Capturing a Feeling: Katelyn Rose on Film, Inspiration, and Creativity

My guest is Katelyn Rose, a Florida and destination film photographer. Katelyn captures timeless, emotion-filled images with an eye for both beauty and meaning. Her style blends whimsical portraiture with curated color and detail, transforming weddings into vibrant visual narratives. 

We discuss:

• How Katelyn built a travel photography business from the ground up
• Staying inspired and maintaining a creative edge while working on diverse projects
• Blending film, digital, and Super 8 to capture mood and story
• The role of color in her work and why she approaches editing like painting
• Portfolio curation and shaping inquiries to book the work you love
• Learning to trust creative instincts and define the kind of work you want
• The balance of patience, practice, and experimentation in refining her style
• Advice for aspiring creatives, travel artists, and entrepreneurs

Katelyn's Website:  https://katelynrosestudio.com/

Katelyn’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katelynrose_photos/

Katelyn’s TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@katelynrose_photos?_t=ZP-90BjncJfrcl&_r=1

For more, visit the podcast episode webpage.

Chapters

• 0:10 Welcome & introduction
• 1:10 Katelyn's path into photography
• 1:51 Journey into film photography
• 4:20 Going full-time with photography
• 5:34 Seasonal workflow & editing rhythm
• 6:34 Gear and preparation for travel photography
• 8:54 Film mistakes and mishaps
• 11:28 Why Katelyn shoots on film
• 12:33 Photo editing philosophy & tools
• 15:16 Katelyn's camera kit on a wedding day
• 20:23 Discovering her style as a photographer and artist
• 26:47 Tips for helping people feel comfortable on camera
• 28:54 Staying inspired: look books and word clouds
• 32:24 Show what you want to book
• 36:49 Navigating social media as a creative business owner
• 42:54 What makes a good photo?
• 46:44 Advice for aspiring travel artists
• 50:45 Building a travel portfolio with intention
• 57:36 Finding Your Niche and First Clients
• 59:00 How to start making money with photography
• 1:06:40 Film scans and photo editing

Transcript

Lauren: 0:10

Welcome to Wearing Pants Again. I'm Lauren Siegal. My guest today is Katelyn Rose, a traveling wedding photographer based in Tampa, Florida. I first came across Katelyn's work on Instagram, and I was just immediately drawn to not only the colors of her photos, but just the feeling that her photos evoke. Katelyn and her team specialize in both film and digital photography as well as Super Aid films. In our conversation, we talk about her creative journey, her unique style, and what it's been like building her own business as a travel photographer. Before we get into today's episode, I love your support and helping the podcast grow. If you enjoy wearing pants again, it would mean a lot if you could follow or subscribe wherever you're listening, leave a quick review, and maybe even share it with a friend who would enjoy it as well. I really enjoyed this episode and I think you will too. Hey Katelyn, thank you so much for joining me today.c

Katelyn: 1:10

Absolutely. Thank you for having me.

Lauren: 1:13

I'm a huge fan of your photography and just your whole aesthetic is so beautiful. How long have you been doing photography and how did you get into it?

Katelyn: 1:25

Oh, yeah, absolutely. So um I guess I've been doing photography since like I say like high school was when I got my first camera and did like a photo class, and then I did photo throughout college. Um, actually went to school for advertising. And then when I graduated, I worked as like a product photographer. And then in 2019, that's when I shot my first wedding, and then I got into wedding photography. So it's been a hot minute.

Lauren: 1:50

And how did you get into film photography?

Katelyn: 1:54

So, in I guess like more of the art photo background, um, it was pretty um, I don't know, like known to like shoot film for your work, like developing it. And my husband Adam actually went to school at USF. Um, he had a BFA in photography. So a lot of the things that I learned is actually from him. So, and then I applied it to weddings in about 2020, 2021. I actually shot my cousin's wedding as a guest. Like, I just brought a few rolls, and then when I got the scans back, um, I really, really liked how it looked. So I was like, let me see how much I can shoot for other weddings. And I started with like, you know, three rolls per wedding. And I just kind of worked up to what I could manage. And like, um, I didn't really put a cap on myself. Like, oh, I'm only budgeting two rolls for this wedding. Like, I would shoot as much as I could to see what I could handle with like also shooting digital. Um, and now we're up to like 25 plus roles per wedding, and that just it's really fun. So not the most business like my way to do that. Um, the spike definitely like increased for film costs after 2022.

Lauren: 3:09

So the the first wedding that you did was at your your cousin's wedding. Um, so that wasn't the first wedding that I shot. Um, I'm actually from like Palm Harbor, Dunedin area. So a lot of the first weddings that I shot were like some people that I went to high school with, which is really fun. And um I have found that I love photographing people. Obviously, I meet strangers online and like that's how I go elsewhere. But a lot of the couples I photograph, I've actually known for a really long time, or it's referrals. So it's like a little web of all these people, which is really nice. But at my cousin's wedding, they had a professional team. I just was that cousin that like brought a small camera and I was like, oh, I'm gonna see what I can do. Um, but I don't think the photographer knew I existed, which was good because I don't like to get anyone's way. Um but yeah, so I started shooting, I think just like word of mouth. No, people knew who I was, what I did, and it also made them really comfortable on their day because they knew me. So that worked out. Um, and now I shoot, I guess, yeah, more strangers as the business grows. How long have you had your own business or full-time? Yeah, so full-time started um in early 2020. I put in my notice towards the end of 2019. Um, and then I've had my business since 2017, but it started with a lot of grad sessions and headshots and family photos. So just to get a feel for charging for shoots, um, getting like an editing flow, still working full time. And then when I shot my first wedding, I was like, I I was at the point where I was editing every um evening, like after work of all sorts of sessions. Um, and I was I had stress hives, and I was like, I need to choose either go off on my own or like pull back. And um, I had a really great boss that helped me kind of figure that out. And I was able to freelance for half of 2020 while I was still full time essentially. So I felt like I weaned off like the agency, like we kind of grew grew into it together, which was really nice, and then it was fine. Like once I was completely on my own, I was like, Oh, this is this is great. We need to keep it going. That's awesome. Are you in the busy season right now? Yes, I say like for the entire year, there's like pockets of busy. I kind of like grouping a lot of weddings or sessions together and then having slower months where I can just edit and kind of be locked in my editing cave and coming out on the other side. I personally like all of my like say a chunk of a year, like my spring season, I want that done before I get into summer, which sounds probably like just that's not unusual where like I like have to wrap up, but I'm very seasonally inspired. So I want to finish spring before I enter summer, and I want to finish summer before I enter fall, and so on. So like I traveled a lot in June, but then had all of July to edit, and I walked into August with all of those galleries being like buttoned up. Um, so that was nice. So yeah, but now we're we're definitely um the leaves are changing. So I'm so excited to go out elsewhere. How do you prepare for shooting in so many different locations? Um, so my I have like a a carry-on wheeler bag that is it's called a think tank, and it looks like a regular carry-on suitcase because I don't people steal gear, so I think you should like conceal it and make it just look like not gear. Like I don't want people to know I have a five-foot girl with all these cameras on me. So I keep that packed throughout the whole season. Obviously, I clean my gear, but it just stays ready to go every the weekends. We have about six weeks in a row coming up where uh I empty them, I clean them, I put them back. And then in Florida, Damp Rid is your best friend because you don't want gear to be like in humid um environments. So I always have like little silica packets around my gear so they're not too, I don't know, damp because that can hurt your gear. They even make camera fridges like to keep them the temperature consistent with your like the cameras, so they're always like at you know, 70 something. Or does that make sense? Like you put them in a case that's like temperature controlled, so your gear doesn't get hurt from humidity. Or like if um a building is a little older, there's just more dampness, it's not good for gear. So I've had some some break because of that. So now I know to make sure it's good. And with traveling, is it's a whole process, right? Going through TSA because you have to get everything hand checked. Yes, I apologize profusely. But we have TSA pre-check, which I think is so worth it because it speeds up the process. Um, and then I gather all my film in either a clear bag or I have like a little fishnet bag, so it's super clear that it is film, and I just ask them, I show it to them, and I say, Can you know, can I please have this hand checked? I'm sorry, in advance, there's a lot of roles here. Um, and in the US, it's really, really um easy. But when you go international, they don't like to hand check it as much, and that can cause stress. But if the machines are a little older, I found like it is still okay. It's the big igloo ones you want to watch out for. Do you know those scare me? Like I don't like those ones at all. So I sort of recently have been kind of getting into film photography. Like I got my first real camera and I had Christian Noble on the podcast. I don't know if you know him, but um, I was too embarrassed to tell this story. But uh basically I just feel like I have to come forward and share what happened to me. So I went to Alaska a couple of months ago and I did like I tested a role of because I got this camera behind me on eBay. So I was like, I'm gonna test shoot a role and make sure that it works before I go. And it the photos for the most part, like they came out. I was like, okay. So then I went on this trip and it was I was there for about a week and shot like just one role, but it was like three quarters of the trip on this one roll. And then um, I'm sorry if there's any film photography people that are listening that are gonna cringe, but I forgot to press the release button on the bottom of my camera and like basically ruined the entire role. I mean, did you ever do anything like that starting out? Uh yes, or if I'm testing on a new camera, I feel like um, and when I test on a new camera, I usually do like a pseudo shoot where I just ask a friend, like, hey, can I, you know, practice with you guys for like an evening or something? And I accidentally kept a lens cap on the entire shoot because you can, it's not through the lens, like how you can see it, so you can't tell if the lens is covered or not. So it was a whole blank roll from that I shot of this couple because the lens cap was on. And it's a beautiful champagne colored camera, and the lens cap matches beautifully, so it just blended in to me. And I learned when I shoot with that camera, the lens cap I throw it, like it just goes so far away because it was just black.

Katelyn: 10:42

So that was fun.

Lauren: 10:44

Yeah, uh one of the things Christian said he tells people is like be prepared to waste a few hundred dollars or something on the first when you first get a film camera. So I guess I'm kind of still in that process, right now. Yes, your little uh trial and error fund would be good to have going. Oh do you have have you found a film stock that you like the best? I shot on the Kodak Gold 200. And that was the first role that I shot on. And then I the one that I messed up was the Porcha 400, I think.

Katelyn: 11:21

Oh, and that's the more expensive one. I know that sucks.

Lauren: 11:25

Yeah. Um but we live and we learn. So, what what keeps you shooting on film? Like, what do you love about it? Um, for me, the colors and also not um getting to see the photos immediately. I think it's really good to just like let my brain heal from the event, you know, until I get the scans back. Um it's really nice because everything's just so instant these days with digital cameras. And I really like like the happenstance and unexpected things that you'll find on the roll that it's just too obvious when you're shooting digital to like see something, make a change, make it more perfect, like keep tweaking it when it's right in front of you. But when you have to wait, um, it kind of heals the the time in between, so that's why I like it. And also the colors, I'm very picky with my colors, and I just I love Portrait 400 and 800. I do edit my film scans like heavily, so I feel like sometimes if someone sees like that's portrait 400, I'm like, it is, but also like with my tweaks, so you might not get that from your Portrait 400. So do you use Lightroom to edit? I do and Photoshop are my two favorites. Yeah, I kind of treat editing like painting, it's really like I select certain scenes and like add light to certain moments within the photo, and like I work with the sky a lot. Um yeah, just bringing like intro to different parts of the image. It's but I'll spend like 20 minutes on one scan sometimes. It's ridiculous. That's okay. What do you say for people who who might say, you know, film like it's more expensive, and and some people might say that you can like replicate the the look on digital. Do you feel that way? Or not really. I mean I know you can, like what's up, like you truly can, but um, I think like the magic's lost of like the waiting and I don't know, like do one or the other. Like, I don't match my digitals to film one-to-one, but I use the film to inspire my digitals. But I don't sit there and like bring up the digital to like match the film perfectly. They kind of live on their own. I know there's like that thought process, but I also love the um some of the lenses on the film cameras. I have the like I have a Mamiya 6, so it's a square, like one-to-one ratio, just like as is. And each camera has like little quirks to it that you just like that camera is gonna produce a certain kind of image that I'm really drawn to. Um, and I I don't think I can replicate that with digital, like those quirks. So I'm I'm fine with it. And then also like I've built it into my business where those costs are covered. I think that's huge because I'm not really worried about film costs when I'm shooting with some I know some people are, but like I feel like the proposals, everything is organized to where um I can kind of shoot freely and not be like, oh, that was you know sixty dollars I just wasted. And when I started shooting film, I did shoot um like as a business expense. Um, because obviously for me, like film write-offs, you know, the products are write-offs, but um I would shoot until like okay, uh this wedding I got to five, what was that cost? So when I was adding it to people's proposals, I was accounting for how much I could shoot. And then when I got to like 11 to 13 rolls, my proposals mimicked that. So I kind of my proposals have grown with just like my skill set. Um, but yeah, I think if it's properly compensated for, it takes the fear out of shooting it. Uh at least for me, because it's so expensive. And when you're now when you're showing up to a wedding with all those rolls of film, how many cameras do you usually bring? So I have two medium format, well, three medium format cameras, but I don't use them all at once. I might put two to three rolls through one. I love having about two cameras on me at all times. I try really hard not to look like a fish caught in a net, but it sometimes is tricky. But I'll carry my background with me and I just put the cameras in there, pick up what I want, put it back. Um, and then I have one 35 millimeter camera, and I shoot with Polaroid, so I have that with me, and then I have two digital bodies. One of the digital bodies only comes out during ceremony and reception details. One digital body is on me the entire day. So, and it's tiny, it's like just bigger, and that one stays on me all day long. I would shoot like um like a full wedding on film, but I do think it's nice to have the digital, like not even safeties, but sometimes they're just a little faster, and sometimes a moment's happening, and each camera has its like little role in my bag, especially for lighting scenarios. Sometimes I'll if we're going in and out a lot, I'll put one film stock in that's great for indoor light, and one that might be for outside, so I don't have to switch it during. I think the less I fumble with my cameras, like the better throughout the day. I know with weddings, there's certain moments like the the first kiss or you know, certain things that you can't go back and repeat. So, do you have a sort of thought process of how you decide whether you're gonna I'm gonna shoot this on film, I'm gonna do this on digital, or anything behind that? Things on wedding days, they are do happen quickly, but I think there's a lot more like wiggle room and breathing. So it's really easy to kind of play around with maybe it's the same thing, but you move a little bit, and I'll keep the two cameras on me and I'll get some shots of it on film. And then I also have my little Q3 and I'll get some shots on that, and I just kind of keep like if my feet are moving, the shots are gonna be different, and I think instinctively I know which one to grab, and that's just over time. Um, but I'd say, like, sometimes the moment is photographed both digitally and on film, but it's different um times of the moment happening. Like I'd rather have a really unique shot on film, so I might risk it a little bit and be like, I'm that's what I'm choosing to take with the film camera. But I might be like the safe kiss as it's happening on my digital camera. But the photo that everyone's gonna like, that I'm gonna like, that they're might like, is honestly like before and after the kiss is like the excitement. The kiss is expected, and I mean it's great, but there's kissing.

Katelyn: 18:10

So it's just there's gonna be so much kissing throughout the day.

Lauren: 18:14

Um yeah, no, you also do super eight. Um, how long have you been offering that? Since 2022, which is and my husband Adam shoots it primarily. Um, I steal him and all of his PTO, and he's amazing. And um, he actually shoots a lot of photo and super eight at the same time. We just had to figure out like what his role on a wedding day was gonna be because I don't know if you've ever attended a wedding or shot, you know, been a part of wedding, but sometimes it'll be like a second photographer goes to the groomsman room and the lead photographer stays with like one couple or you know, the bride or something. And I used to have Adam do that, and it was not the best fit for him because he's not really a director, he's more truly like a fly on the wall. And so once we figured out his pacing and where he goes and what he does, um the soup rate's great because no one looks at it anyway. Like that's not your you can break the fourth wall, but it gets a little office y if you just keep staring at it. So that's been really great. He also loves, he um edits and assembles all of the footage, and then I come in and color it because that's where I'm and I critique it and I try to be kind, but usually the first pass I need to be kinder probably, and then it gets better and better. Um, and then yeah, and then the colored footage, and that's been going really well. We used to do hybrid videos where they're digital and super eight, and I just don't like how it looks for my like the visual creative direction of all of it. Um, it feels very disjointed. So I like like the some of the films are like 15 minutes long on Super 8, and they're really lovely. So that's fun, and then he'll we'll shoot film and digital, like sometimes some lines it's just him and I, and he'll do all the detail photos while I'm with you know, directing like the fan some of the family photos, like we kind of trade off. Like sometimes he gets photos that I can't get because I'm too busy helping like keep the flow of things because no one's expecting him to take anything in that moment, so he has free reign to catch something that you know I might have missed because I was helping to like being the lead because everyone looks to you when you're the lead. How long do you feel like it took you to find your style as an artist? And how did you discover your style?

Katelyn: 20:45

Oh, okay. Well, I say my style, like I've always been drawn to colors and more of like an art-directed eye since when I worked in advertising, my job um a lot of the time was to source models and wardrobe um and location. And I think I just take that and I put it into with the new term of like, okay, this category is wedding, but it doesn't actually change how I approach things. So if you scroll all the way to the my Instagram, like there's color, it kind of looks the same for not it's I've grown, obviously, but the style itself has been pretty like true. I'm inspired by a lot of paintings, a lot of flowers and landscapes, um, and kind of just like like a postcard set value of a place, like kind of ambiguous. So that's in my style artistically. And then Adam and I actually had a artist collective in 2018 to 2020, and um we managed a group of artists and we'd have art shows, and so that contemporary art background is probably like my lens for like portraiture, where it kind of bleeds in, and that's what I've applied to weddings. I used to think I'd keep them separate, like my contemporary work looked one way, my wedding work looked more like I don't know, like what the market was making. And I finally realized everyone can make that, like it's really easy to make like copy a look, but what I've always been into with my personal art, I kind of applied that perspective back into weddings, and I love my photo friends so much, and like I cheer them on, but I do have to like not look at a lot of other photographers for inspo because I think it can be like too influencing for like what so I look at again, flowers, cookbooks, how like light hits strawberries, like silly things, but that has helped me define like my perspective and I and I and I just keep pitching away at that. Like my mood boards are never anything to do with weddings, it's just like things that could happen at a wedding, the essence of the space, the colors, the textures. The wedding is easy, like it's all happening in front of you. You just have to like it's kind of it's so easy, like it's all planned out, things are happening. You don't have to like do anything but just follow what's what's unraveling. Um, so once I realized that that really helped um my wedding work.

Lauren: 23:13

Maybe it's because I'm still new to film, but I just have to wonder. I feel like a wedding photographer already has pressure on them. Yeah. Then to think about doing it on film where it's like, ah, I don't know if this is gonna turn out or how it's gonna look. But I obviously you have a lot of experience, but is it ever scary for you kind of going into that? Because when I tried it, the expectations were very low for myself and the couple knew. Like, I wasn't as I was getting that skill set in that fast-paced environment, I it was just like an extra thing I did at that time. It wasn't, I think if I had been itemized and like uh like it was almost just like something I needed to learn how to do, and I had this opportunity to do it, and it was still anything I needed was still documented, lovely on digital. So I felt really safe. And anything else was just icing on the cake. Um, and with enough of those, then the confidence grows. And then I do a lot of shoots again, like oh, they got flowers a lot, but that's how I test new camera, new lighting situations, a film stock that I'm interested in because flowers are really like low stake of the of a subject. Um, but they have extreme highlights and they have like really deep shadows, so that's how I learned how to meter for shadows is like you know that you like you meter for shadows, not your highlights, because otherwise you get really muddy images. So I learned my friend Callie has a garden, and anytime I'm stuck on something or feel nervous about a you know, one of my cameras or something, I just go there and shoot a roll, and then I think it becomes muscle memory, really. So the nerves, there's always like a light amount of nerves because I think nerves are good. Like I think it'd be weird if I was complacent at some point, but I am very confident in being like able to get a well-rounded gallery. If for some reason I want to make film cameras die that wasn't working, I had others. I think it would be really risky if I showed up with one. That would be odd. Like, because I then I would get nervous. Like, what if this the shutter got stuck or something? Um, so yeah, I think it just takes time. And 2023 felt like a blossom year for me where I was like really getting my groove with it all, and now I'm so I'm come I am comfy in the right ways, which is good. When you're going into a wedding, do you go in with like an inspiration or any sort of plan as far as the the vibe and all of that? I think I used to a lot more, like I really held on to details and um a lot a lot more. Like um, and now it's more just like the flow, like what are the activities of the weekend? Because when we shoot a wedding, it's usually like night before, then full wedding day. Um, and sometimes activities happen in the morning on a wedding day. And so I think I like to have all my ducks in a row of just like knowing what's going on and then knowing what matters to the couple, but then after that, um, they can send me as many like inspiration things as they want because sometimes it's just they need to have a grasp on what like their visual literacy is. Um, and then as long as they trust me to get the overall just like essence of that, um, I feel really good, but I don't like hang on to like a mood board by my side, like I don't look at it anywhere near the wedding day. Do you have any tips for how to make your subjects feel more at ease on camera? I am a really big fan of walking, and there's I always tell them on a call or the beginning of a shoot, it's gonna be like 15 to 20 minutes of feeling very aware of the camera, a little stiff, and then there's gonna be a point where they've almost like walked enough and they're a little tired, like you're up tired mouth a little bit. They um it like breaks this like tension breaks, and I always tell them like this is it, this is it breaking, and like they like no longer care. And sometimes I actually hand them um like my camera, not to shoot, sometimes I do that, but more so like if I'm changing a pack of Polarite, I'm like, Oh, can you hold this really quick? Like they just get to know, I don't know, be a part of it, so it just takes that pressure down, yeah. And honestly, just like as long as they're walking near good light. And if I need if I see they need direction, happy to help. But typically, people like pose themselves the best when they're waiting. So, however, so sometimes if there's one person that's a little nervous, I'll focus on the person that's not nervous and I'll do some individual portraits of them, then I'll pan over and see how that person is just waiting, and I'm like, that's the best body, like that's their best pose is them not stressed. So then I help them get back into that position for other like poses, if that makes sense. Um shrimp, no shrimp shoulders, like you know, like from behind a desk all day. Sometimes we all like roll forward. Um, and then after that, uh occasionally I'll show them the back of the camera if like I really, really like an image and it's cute. I also for all engagement sessions, they've been more um where we just meet up, grab a drink or coffee or something, and just like again wander, but more of a little hangout, less like two outfits on the beach and it's like forced. That's when it can feel a little like prof it's all like a little bit of a performance, but it just feels like you're making so much out of out of nothing. So I know you said that you try you try not to look at kind of uh other photographers' work, and I know you're touching on how you're kind of inspired by looking at paintings, but is there like can you talk about what you do to stay creatively inspired in between jobs? Yeah, absolutely. So um I do this like look book at the beginning of the year, and then sometimes I revisit it quarterly if I need to, and it is through Pinterest just because you can drag and drop pieces of inspiration, like when you make a board, and I like curated and like um it's called like image sequencing, like one looks like it supports the other image, and the colors look good, so I like to be able to drag and drop easily, and so I'll do that at the end of the year, and it's not it's just what do I want the weddings that I want to book for that year to feel like, and it can be a place, a space, just like again how light's hitting the table. I don't usually put a couple on this board, it's more so just what is my eye drawn to? And then I will pin for about 30 minutes aimlessly, like not overthinking it. Just if I like it, I pin it. Then I go look at it. And I'm like, oh, there's a common thread throughout all these things that I'm drawn to. Um, and then I'll delete the ones that don't feel right, but I liked it in that moment. So I have that going, and then I do it sounds a little slightly like word clouds. Have you ever made a word cloud? Uh you write down any word. I guess this is what I do. Might not be the correct way to word cloud. But um if again, if I have a if I have like an idea of something that's inspiring me, um, sometimes it's um a crop ratio. So like I was really into squares last year. So I wrote down one to one, and I was like, oh, that's I'm really into those. So it's this whole page I have um in my little journal of places like I wanted a wedding in the cat skills. I wanted, I was really into red, blue, and yellow. Don't know why, but I've so those words went on the word cloud, like all these abstract ideas. Um sometimes even like I was into putting two images together, like a diptych. And so I drew like little squares. Like, okay, what if I did a triptych? So anyway, I have this whole little mess of a page, and then when I get inquiries, sometimes I look at the page and I'm like, oh, that fits. That's something near my word, and then I know it's gonna be like a good fit for me for the, you know, because when you book a wedding, sometimes it's like a year to 18 months out. It's a it's a lot of time from getting it in there. So I have to make sure they kind of all align with what I'm drawn to and like inspired by. Um, same with I I recently shared like a Monterey wedding, and it had a lot of the things from my word cloud on it. Um, like very good families, um, like people first, details kind of second was huge for me. Like um I write a lot about yeah, like landscapes, um knowing what kind of spaces are a good fit for my eye. Like I like coast, but I don't like I don't not like it, but I don't like beach. Does that make sense? Like they're very different. Have you ever been to Maine or like Monterey? I yeah, I get what I get what you're saying. Okay, like I don't like I like like rocky cliffs, I don't like white sand. Gotcha. So, and it's they're very and they and the events are very different in those spaces. So to know like what you're actually drawn to really helps, I think, like showing what you want to book. So, what if somebody comes to you and they say they want a white sand wedding? But I never I never get those inquiries because I don't show it. I have not got a beach inquiry in years. Does that make sense? I feel like I am I am confused about it. No, no, I don't it seems like you like you kind of curate your creative vision and and then that helps people find yeah, like they see what you're doing, and then that attracts the same thing. The biggest thing is like if you don't want it, never show it, truly. And if you like pieces of it, show the pieces you like. And obviously, like there's some situations where it's super perfect, I'll let go, like maybe like it will be on the beach or something, and that is fine. I just don't need 10 of them or something. Like I want more of that diversity. Like last summer I was so into grass, like Midwest grass, and I felt I was so happy that I was in Wisconsin, in Iowa, and Illinois, because Florida doesn't Florida has bad grass, and it photographs kind of ugly here, but it photographs really well in other states. So I was like, where where can I go that fits that? Um so yeah, I'm very like yeah, location based. Um, knowing I think like where I would personally travel is a big indicator, and I think this could be for anyone. Like, I've never had a Tulum inquiry, but I don't think I would travel to Tulum for like my personal journey. But I go to Maine every August, and I love getting Maine weddings, so like it's really important, I think, to put out there like what you would want to do, like without being paid to do it. Yeah, how often so the word cloud and all that, how often is that like is that once a year, once a month? It's um it's honestly when I feel stuck. Like, that's like my little someone of my tools to reach for if I'm like my compass is off. Like I'm either getting, I'm not, I'm not uh excited about something. So it really used to be a little bit more strict. Um, like I would say, oh, quarterly on Q2, I'm gonna do my word, but now I just look at it or like add to it if I'm feeling inspired. I have this giant mood board, like a linen board that I pin things up that inspire me. Um, and I I get a lot of weddings where they use the term gathering over wedding, and we never actually really talk about like photos on our calls, like we just talk about like what do you want it to feel like? Because like they obviously know I could photograph it because they've seen my work and I know they're gonna have a great event. So let's just like talk about what you know what's most exciting to them. Um but I don't yeah, I think sometimes like the furthest I can get away from the actual term wedding, the better. And I love a wedding, I love everything that happens in a wedding, I think it's great, but sometimes that word is such a marketing tool that it gets saturated with like it can cheapen things. Like it's like if you start talking about weddings, you're gonna be served ads of like shoes and dresses and places and things that are bedazzled, but sometimes it's like fluff in the in the industry. I never said that out loud, but it's true. Like it's just it gets like clouded, um, and it takes away from like what a wedding really is, and it's about like your people and them coming together for an event. Um yeah, yeah, that's that's one of the things that I really like about your photography is I feel like you kind of capture the feeling and um and you do a really beautiful job of it .

Katelyn: 36:39

So I'm so curious how you're gonna edit this because I'm just having like ideas that I haven't thought about before, but that's what it is.

Lauren: 36:49

Um so I know that um social media as a business owner is very important in this day and age. So personally, I I feel I sometimes it can be kind of a love-hate relationship. Um do you how do you kind of navigate that as a business owner?

Katelyn: 37:13

Um so because I come from like a social media advertising background, sometimes it's like if I'm not doing it perfectly and it's not curated perfectly and all of these things and it doesn't perform great, um, the stats used to get in my way, and lately, finally, I'm starting to care a little bit less so it doesn't hurt my brain as much. Um, but I definitely go into flows of like really liking to share things, and then I notice when I'm big into editing and like in the work, I don't really care to post anything. But once the work is out there and have some time to breathe, then I'm really excited to share. I get personally um fatigued by online engagement. Like I could talk and meet someone in person for hours, but if I have to respond to a message, I get sleepy. And my um end up sending voice notes because I don't want to be typing. Um, and you brought up Christian, he's one of my very good friends. He actually shot my wedding. And yeah, so we um we call each other like unofficial coworkers, um, and also Mullette. He is the party and I'm like the business, and it's fine. Um, but he's so good at the internet, like right, like he we know he's good at the internet. He's also really good at texting, as long as I just don't reply, because it'll be like eight messages, and I'm like, I'm tired. I moved on. So um, and that's okay. I do think having the nine squares, what I found when you go to someone's page, like it being very clear and then showing exactly what you want, even if you haven't posted in a while, are those first nine like serving your business and what you're trying to do. So I think right now I love where my nine is at. I could not post for a long time, and I think I'll still get I know I'll still get inquiries, it'll be great because it's like set up visually for the right things, but I don't really care outside of that, besides like meeting cool people. But I I personally don't enjoy being um online or messaging, like I'd rather just call someone and like talk.

Lauren: 39:27

So when you're when you're posting stuff online, do you try to consciously avoid scrolling and oh no, I I scroll.

Katelyn: 39:37

I mean we all scroll because we're like addicted. It's addicting scrolling, yeah. Yeah, it's so addicting. Um, I also like am addicted to my email. Like, I think I do need to put a lock on my phone. I really, really do. Like it needs to go into a box at night. Um I think because it is like again my business, so everything kind of lives on there. Um, so I'd like to not be as into it. I don't have like TikTok notifications though, and it's like at the last page on my, you know, on like the iPhone, the pages. I have TikTok at the end, and I do find myself forgetting to go there because I've hidden it. So I think soon I need to hide Instagram. I need uh put it away.

Lauren: 40:25

Is that how you get a lot of business though, is th uh through social media?

Katelyn: 40:30

Uh yes and no. I think um it depends, but if it's like a location specifically, like I'll get um like right now I'm so excited, but I've gotten a lot of Maine inquiries because I just shared about Maine. And like I did this wedding there, and it's I'm so so excited. It's actually a Tampa bride and groom that got married there. And um she loves uh like content creation and making reels in TikTok, so I knew it was also like safe for me to overly share her wedding. But if there's a couple that I know doesn't isn't on social media that much or might just like not love the limelight, I kind of hold off. Like I'm pretty aware of um that. But you'll probably see me post that a lot because I know she loves it and I love it, and we're fun about it. So um that's why that's been working. But otherwise, like all the weddings I have lined up coming up are referrals, like one is a cousin of a couple from last summer in Iowa, and now we're going to Richmond, Virginia, because we met them on the wedding day of their cousins, and now we're shooting their wedding. Does that make sense? Oh, yeah. Like the only reason I got this wedding is because they were in the wedding party of the wedding last year, so now we're shooting their wedding, and then I have a wedding in Philly this weekend, which I'm super excited about. The brother of the groom and I like met on Instagram because he's a film photographer in New York. Like, it's all kind of just like word of mouth or um that, or like if they see a post that they like that location of and everything, then it's usually a stranger that inquires. Um, and then I have another one in Kansas City in a few weeks, and that is actually she used to live in Tampa, wasn't advertising, now is in Kansas City, so now I'm going to shoot her wedding. So sometimes it's happenstance, sometimes it's good keywords and like strategic posting. Um, I like to do about 15 weddings a year, and so it's it's not hard, in my opinion. I mean, it can be hard, but all I'd have to hit is 15, like good ones. So some are referral, some are Instagram, some are random, like the meet in person situation. Um and I think it might always be like that, just because I talk to strangers a lot.

Lauren: 42:53

So that might be why. When you think about the photos that you've taken that you're the most proud of, what would you say makes a good photo to you?

Katelyn: 43:08

Oh, that's tough because I do I have like a little bucket that I keep filled, like if I know it's a good photo, um, it goes in there. And obviously there's good photos throughout an entire gallery, but then there's some that I just could not retake if I tried. And it's like like lightning in a bottle feeling, and I'm like, oh, there it is. And then sometimes there's one of those, and sometimes there's not, and that's okay too. Um, because it's still like a you know, a great gallery, it's comprehensive, it's curated well, the colors are beautiful, but like I had this one image, it was in 2022, and we were crossing the street after some bridal portraits in St. Pete um at a family home, and a peacock emerged, and it's one of my favorite photos, and it's a peacock and then her, and I I don't I have never gotten that again, so I'm never gonna get that one again. I'm not gonna go find a peacock either, like that was it. And um then I have um this one, a getting ready shot, and the dog jumped up into the lens, and I got the dog in the corner, her looking at me, and it's just one of those images that when I'm scrolling through my digitals, my film, not there's not another one that matches it, and that's when I know it's like a one-off. I call it a one-hit wonder, but I know that's like have it can have negative connotation, like you never have a second hit wonder. But um, I like each wedding to have like one little really special image. Um, so that's when I think it's usually a gut feeling, like the composition lines up. Um, it's usually happenstance or unexpected. Um sometimes it feels like a little surreal, like you just don't know. Um, and it's just very specific to that couple and wedding day because I've had people be like, I want this image, and I'm like, You won't have it. I don't know what to tell you. You'll have your own, but you won't have that. Um, and that's huge on just like setting expectations. Um, I don't want to like force those like magical photos, otherwise it's not very magical for being honest. It's very planned.

Lauren: 45:29

Um, I went on uh a trip. Well, it was my Alaska trip, and they had a photo expert on the ship, and my aunt asked him what what he thinks makes a good photo, and he basically said something like anyone can take a photo of something beautiful, but then a good photographer can take something ordinary and make it into something beautiful. Oh, like I don't know, that might be getting too deep, but uh that is deep.

Katelyn: 45:59

Um yeah, that is oh, and I think if it's a good photo, like a strong like portfolio piece, like where they like take it to your grave kind of photo. Because I think like what makes a good photo is good lighting, composition, you know, strong editing, good color, like lots of things can make a like a strong photo, but like one that is just like really, really nice that stands out that ends up being a part of like like that's like a we call it like a like there's a Christian image and there's like a Caitlin image, like it's like our style of image um that just takes time to gather them over years. Um, there's this one photographer, she calls them her pearls, which is nice. Um, she has a Russian name, and I don't want to butcher it, but I can text it to you.

Lauren: 46:47

What's one piece of advice that you would give to aspiring travel artists?

Katelyn: 46:55

Um I travel where you would want to go yourself for sure, and take photos while you're there. Um, I personally don't love there's a trend on, I'm sure you've seen on TikTok where it's like these are my dream destinations, I'll shoot your wedding for free if you just pay for my travel. I think that like, have you seen that?

Lauren: 47:23

Oh, I haven't. Wait, that's people are actually doing that.

Katelyn: 47:25

Oh, so many. Like, these are my dream locations. Um, I'll shoot your shoot your wedding for free, just get me there. Or I'll cover travel, like I'll just I'll just shoot it for free if it's in these locations. And I do think I like I had I lowered my pricing like as I was growing, um, it was lower because my skill set was you know lower and we were all growing together, but I never once undervalued my work for like like my the location was not greater than my work. If that makes sense, because I do think there's the monetary element behind the work. If you have another wedding that's like local, that's double or triple what that destination discount is, you might put more energy on the one that's paying you more than the one that you're only getting like free lodging for. So I would just stray away from discounting your work or like I've never said like this is a discount, because that's immediately undervaluing my my work. I'm just honest with where it was at at that time. Um, so I think I would just yeah, stray from like trades like that, because there's usually just like room for error of like communication or expectation. Um and there's other ways to get travel work, which how I did it, it was a little it was a little slow. Um, once I had one under my belt, I would just share that I do travel. Like I just do, and so I was in certain price ranges of people that I would travel, and it was included. I might have made a little less than a local wedding, but that one wedding got me to my next one, and then it kind of builds up. I think you need like I don't know, three or five really good locations to build that trust that you know how to travel because with traveling comes new anxieties for your gear. Um I and Christian, I wish he was on this with me because we handle things like very differently. But um, how I figured out travel anxieties was I knew which airline was gonna be really hard to check my carry-on or like to for so I could bring my gear with me on the plane. Um, you know how they do that now, where like if you're group five or something, you have to put your gear or your bag under the plane. That's a huge stressor because your gear needs to go with you. It can't be going under the plane. But that was a big lesson I learned of like, oh, I actually have to buy a ticket or buy a boring zone, and that's like a new expense. So I think you need at least five of just like learning how to travel and shoot. Um, I know what I need personally to do a really great job at a wedding. We always travel with a buffer day. I make sure it's a morning flight because it rains in the afternoon, then you're stuck getting delayed. Like there's so many things you learn. So I think doing them low stakes, low pricing, but not pitching as a discount. If you ever need that in a really clear sentence, I can work on that. But just no discounts and um just being price honestly with where you are at level-wise, get the kinks out when you're really confident with your traveling. That's when you can like bring it up, bring your pricing up to meet it. Um, but yeah, and then like for me, so man, so much of my inspiration has remained. So we go there every August. I've been photographing it for years, and now we're actually just shot that wedding. Um, I cold DM'd her in 2023. She got engaged July 4th weekend, yeah, of 2023. She followed me early that week, and I saw her bio said New Englander living in Tampa, and I was like, This is my shot, like this is this is it. And I've never cold DM'd someone, but it felt right. I was like, this it's a warm lead. So I said, Hi, my name is Caitlin. Um, I'm sure you know that. But if you get married in New England, I really want to shoot it. And I had a few, I probably had like 10 travel weddings under my belt at that time, so I felt good, but I hadn't had the right main one yet. And so um she said, That's really good to know because your photos are all over my mood board. And I was like, perfect. So, um, and that's the wedding I just shot in Kenny Bunkport. So since 2023, we've been in cahoots about this wedding, and it finally happened. And I looked at her and I was like, We did it. Like, here we are. So little things like that, just like right time, right place. Um, my friend Caroline from high school got married in the Blue Ridge Mountains and she wanted me to shoot it. So I did, and I was properly paid, and we went out and did it. And that wedding is one of my favorite weddings ever. But sometimes you just need to know someone getting married in a spot to kind of get it going. To get, and once you're known for doing it, like I haven't gotten a Florida inquiry in like two months because I haven't posted any Florida. I might need to soon.

Lauren: 52:45

Did you ever did you ever shoot for free though when you uh when you were building your portfolio?

Katelyn: 52:52

Yes, if I was trying out a new thing, um, but I was very clear in communicating like what that was, and typically it would be like portraiture and my I'd say like I have a new camera to test, do you mind? And I would specifically reach out to like someone that had an activity to do, so like an artist, like um a maker, someone like I think it's really easy um to photograph something where they're they're doing the thing, so they're if they're not focused on you, like you're not waiting for you to tell them what to do. So, like I loved that's why I love photographing like a florist, they're designing, they're doing their own thing. I'm able to document it, but I'm also able to check my settings. What did this look like? You know, it's like low stakes directing. Um, I would do that, and then um there came a point where I was just too busy, and the trades I was I just moved kind of past needing to do trades, um, and they can get a little messy with communication. So I think having like some form of like a loose contract or written up of the expectations of what you're receiving for these photos, um, and then having like closure on it. So, like here's your gallery, here's the thing I got, love it. Here we are. But uh sometimes if it's too open-ended or if it's not clear what you're offering them and what they're offering you, that's when I can it can get weird. And just remember that this is the huge thing. If you are doing a trade, it will be the last um thing on anyone's plate because money comes first, it just like naturally. So if someone's making something for you in exchange for photos, you're gonna be the last on their list probably to get that item. So, and same like the photos might take longer to get because they're doing paid work first, so having that expectation of time. Um, and then yeah, but and so like if I'm again if I need inspiration or something, like I have a good thing with Cali, Blue House Floral, like I'll shoot one roll, and the next day there's like an arrangement on my front door, and like cool, but we have a very good understanding of like boundaries and business friends, and I think it's good to have a few of those, but not more than like two. You don't need more than two, it gets overwhelming to keep track.

Lauren: 55:19

Any dreamslash bucket list travel destinations for a wedding that you would like to shoot?

Katelyn: 55:25

I want to go to Montana. So I I went to Montana in 2017 on like this really long road trip with my dad, and I've always been inspired by like the word vast. Like I love anything that's just vast and like nothingness, and I think the sky is really beautiful there. Um, I love how small you feel when you're there, um, and it also seems very like circus tent odd to me to have like a wedding tent in the middle, which is like mountains surrounding you. Like it feels very odd to have this like pop-up event for a few days and then it goes back just to land. So I think that's really inspiring to me. Um honestly that's just that's been kind of on my mind is like planes, also for some reason, like one of the Dakotas. I don't know why. I don't know anything about them, but they sound fun.

Lauren: 56:20

Yeah, I can envision the Montana thing, and that would be super cool. And I know that with your with your um skills that you'll be able to manifest that and that'll be really cool.

Katelyn: 56:31

My little word clock. Um, but yeah, so I think that would be really nice.Thank you for asking.

Lauren: 56:38

And if you could go back and look at your previous self when you're kind of starting out on your um photography business journey, what advice would you give to yourself?

Katelyn: 56:52

I would say like calm down, like don't be as rigid. Um I used to dance, and I remember my dance teacher said it's easier to um have like a really strong, like stiff muscles and like make them flexible than giving a really flexible, flexible person like a lot of muscle. Does that make sense? Like it's easier to like teach someone to stretch and like get flexible than starting with like a noodle and like tightening it up. So I do think in a way it's good that I had a lot of like rules and organization and I've learned to be a little more loose, but I wish I didn't overthink as much and have as much like like a grip on like my brand. Like I've redone my website a lot. Like I think about branding and creative direction, like probably too much from the advertising background. And I wish I like like I wish any of the men in black beepers could just like erase your brain. Have you ever seen the men in black movie?

Lauren: 57:56

Um I don't expose how uncultured I am. I'm gonna have to edit that out.

Katelyn: 58:02

I know. Oh my god, no, it's so funny. So it's a mind eraser, and I always want one because I wish I could just like so funny. Well, you have a Halloween activity. I'm sorry. Um on my podcast, I will expose. Um yeah, no, that I just wish I like I don't know, just like played a little bit more and less, and maybe shared more, even if I didn't think it was perfect. So yeah, that would be a big thing. And just start, like starting too. I talked to a photographer yesterday and he was so worried about starting his Instagram. And I was like, honestly, I feel that, but like what's gonna hurt? Like, no one will in a good way, no one will care if you do or you don't. So you might as well give it a whirl and just just try it.

Lauren: 58:51

I do enjoy photography, but I'm still and I've I've I've been taking pictures for a while, but just kind of as a hobby. But I obviously like I have a a full-time job that I do, and part of it I do, you know, take pictures, but any advice for somebody that maybe would like to make money taking pictures, but they I don't know, I don't know, like weddings, portraits, like there's so many different avenues. And so sometimes I feel like with social media, I'm like, well, I have to you know pick a niche or you know, choose something. Yeah.

Katelyn: 59:27

Um, I think like what would you want to shoot in your free time? Like, what category would you want to shoot for free? Essentially, like, do you like concerts? Do you like um events? Do you like people? Do you like what noun do you like? Like, I would start there. Truly, like down to I I love nouns. I always tell people like just give me a noun and I'll like I'll know how to photograph it. Um, but I think that is huge. Like for me, it was easy because I was still at USF, so I was. Doing grad photos, and I think I did them $40 a session. So I started small because I mean the stakes so low. Grad photos, kind of easy. They're in like a little bag of a uniform of an outfit. And then what I would do is I would actually say, Let me take a headshot for you too for LinkedIn. So now I had portfolio piece of you have this headshot and you have your grad photos, and then I could advertise, like, hey, like on LinkedIn, it's like I'm doing headshots this month, $50 per photo. And I got that, and then I had more of an arsenal, and now my headshots cost a lot, but my skill set is a lot more. Um, so I would first find out I know you have a full-time job, I know you're doing this, but what is like a hobby thing that you like to do? Like what is it?

Lauren: 1:00:49

Like Is that a rhetorical question?

Katelyn: 1:00:52

No, I'm asking you. Like, what is what is it? Oh, as far like as far as photography goes. Or or just like a hobby, like what is something you do outside of this and your full-time job?

Lauren: 1:01:02

Well, I love music, I love playing guitar and um I have tried concert photography, but that's actually so I I last year I went and kind of dabbled. I don't know, I was just like shooting concert. I had like one paid gig, but that's when I realized I was like, wait, actually, I want to be the one performing, like I do, but I do really enjoy music. Um, and then I love travel, nature. Okay. Um so think of landscapes, like get those going.

Katelyn: 1:01:38

Because you could always sell stock stock photos of your landscapes too, like on Splash, and like just little ways to like have your photos out there that people buy like licenses for um and use. Um, so do you know on Splash.com? All right, portfolio for it, yeah. Yeah, so like that's something. Um, but I think just gathering a portfolio and like shooting first and then see what you could offer from what you like to shoot.

Lauren: 1:02:06

I've also tried I've tried doing portraits. I have shot some on film, and I do also really enjoy those as well.

Katelyn: 1:02:12

So you could always do um like artist portraits. I personally work, all my brand work is with like again makers and artists. Um, so if that's your circle, just say if you have um, I don't know, a painter friend. So like, can I take some photos of you? And like build that in your portfolio, and then now you have those, and if people like them, you like them. Um, then the next person they might find out like, oh, she took these photos for me, and then come up with that price that for your time and your film and everything, and keep it low stakes at the beginning, and then you can grow with it as you have more. Um, I think the first wedding I shot was $700. And my friend uh I actually knew her from 10th grade, and she even added more on top of it because she's like, You have to pay tax. Like she knew how low it was, and she's like, and this is for your tax. And I was like, Yes, ma'am. So um, like I don't know, like really low to start. Um, and then the confidence would grow, the skill set would grow. I would look at a lot of photo books and see like what makes a strong photo from a color and lighting scenario to make sure you're like and if you ever wanted to show me your photos, I could I I have an opinion. I'm always opinionated. So I'd be like, you might want to do these things like to up it a little bit. Um, like have you ever taken a photo class or anything?

Lauren: 1:03:42

When I was younger, I did.

Katelyn: 1:03:44

Um yeah, or like there's a Skillshare. Oh yeah. Just like a little basics. Um, sometimes I even look at like the exposure triangle, like it's fun to kind of re redo that.

Lauren: 1:03:58

Yeah, I and I definitely want to, you know, because I have a bunch of roles of film, so I want to try and get more um yeah, you know, get better at that. Um you could do a donation. Oh, sorry.

Katelyn: 1:04:12

Oh, no, wait, no, I want to do a donation base shoot with your roles, like add up how much it costs, like for those roles for developing, come up with this amount and do like portrait mini sessions or something in a park. People sign up for it. This is your amount that you need to hit so you're not losing money. And then you could go. I mean, there's so many great places, but you could have different times, and then you could do photos in the morning, photos in the afternoon, and photos in the evening, do a whole day, and you can start to see like you would learn how to shoot in the morning, you would learn what the lights like in the afternoon, and you would learn what the lights like at sunset. And I think that would be such a fun way for you to see, like, okay, and then you have a little journal, especially for film, write down this was my setting in Harsh Light. This was the film stock, these are my settings, and then you look back at the photos and you can make adjustments in the future. Like, that's how I learned I love Harsh Light, but I know the sun so well that I know um how to shoot in it because I did all those like little trial and errors. So that would be really fun. It would be like covered, your cost would be covered. I think people would show up, like your friends would show up, cover the film, and you would get great photos from it. Does that make sense?

Lauren: 1:05:25

Yeah, yeah. Wait, oh, so you mean wait, what do you mean by donation?

Katelyn: 1:05:31

So, like um, not necessarily donation, but maybe it's depending on how many people you wanted, maybe it's $25 per person, like to sign up to do this. Like they photo shoot of that, yeah. But it's you only have so many roles, so they might only get four exposures of themselves, you know, and then or maybe it's one role per person throughout the day, so they're covering the role you might cover the develop cost, that kind of thing. But just if you shoot things at cost, expectations are low, you have a really good um space to learn. So, but just make sure you don't try not to go under if you're giving someone something. So, yeah, I would just that would be fun. Like, yeah, you buy pay for the role, I'll pay for developing, and you get one roll of yourself. But I think it would be so lovely if you learned lighting in the morning, lighting in high noon, and then lighting at in the evening. Because that's a wedding day. If you ever wanted to get into weddings, you're dealing with morning light, afternoon light, and evening light. So thank you for of course. So, but I think that'd be so like fun to see like the different, I don't know, it changes drastically throughout a day.

Lauren: 1:06:49

Okay, I just had one more question. Um I also don't know if this is a dumb question, but like I know when you shoot on uh digital um wait, like if you're shooting a raw photo, that there's more that you can do to manipulate the colors. Do you feel like you still have that ability to do that on a film photo?

Katelyn: 1:07:11

It depends on what scans you get. So like the level of the scan pretty much turns it into like that digital raw design. So like you go to coastal. I have, yeah. Yeah, so there's different scanners. So there's like a Frontier or a Nirutsu, and they have different color profiles kind of. And I so I don't know like super high technical thing, you know, like I'm not a gearhead to the point where I'm like, oh, I know exactly how this camera, them I know the megapixels, but I don't know like what sensor type it is that's like perfect. So that's there's a guy named Alex that works at Coastal, he would be perfect on here for that. Um, but I know like for me, I live Noritsu scans, and I specifically like Angela to do them from Coastal because I like how she cut like colors the film because she picks the sliders of like if it's like warmer or cooler.

Lauren: 1:08:07

Um then do you do the premium package or do you have to get yeah?

Katelyn: 1:08:12

So I actually do uh my order, my my order. I feel like it's a secret, but it's not, but it's um develop scan, uh like the basic scans, but I get them my 35mm scanned at XL, so it's uh a bigger file, so it can be printed bigger because the basic ones, I think you can print up to 8x10 or something smaller, but I want my couples to be able to print, I don't know, like 11 by 14 or 16 by 20. So I get the XL scans medium format already comes as an Excel scan, and then I ask for Noritsu, and that's the scanner. There's like a different machine, and then I ask for Angela, but they're all great. Angela just knows my blues, and I'm very specific with my blues to start. So she gets my blues, and then from there I enhance them further in Lightroom when I'm working with the scans. Um sometimes I ask for TIFFs, like I've tried to see if there's a huge difference. A TIFF is just again higher resolution of that scan. One of my biggest um goals soon is for me to scan my own film just because I want to be able to manipulate each frame perfectly. Um so it's something I'm like looking into, but Adam always tells me, like, I don't have that much time, and I'm like, okay, well, I'll make it. Um, so that's what I order at Coastal. Anywhere that I get scans done, um, I do XL scans or large. So I guess, and if you're manipulating the scans too much, you'll start to see banding in your colors, like it almost looks like little circles of colors, or it'll get really pixelated looking if you're like pushing it. So I just know not to push it too hard, and then I export in Lightroom. Um, but like that I could one day show you like how I edit a scan, but usually it's kind of flat, and then I give it like a lot of life on the right. One that's like it's kind of muted and not super exciting, and then I bump up like my vibrance. I play with curves a lot. Um I even play with like clarity sometimes if I want it to like be a little softer, which can be stupid because that like ticks with green a little bit, and that's like what film is, but I like it. And then I export um always at like the native resolution that it came in. Um and 300 dpi. I'm not sure if you know about printing, but that's really good to print. Okay. Um, cool. So thank you. Yeah, I was like, is that answer your question?

Lauren: 1:10:56

Yeah, um, thank you. Um, and lastly, where can listeners connect with you online and see more of your work?

Katelyn: 1:11:04

Um, on Instagram, on Katelyn Rose Photos, but my website is Katelyn Rose Studio because I haven't figured out how to get Katelyn Rose Studio for my wedding work on Instagram, but it's fine. And then I have a TikTok, and that's Katelyn Rose Photos. And yeah, it's all all right there.

Lauren: 1:11:23

Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Katelyn, for joining me. It's been lovely chatting with you.

Katelyn: 1:11:27

Thank you. Oh, thank you so much. This is really fun.

Lauren: 1:11:32

I will have all of Katelyn's links in the show notes, so be sure to check that out. Thank you again to Katelyn for coming on the podcast and for all of the advice that she shared. I really appreciate it. And once again, if you enjoyed this episode, it would mean a lot if you could follow or subscribe to the podcast and leave a review. I really appreciate it, and thank you again for listening.