A little background and tour of my new Vancouver studio

I know the pandemic resulted in a lot of big changes for a lot of people. In my case, I also had to deal with some very serious illness in my family and the difficult and emotional conclusion of a decade long relationship. But, with sad endings, come beautiful (and sometimes a little scary) new beginnings. After a frustrating stint of looking for live/work studio rentals, I went to a viewing at what was once a Liquor Distribution Warehouse, built in 1901.

It was converted decades ago to lofts and was the very first artist live/work building in Vancouver. A long time resident who has been here since the beginning told me that when it opened, there was a line around the block of hopeful artistic applicants. This place is special and I’m so honoured that I get to call it home. Unlike other Vancouver buildings I’ve lived in, there is a sense of community here and although I’ve only had my place for a month, I’ve met some incredible people. There’s Beata Kacy, my lovely building manager and founder of Soigne and Octopus Studios who has fantastic stories of her many travels. Jennifer Williams is a talented boudoir photographer a couple floors down from me and she instantly felt like someone I’d been friends with forever. She brought me sushi when I had no furniture and we sat on the floor and laughed and got to know each other. And across the hall, there is Ashley Wray, of Mala Collective, whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting in person yet as she’s adventuring in Europe, but I just know through our text communication is an absolute sweetheart.

I’ve added a few more plants since this video was taken, but this gives you a good idea of the space.

Here are some images I’ve taken in here so far!

Claire of Key Models, H+MU by Rio Translado - Lia Liza of Key Models Styling by Jason Pillay - Briana Buckmaster, H+MU by Swank Make Up Artistry

I cannot wait to invite you over to take your headshots, maternity photos, commercial beauty and more and I hope you love this place as much as I do! Also, comment your favourite tropical house plant because I’m not done with this obsession.

How to do a photoshoot while self-isolating

The news is heavy right now and a lot of us are struggling to figure out what to do next and how to make use of a sudden influx of alone time. Jess Adams and I decided to get creative and use humour to lift our spirits.

While this is going to be a challenging period of a lot of us, I’m loving the creative ways people are finding to connect with one another. Comment below what you plan on doing with your time! 

Be safe and stay healthy <3

Kate

Starting out as a freelance photographer

We face a lot of pressure in our youth and early adulthood to “figure things out” and to have a plan for the rest of our lives. We have to pick a career, spend tens of thousands of dollars on an education (or more in some cases), intern for free for months and hope to find an entry level position somewhere in our field so we can gradually pay off our debt. For some people, this is just the way it goes and they find themselves happily climbing corporate ladders or otherwise advancing, but for those of us who lose the drive or the passion for the careers we trained for it can be daunting to come to the realization that we crave change.

From a very young age, I knew that art made me happy. I loved just about anything that allowed me to be creative and I excelled at languages. I’d spend hours and hours on working on pen and ink drawings, losing myself in the details. I think I’ve always suffered from depression and major anxiety and art was my escape. It seemed only natural that I’d pursue a creative career but I wanted something with a bit more job security than just being an “artist.” My mother is an incredibly talented fine artist and I’d seen first hand what an uphill battle that life can sometimes be. After spending an exploratory first year at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, I decided to apply for the IDEA program at Capilano University. The three year course covered Illustration + Design and was well known as a practical program that prepped their students well for the real world. Unfortunately the real world I entered was recession-ravaged 2008 and no one was hiring. I was up to my eyeballs in student debt, working at coffee shops and handing out resumes on my days off. By the time I actually landed an internship that turned into a full-time job in a graphic design capacity, my skills were borderline obsolete. We’d been one of the last generations to go through school without a focus on web so unless I spent more money to refresh my skills, I was stuck in a weird limbo of occasional branding projects but mostly designing keynote presentations. I was making decent money, but I felt like I wasn’t making the best use of my skills. I had more to give and powerpoint just wasn’t doing it for me.

When I graduated from Capilano, my parents had gifted me a digital camera. I had used it to take angsty self portraits and made my friends dress up for mock fashion shoots in back alleys and abandoned warehouses. Something about taking photos was so satisfying to me. It turned into a little side hustle - I wasn’t making much with it, but I’d shoot headshots here and there, nightclub snaps and a couple of weddings. When I got my corporate job, I let it go for the most part but still indulged myself occasionally with some make up artist friends.

After four years of sitting at a desk, I made the slightly terrifying decision to convert to freelance. Having a skill like graphic design and also the contacts I’d made after my time in the corporate world really helped make the transition a bit easier. I knew I couldn’t expect to make up my salary based on photography alone so having additional skill to supplement was pretty essential. I also realized that graphic design doesn’t make me happy while photography does. I still do the occasional design project for select clients but photography has my heart.

When I was first exploring photography as a potential career, I existed in a bubble - I didn’t engage with other photographers because I underestimated the value of those connections, but as I started taking it more seriously, I began making friends within the community and that was the single biggest contributing factor to my career. I was no longer a lone wolf, struggling to figure everything out for myself. Having photo friends I could talk through anything career related helped and continues to help SO much. Sometimes we pass work onto each other if we’ve got scheduling conflicts or feel another’s style would be better suited but the ability to talk through all the little hiccups and technicalities with a peer who “gets it” is truly a lifeline. As I grew, so did my circle and I wouldn’t be where I am today without my incredible network of fellow photographers, models, hair and make up artists, stylists, designers and agents. So if you’re thinking you want to take the plunge and take your career to the next level, my best advice to you is to get involved in your local community. Freelancing can be a scary task to take on alone but when you surround yourself with the right people, it doesn’t have to be.

My Photoshoot with Pamela Anderson

As with any career, it’s important to take a moment to recognize the big milestones and personal achievements. When the opportunity to shoot Pamela Anderson arose, I jumped on it. If you’d told me 12 years ago when I first started playing around with a digital camera that I’d be asked to capture one of the most prolifically photographed icons of my teen years, I’d never have believed you - and yet here we are! These moments are special as they affirm that you’re on the right path and keep you hungry for the next one. On the day of the shoot, I wanted to arrive prepared for just about any possibility so I pretty much brought my entire studio including 3 backdrop options in two sizes and an array of lights and modifiers and an assistant to help me set up, take down and light test. I wasn’t familiar with the location and the shoot was super fast paced so having a test model to sit in while I figured out my lighting was life-saving. My Profoto D2 1000 was what I ended up using for the most of the day as it is powerful enough to bounce off of walls and ceilings while maintaining a wider depth of field and keeping a dynamic subject in focus - Pamela is one of the best posers in the business if you can keep up with her!

Below are some of my favourite images from the day!

Model - Pamela Anderson @pamelaanderson
Produced by Vernard @vernardluvngrace
Photography assistant Kelly Sherstobitoff @kell_sher
Hair by Stacy Minkova @hair_issues
Makeup by Allison Giroday @allisongirodaymakeup
Styling by Janet Adrienne Ross @janetadrienne and assisted by Georgia Primar @georgiahassler72