Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsie Kalma.
Hi Kelsie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
It all started in High School for me, when I had to do a senior project. I had always been interested in photography and had a camera, but had never explored it much at that point. I knew this was my chance to do that. I got in touch with a local photographer and she taught me all the settings on my camera, the importance of shooting in manual and so much more. After that, I was very interested, but also intimidated at how to move forward with it so after that I didn’t do much more with it until about four years later. My mom knew how much I loved it and bought me a new camera, a Canon Rebel T6.
I decided to pursue photography more and from there with the encouragement and support from others. I started taking photos of family and friends for free, then advertised to the community and started taking on actual paid jobs. Over the years I’ve learned and grown so much, I’ve updated my camera and gear, have taken online and in person work shops and have spent hours researching online and continue to do so. I believe there is always more to learn and room to grow. Photography is such a passion of mine and eventually, it is a goal of mine to be doing it full time. I love capturing other peoples stories and showing the feeling and emotion in my photographs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, in the beginning, there was a steep learning curve. From learning how to use Lightroom and Photoshop to edit my images how I wanted them, learning all the settings on my camera and how to use them in different locations and lighting scenarios and how to interact with clients to get them to be vulnerable with me and comfortable in front of the camera, none of that was smooth and definitely took time, but looking at the progress I’ve made since I first started is so refreshing. Since I’ve started photography I’ve had three pretty big moves with my latest being across country from WA state to GA.
Each time it feels like I am starting all over, a lot of my business has come from clients recommending me to family and friends so rebuilding those connections can be tricky when moving to a new area where you don’t know anyone. Although challenges can be hard at times and very intimidating I believe that they can make you stronger if you work hard to get through them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love capturing stories and important moments in people’s lives. I photograph weddings/elopements, couples, families and portraits. Capturing the feeling and emotion in photographs is very important to me and is what inspires me the most. I like to give people direction and prompts during my sessions instead of poses, making them comfortable in front of my lens is something that I always try to do so that they walk away feeling like they had an experience rather than a business transaction, that is what I aspire for going into each session as well as when delivering the photos. I try to make each session as personalized to the couple or family as possible by using questionnaires and really getting to know them.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is Christmas time when I was very young. Being at my grandparents’ house surrounded by all of my family, cozy inside by the fire watching the snow fall out the window. Now that we are all so far away and separated I cherish that feeling and those memories.
Contact Info:
- Email: imagesbykelsie@gmail.com
- Website: imagesbykelsie.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imagesbykelsie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Images-by-Kelsie-124747314919051
Image Credits
Kelsie Kalma
