We recently connected with Natalie Fetter and have shared our conversation below.

Natalie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

One of the biggest risks I have taken was making the leap to doing photography full time. I had been doing it very part time for several years but felt that it couldn’t grow if I didn’t make room in my life for that to happen. I was working at the time as a para in a special needs classroom and while I adored the kids it was hard to pour all of my energy into that, go home to 4 kids and a husband, and then do photography at night and on the weekends. I knew something had to give…I decided to take the risk of being self employed. I made room for growth and it happened.

Natalie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I was an art major in college but my focus was on glass blowing. I graduated, started a family, and found a passion for photography. Photography married my love for people (kids especially) with my degree. I love meeting new people (my husband always says “did you make another best friend at your shoot?”….the answer is usually yes) and documenting real and genuine moments. My time in a special needs classroom working with children with autism has helped me connect with kids who might need extra patience during shoots. A few of the sessions I am most proud of include a high school senior with autism who at the end of the session told me he had *actually* had a good time (his mom was so happy), a newborn session in a hospital where the dad had recently been paralyzed, and just this week someone booked a senior session and thanked me for all the diversity on my page.

I want my brand to be the opposite of “sad beige”–I celebrate color and people from all different walks of life. I want people to feel comfortable being themselves–perfect just the way they are!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of this line of work has been all of the people I have been able to meet. I started photographing the Colorado Speakers Series last season and I sometimes have to pinch myself. A few years ago I was a para in a classroom and now I am documenting people like Dr. Fauci, Liz Cheney, and Bill Nye. (The second most rewarding thing is hearing my kids tell their friends “my mom got to photograph Bill Nye!!!” and then provide photos to back it up. My family being proud of me means more to me than anything else).

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Every shoot involves pivoting. I visualize how I want to the shoot to “flow” before every session and pretty often it doesn’t go as planned–which is a good thing! When I was asked to photograph a newborn session in a hospital I arrived early and walked around the building finding places we could go, unaware of what the situation was. When I got to the room and found that the dad was paralyzed from the neck down from a recent injury, I knew leaving the room was not going to be an option. I had to quickly change my plans to stay and document all the love and pain, happiness and fear, right there. They ended up being some of my favorite and most meaningful photos I have ever taken.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nataliefetterphotograhy.com
• Instagram: natalie_fetter_photography
• Facebook: Natalie Fetter Photography
• Other: [email protected]