We were lucky to catch up with Harlee Keller recently and have shared our conversation below.
Harlee, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Did you know that the average American is about 3 generations removed from agriculture? I did not- not until I started my podcast, the Ranch Collective Podcast. Just like everyone else I know, in the last 3 years, my life has completed changed- and my business has too.
While creating and distributing my podcast, I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the coolest western industry professionals- not just kind and hard working people, but the people who never hesitate to mention my name when the opportunity comes up. That kind of connection to a community draws you in- and it completely shifted my business from an every day wedding and family photographer to an agriculture and western wedding and lifestyle photographer- and I have NEVER been surrounded by more community.
I have the absolute privilege, through my work, to share the lives, struggles, and knowledge, from the people in the larger western community.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I started my first photography business when I was 16 by photographing my fellow high school seniors- but my creative side showed itself much earlier- I did a lot of creative writing, story telling, and poetry writing when I was a kid, I also was constantly telling stories inside my own head- crafting complex twists and turns out of mundane, every day actions.
I chose to pursue wedding and family photography as I moved away for college, and in the 12 years since I moved from my hometown, I’ve settled into an Agriculture and Western Wedding and Lifestyle photographer- which tracks perfectly with the life I’ve chosen. My fiancé, who co-owns the photography business, grew up on farms and ranches across the world, and pulled me into the ranching life.
I currently spend a lot of time documenting the day to day of ranching life in south Texas, and am hired out by other operations to document their lives too- both in photo documentation as well as through the podcast I host- the Ranch Collective Podcast. It’s an educational, conversation styled podcast that brings everyone involved in western life (farmers, ranchers, bull riders, estate lawyers, influencers, etc.) together to talk about their life and educate on one of their specialties. My hope is that through working with western industry professionals, I can help people feel connected with those professionals, and confident in choosing their food, products, and attending western events (like rodeos). Bridging the gap between the consumers and the professionals is what’s most important.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I wish that back when I started, the idea of community over competition was something that was taken more seriously. I could have used a mentor. It was about 3 or 4 years into my photography journey before I was starting to be taken seriously by other professionals in my area- and I’m sure some of that was age: I was 16 when I started. But I wish that I’d had someone older and more experienced in the industry to lean on.
I cannot recommend finding your fellow local creatives enough- I really utilize Facebook groups to find them and keep in touch.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Yes- as mentioned earlier, a HUGE part of my journey has shifted recently- in the last year or so- towards working with professionals and every day people in the western industries- and being able to share to snippets into one of the hardest lifestyles out there (seriously- peep the mental health statistics for farmers and ranchers- it’s horrible, but that’s another conversation)- and really humanize the people who raise food, and provide other foundational products and services is important.
Contact Info:
- Other: Links for Polich Company – currently redoing the website, so I didn’t include it. https://www.instagram.com/polichcompany/ https://facebook.xom/polichco Links for Ranch Collective Podcast https://www.instagram.com/ranchcollectivepodcast/ https://ranchcollectivepodcast.weebly.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ranch-collective/id1531115600 https://open.spotify.com/show/4AAh1eTtomrpwAUozCWgcH