Kathleen Doyle - Profile of Practitioner

 

A self portrait of Kathleen Doyle, shot outside her family home in Camas, Washington. 

    Kathleen Doyle first gained an interest in High School in photography, here she learned the basics about shooting on a DSLR camera and how to capture images through a lens. It wasn't until she was a senior at the University of Portland was she finally able to afford her own camera. Her photography career began with he own mother offering her services to friends and family to take senior portraits. She just kept going from there and doing shoots for fun. 

    It wasn't until she was 23 did Katie first begin making money and getting hired to do larger shoots. She grew from just doing senior portraits to engagement shoots, family photos, elopements and even weddings. But she still didn't charge a high amount for photos because she saw it as a hobby or something fun to do on the weekend. But this changed during the 2020 pandemic, now 31 years old with a house payment. She needed a way to pay for her cost of living during the pandemic, the obvious choice for her was to start charging more for her time and skill. 

Katie's favorite type of shoots are solo females, usually wearing a long dress. She loves the movement in a dress that creates a dynamic and active image. When working with females, she tends to find them easier subjects and is more comfortable posing them and giving them direction. To her these shoots are about having fun with people and shoots the full experience. 

    When asked how she gets lively candid shots, she recommends to ask your subjects to perform acts together, or prompts that enact the most engagement with each other. She also noted that there are two types of prompts, the first being for the face, and the second being for the body. Most people need help with both to create the full image. 

    Katies advice to new photographers enter the space:

• A higher quality lens is far more important than a nicer body. 
• Investing in a lens creates a more crisp. 
• She recommends the Sigma Art Lens - 1.4
• Create or find YOUR preset. Build your brand.
• Created consistent portfolio so customers know what your work looks like. 
• Value yourself enough to charge what you feel you are worth.
• Set limits and a price chart for customers to look at. 
• Find poses and prompting that work for you and your style. 
• Research prompts that photographers in the business are using. 
• Find what what you and your clients like.