Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Miller.
Kate, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When I was younger, I was always interested in the boxes of older photos my parents had in the basement. I’d love to sit with them and have them tell me who is who, what year a picture was taken and listen to the story that went along with it. I never knew my grandfathers, so to me, it gave me a connection that I never physically had with older relatives that had passed away. I didn’t realize it then, that I was developing such a strong passion for photography. I loved the feeling of being the photographer and having a camera in my hand to document a moment whether it was trying to snap a few shots with my parents film camera in the late 90’s, going through countless disposable cameras and of course, scrolling the back screen on a bulky digital in the early 2000’s. To this day, just like my parents, I have boxes of prints from middle school through college, and countless folders on my computer. Something I enjoy the most is reminiscing and pulling out a visual story to go with it.
Prior to beginning a journey on starting my business, photography was a hobby (as many can relate). I worked in retail as a store designer. (Associates in Fashion Merchandising, Bachelor’s in Entrepreneurship / Johnson & Wales University, Providence, RI) Although I loved my job, there were many changes at the time that fell in line to make a career change following my passion. My husband and I were living in New York, and he accepted a promotion in Chicago. While we were making the decision for him to take that promotion, we realized it was the perfect opportunity for me to start this next chapter in my career. Of course, it’s never easy leaving a job with a steady income and future, but I was extremely fortunate to have my husband’s support and for it to be ideal timing in our lives.
Upon moving to Chicago, I felt an urgency to hit the ground running, while feeling overly excited, I also felt slightly overwhelmed. I had to build a business for myself from the ground up. Once I took a step back and set realistic expectations for myself, everything started to fall into place. I’m proud of where my business is at today. I love the clients that I’ve met and look forward to the ones I’ll get to work with. I feel extremely fortunate that I am able to do what I love every day and I don’t take it for granted.
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?
Moving to Chicago, establishing my business, and gaining clients was thankfully easier for myself than most as I had a few family and friends here to make those initial connections. The market is saturated with photographers, so I had to be smart and creative when branding and pricing myself to stay competitive but profitable. Being in a major city lends itself to never ending resources and it’s all about how you take advantage of what’s available to you.
Please tell us about KEMiller Photography.
KEMiller Photography covers newborns & families, maternity, engagements & weddings, as well as head shots and boudoir. I specialize in and am most well-known for my newborn, family & maternity sessions. I’m most proud of the client base and portfolio that I have built since moving to Chicago and establishing my business here. Also, I take a lot of pride in connecting with my clients and understanding their vision and what everyone is comfortable with. Every client is different, and I love creating a vision with each one of them and of course, making sure it’s a relaxed and fun experience.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
One of my favorite childhood memories related to my love of photography was taking a trip to the grocery store with either my mom or dad and running into the photo lab to drop off a roll of film, while waiting with anticipation to pick them up, flip through and see what was captured! There was always an element of surprise and excitement when picking up the photos and wanting to flip through them right away (always being careful not to touch the negatives and get any fingerprints on them!). I can say that those moments of watching someone look at a photo, and see the feeling it created for them truly stirred my passion for photography. To capture a moment for someone and bring it back to life through a photo to look at for the rest of their life is something I’m so honored to be a part of.
Aside from my photography memories, one of my other favorites included hearing the sound of the ice cream truck stroll through the neighborhood, while my friends and I stopped mid play-time, sprinting inside to ask our parents for a few dollars and running back outside in hopes that we hadn’t missed him yet! The carefree days of being a child in the summer, looking up at the menu of treats to choose from, were moments of happiness that still bring a smile to my face.
Contact Info:
- Website: kemillerphotography.com
- Email: kate@kemillerphotography.com
- Instagram: kemiller_photo
- Facebook: KEMiller Photography
- Twitter: kemiller_photo
- Yelp: KEMiller Photography
Image Credit:
Kate Miller
