We were lucky to catch up with Stephanie Klein-davis recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

The most concerning new trend in my industry that will effect multiple industries is AI! I admit it is just another creative tool but will people be able to avoid using it so their work will be seen as truly authentic? How will we know if the work is original or generated by this new technology. My experience has been to show students how you can compose or build illustrations using generative software in Photoshop. I believe we need to be educated in what is the future and use it respectfully, attribute credit to the source. An obstacle currently is that the school system where I teach has blocked these applications because they have not created a protocol to address their usage.

Stephanie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I became a photojournalist via a very naive journey. My Father and I built a darkroom in our basement in Ohio when I was growing up. He had given me a Nikkormat 35mm film camera after I showed an interest in photography at 16, sophomore year of high school. I was obsessed, staying up until the wee hours of the morning, music playing, dipping my print into the trays of chemistry after exposing my negatives from the enlarger. I went away to an all-girls private school in Virginia my junior and senior years of high school, to Chatham Hall. This is where I met other friends and learned of the darkroom and the school newspaper. When I went to college at Tulane University in New Orleans initially I planned to major in architecture but then discovered psychology. Meanwhile, I joined the school newspaper which allowed me free admission to concerts and football games if I was willing to take photographs! I was hooked. Long story short, I changed my major to Mass Communicatins/PR because there was no Journalism program at the time. I aspired to work for National Geographic assuming the photographers also wrote their own stories. Naive. I never read the stories to discover otherwise. I just looked at the photographs in awe. I decided if I also needed to write I needed journalism classes but I didn’t want to leave Tulane or New Orleans. So, I spent a summer at Stanford’s 8-Week Summer Journalism Institure taking four courses: Editorial Writjng, Editorial Techniques, Broadcast Writing and Magazine Writing. I went home to Ohio and published my first story, For the (K-O) Kettering-Oakwood Times, with photographs about two friends who started a locally successful band, “Clip-on-Tie.” I was hooked. I graduated and went directly to the university of South Carolina’s Journalism graduate program because they offered me a teaching assistance-ship with a stipend and waived my tuition! I freelanced for the University Sports Information Dept., and the Columbia State & Record. I received a grant to complete my historical thesis that included some oral histories of documentary photographers that I interviewed. And while after receiving my MA degree I got an internship at the Dayton Daily News, in Dayton, Ohio. After graduating I was hired by The Sun News in Myrtle Beach followed by The Roanoke Times and World-News. I stayed at the Roanoke Times as a staff photographer/editor for 33 years while also teaching for 15 years at night as an adjunct Photography instructor. During my tenure I took a few leave of absences first to photograph the 1996 Summer Olympics as a staff photographer for the Olympics Committee and then to adopt two Russian babies. Just before Covid I was offered a job to teach Photography with the Roanoke City School’s. This is my fourth year! I still photograph freelance assignments, editorial, portraits, corporate, weddings and whatever comes my way. I showed for a year in a local Fine Arts Gallery and currently working I’m pursuing a collaborative project with a painter and jeweler. Our work is already scheduled for an exhibit in 2026. I continue to love the path I’ve taken and will never stop taking pictures.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

A quick anecdote is that when I started in the field of photojournalism it was predominantly a man’s world. I encountered inappropriate comments and behaviors in the early years. I was paid about 30 percent less than men with less experience. Big stories were assigned to the men. I felt I had to prove myself and work harder to compete. Luckily, the industry has changed. But sadly it’s shrunken. It’s a tough job for a mother with crazy scheduling or no scheduling, low pay and no upward mobility. Yet, it’s the greatest job in the world. It’s a continuous education of cultural, economic, industrial, medical and historical information. I miss being a staff photographer. But I’m enjoying sharing my experience with the next generation as a teacher.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Frankly I stumbled upon a new photo opportunity while a member of a gallery downtown. Another artist works at an advertising agency and I expressed my availability to photograph if I was ever needed. I expectantly, she hired me multiple times to fill-in for their sole photographer taking product photographs for their clients who include Google, MACK, and several other big name companies. So, now I can include product photography experience on my resume.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Klein-Davis.photograpy
• Instagram: @KleinDavis
• Facebook: Stephanie Klein-Davis
• Linkedin: Stephanie Klein-Davis
• Other: Vimeo: Stephanie Klein-Davis

Image Credits

©Stephanie Klein-Davis