Today we’d like to introduce you to Katherine Salvatori.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Katherine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have always loved photography, but in my younger years I never even considered that it could be a career. I ended up going to college for graphic design and art history, and it wasn’t until a week before graduation that I took a good hard look at what I was passionate about. My classmates would do graphic design in their spare time for fun – and I never had that urge. So, I started asking myself what it was that gave me that feeling? The answer was (and had always been) photography. It was at that moment I decided to dive in and give it my all.
Wedding photography specifically fell into my lap. I never intended to pursue weddings (I loved nature and street photography and thought I could try to work for National Geographic somewhere down the line), but a friend at the time was getting married and asked me to photograph her wedding. I happily agreed with the caveat that I had NO idea what I was doing, so if she was ok with that then so was I! 🙂 After that first wedding, I received inquiries from a few other friends and then the referrals kept coming in. I was still hesitant at this stage, mainly because I was learning everything on the job on my own (this was way before facebook and youtube tutorials and workshops, etc.) – and I eventually came to a fork in the road where I had to really ask myself if I wanted to pursue this as a career; After some serious thought, I decided that I was going to give it 100%.
I pursued wedding photography from that point on with the mindset that failure was not an option. If I was going to do this, I was going to be the best wedding photographer and business owner I could be. I quit my other job and gave myself one option: make it work.
My husband joined my business shortly after we got married in 2011. He’s always been an artist, so his eye for photography was already there. I loved getting his perspective on things, as we each see a scene differently. It was so wonderful having him join me, and we love being able to serve our couples together.
We now have 4 children and love being able to do this for our job – the relationships we get to build with our couples (from dating to marriage to babies and growing a family) is so fulfilling and we wouldn’t trade it for anything!
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?
There were definitely struggles! Instead of learning through formal or online education, I learned through making mistakes on the job – some costly and some a hit to my pride. I would never trade that though; many people these days are so terrified to make mistakes but it’s a part of life and there is so much value in the lessons I learned those first few years. Many people don’t know this but I was also a single mom in the first few years that my business was starting. I remember editing weddings at my kitchen table with my one-year-old son crawling like a monkey on the table next to me or answering emails while rocking him to sleep in my arms. But again – those challenging years made me grow SO much. They also helped me truly appreciate the way that God has shaped my life over the years and where we are now with both our family and career.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Katherine Salvatori Photography – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My company specializes in weddings and engagements. We are known for classic, vibrant images.
I am most proud of our relationships with our clients. We adore getting to know our couples, and it makes our job so meaningful when we get to serve and work for people we truly care about!!
I hope that what sets us apart is the care and attention to detail we provide our clients – both in the imagery and final product to actually caring about them as people. It’s not just our job to take photographs at their wedding. It’s also our job to calm their nerves, make sure they’re hydrated and eating during the day, sew on a button or help bustle a dress! 🙂
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Our plans for the future are to continue this wonderful, fun, crazy life we have and to continue meeting and serving couples that we love each year!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katherinesalvatori.com
- Phone: 630-456-5764
- Email: hello@katherinesalvatoriphotography.com
- Instagram: @katherinesalvatoriphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ksalvatoriphotography/
- Other: www.katherinesalvatoriblog.com
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