We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kirsten Filkill a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kirsten, 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?

My passion for photography started at a young age. I picked up my first camera, a disposable Kodak, and later one of the first Sony digital cameras, and spent hours taking photos of my animals, even setting up red carpet ‘fashion shows’ for them. In college, I started offering engagement photos to close friends and family, but at the time I treated it as more of a hobby than a career. It wasn’t until 2018 that I decided to really push myself outside of my comfort zone and build a business. I began as a sports photographer in Naples, Florida, capturing NFL players during their off season training with Coach Tumbarello Performance. While that work was exciting and unique, I quickly realized that photographing couples and telling their love stories through my lens is what truly set my soul on fire. In 2019, I booked my very first wedding, and by 2021 my calendar was fully booked with couples who trusted me to capture their most important moments.
Like so many others, the pandemic and a major relocation brought big changes to my life. I decided to step back from the industry for a time to focus on healing and personal growth. That break gave me clarity on why I love what I do and how I want to show up for my clients. In January 2025, I relaunched my photography business in the Central Florida market as Kirsten Mae Photography.
Today, I specialize in wedding and engagement photography for couples who value authenticity, joy, and the kind of timeless images that let them relive their story for decades to come. What sets me apart is the way I connect with my clients. I see myself not just as their photographer, but as their photo best friend, someone who makes them feel comfortable, celebrated, and truly seen. I am most proud of the way I capture love in its most natural form, bright, golden, and genuine.
At the end of the day, my goal is simple: I want my couples to look back at their photos and feel the emotions of their day all over again. For me, it is never just about pretty pictures, it is about preserving the magic of their story in the most authentic way possible.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At the heart of my creative journey is a very simple mission: to capture love stories in their most genuine form. I want my couples to look back at their photos and not just see what their wedding day looked like, but to feel what it felt like. The laughter, the nerves, the golden light, the quiet little moments that often get lost in the blur of the day, that is what I am chasing with my camera. My goal is to give my couples more than a gallery of pretty images. I want them to have an experience where they feel celebrated, comfortable, and truly seen. I step into every wedding not just as a photographer but as a friend and a guide, someone who is there to document and to support. What drives me is the belief that photography is one of the most powerful ways we get to preserve our legacies, and being trusted with that responsibility is something I never take lightly.
When I took a step back from photography during the pandemic, I realized just how much this work means to me. Relaunching in 2025 gave me a renewed sense of clarity and purpose. I came back with a deeper understanding of why I do this and who I want to serve. For me, success is when a couple tells me their photos made them cry, laugh, or relive a moment they thought they had forgotten. That is the mission behind everything I do.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building my audience on social media has been a mix of trial and error, consistency, and connection. When I relaunched my business, I knew I couldn’t just post pretty photos and hope people would find me. I had to be intentional. For me, that meant showing up consistently, not just once in a while when inspiration struck. It also meant treating social media as a conversation instead of a one-way announcement. I started engaging with other people and brands that felt aligned with mine, whether that was other wedding vendors, local creatives, or couples planning their big day. I made it a point to reply to comments, send genuine messages, and really lean into building relationships instead of just chasing likes. The content I share is focused on adding value tips for couples, behind the scenes of wedding days, or even just relatable moments from the journey of planning a wedding because I want people to feel like they walk away with something helpful, not just another photo in their feed.
The other piece that is really important to me is authenticity. People can tell when you are being genuine, and that connection is so much stronger than a perfectly curated grid. And at the same time, it is okay to step back when you need to. If you feel yourself burning out, take a few days away from social media. Your business will not disappear, and you will come back with fresh energy and ideas.
My biggest piece of advice for someone just starting is to think of social media less as a numbers game and more as a community. If you show up consistently, engage authentically, share content that serves your audience, and give yourself permission to rest when you need it, the right people will find you. And when they do, the connections you build will last far longer than a single post.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kirstenmaephotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/kirstenmaephotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kirstenmaephotography

Image Credits
Headshot credit to Hundreds Of Moments
All other images were shot my Kirsten Mae Photography