We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kailan Carter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kailan below.
Kailan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I think I always knew my dream job involved being creative, and I was interested in photography from a really young age. I was always stealing my mom or grandma’s camera at family events to take pictures, and I’d get so excited when I took something good! I held myself back from the idea of pursuing photography as a career for a while, because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to make a living or be respected in my professional life. Interestingly enough, being in a serious car accident when I was 16 was what pushed me to pursue photography. My mindset really shifted after the accident, and I realized that one of the most important things in life is happiness. I didn’t want to waste my life doing a job I had no passion for and always wonder what could’ve happened if I followed my dreams. The truth is that life is short, and tomorrow is never guaranteed. I took a huge leap of faith and decided to pursue photography professionally, and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!
Kailan, 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’m a photographer based in Chicago, focusing on fashion, beauty, and commercial photography. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Photography with a minor in Marketing from Columbia College Chicago in December of 2022. I love creating captivating images through color, lighting, and composition. I am passionate about making people and products look beautiful, and successfully executing this is what makes me the happiest! My biggest strength is my creative vision, and being able to work with a person or brand to design a concept that best captures their identity. Images sell, so it’s imperative that every person or product I photograph looks flawless! The creative process is very inspiring to me, and I love being able to see a project through from beginning to end. There’s so much more to photography than taking a photo, so I really shine when I’m involved in all aspects: conceptual planning, set design, styling, lighting, photography, and retouching. I am an extremely determined and passionate photographer, and will go all out to execute my creative vision and create the best images!
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
During one of my last semesters of college, I was taking a Fashion Photography class that was meant to resemble real world experience. Everyone went all out for that class, and we all pushed each other to be better photographers. Our final project was an editorial designed individually, meaning I was in charge of creating a concept mockup for a magazine, designing the set, sourcing and styling the wardrobe, perfecting a lighting set up, photographing, and retouching the images. I had a really big idea, and decided to run with it and do anything to make it happen. Of course, almost everything that could go wrong went wrong before the day of the shoot. My plans for sourcing the wardrobe fell through less than a week before, the cabinet I planned to use as a platform was way too flimsy, and the fake marble flooring I set up in the studio bubbled up from the humidity overnight. I ended up driving hundreds of miles to find fancy ballgowns, reinforcing the cabinet (shoutout to my mom and grandpa for making that part happen), and worked some Photoshop magic to make the marble floor look real and smooth. And I was recovering from knee surgery, but that’s a story for another time! Looking back, I still can’t believe I pulled it off as a college student. It would’ve been easy for me to give up and go with a different concept. It’s really a demonstration of my resilience and determination, because when I have a vision, I will stop at nothing!
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
Photography, and creative services in general, are VALUABLE! I’ve talked with a lot of creative friends about people who don’t understand the value of our work. No hate to anyone, but some people really think all there is to photography is pushing a button. Not only do we have to understand very technical elements like lighting and camera settings, we also balance creative and artistic skills. Most people that don’t want to pay for creative services don’t understand the investment of time and money necessary to create the work we do. My degree was expensive. Cameras are expensive. Lighting equipment is expensive. And my time is valuable! When someone reaches out to a photographer, they’re not just paying for them to push a button. They’re paying for those years of education and experience, the equipment needed to create beautiful work, and the time spent planning, photographing, and editing afterwards. That’s what allows us to do our jobs well and go above and beyond for our clients. Everyone needs images, and there’s so much that goes on behind the scenes. I wish more people understood that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kailancarterphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kailancarterphotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kailan-carter-1a391a1bb
Image Credits
Lilian Gonzalez Rebecca Silic