowing and learning opportunities with pro-level photographers. I found that I would reach out, eager and ready to take my skills to the next level just to be ignored and simply led on. Nothing really ever came out of me actively and intentionally reaching out. What I have found though is that the right people will cross your path at the right time. I have authentically and organically built and maintained some pretty strong relationships and connections with some key players in the game. My biggest advice again would have to be to “stay the course.”

Katrina S Crawford Photography – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Katrina S Crawford Photography candidly retells stories and preserves memories through imagery. I have been told that a photo that we have taken can be spotted easily. We have a signature editing style that strongly associated with vibrancy and contrast. I am a proudest of our continued growth but also the impact we have on our clients. It gives me great joy knowing that many of our clients now consider us family. We have formed relationships with these special people. Many clients are now lifelong clients. It’s amazing to photograph a maternity session, newborn session, 1st birthday photo session, family photos, etc all for the same family. That is the goal, as the family grows, we want to document every milestone. That segways into the next point, I never focus on what others are doing, however, I believe it is our client relations that differentiates us. Our hallmark is to make everyone feel like VIP, at that moment, when our lens is focused on the client, it is all about them. We try our best to leave a footprint on the hearts of every client.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I would say my proudest moment would be photographing my grandmother’s 2nd chance wedding last year in August 2018. Having been raised and adopted by my paternal grandparents, when my grandfather transitioned in 2009, our family was crushed. My grandmother often times talked about how much she missed him and was lonely without him. So, to be able to document her unique love story was a huge deal to me.

Contact Info:

• Phone: 843 606 1943
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kscrawfordphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kscrawfordphotography/

Image Credit:
Headshot with camera- Kim Craven Photography, (me sitting on table holding camera)- Sunil Ford Photography, (standing aiming camera and looking into viewfinder)- Brown Eyez Photography, (me directing pose with fellow photographer)- Jen Wilson Photography, (black and white personality shot holding camera)- Sunil Ford Photography, 4 additional pictures are of personal work (wedding, maternity, personality session with a woman wearing black and white and family portrait)- Katrina S Crawford Photography

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