Meet Katharine, the Local Eclectic photographer and videographer. Katharine is the genius behind those Instagram photos you know and love.
Ever see something on the LE Instagram and wonder how she got the shot? Well you're in luck! Watch Katharine's Day in the Life video above as she takes us through her day at the photoshoot for Family Gold Season 04, including Instagram vs reality style sneak peaks at how she shoots those beautiful images. And once you've learned her photo secrets, read on for Katharine's career background and advice for aspiring photographers and creatives.
What's your background and how did you start working at Local Eclectic?
I was homeschooled until college so I had a lot of free time to spend on basically whatever I found interesting. I discovered photography at 13 and loved the way I was able to express my thoughts and feelings visually as words have never been my most comfortable way of communicating. I then went to college for photo at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I found a job posting for a freelance photographer for Local Eclectic - I wandered into the office and never felt like leaving. I worked freelance here for about 6-8 months and then was hired full time, and I’ve been here for over 3 years now.
What does a normal day look like as a professional photographer?
Our office is east facing so we only get a couple of hours of sunlight a day which means the mornings are VERY hectic where I’m trying to get as many sparkly photos as possible. If we need sunny photos after the sun is no longer in our windows, I have to ask my coworkers to go out in front of our office to shoot in the street. So I spend a lot of time thinking about the sun. Other than that, I shoot all new products for their pages, work with models to photograph on figure images, and shoot any creative content that the marketing team needs.
What's your advice for anyone searching for their dream job in photography?
You have to be super persistent and strong headed, and make as many connections as you can. I worked as a freelance photographer for a number of years which was incredibly exhausting and rewarding before finding Local Eclectic, and a lot of the work I found was through mutual connections I met at networking events or through groups for women entrepreneurs.
Katharine's Jewelry Must Haves
I’m pretty lazy when it comes to changing out my jewelry - I have 8 piercings and almost never take them out, so I like to keep solid gold earrings in like the Solid Gold Simple Huggie Hoops. I also keep on my Solid Gold Mixed Metal Braided Necklace constantly because I feel like it helps me look more put together without really any effort. I just got the Solid Gold Essential Baguette Ring and the Solid Gold Filigree Ring to stack on my left hand as a fun summer style that looks super cute together.