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

Heather, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

No, it definitely hasn’t been full-time, at least not since the pandemic.

I spent years building my photography skills and pivoting when my personal and professional life made it necessary. That’s how I ended up starting with weddings, then moving to live performances and crazy lighting scenarios. I moved into food photography and trained formally.

What changed more recently wasn’t my ability to take a photograph; it was how I started thinking about my business. I started asking myself, “What am I building?” Not, “Who am I booking?” That led me to create a dedicated online print shop focused on imagery people feel connected to. Instead of scattering my work across multiple platforms, I built something intentional.

And let me tell you, there are no shortcuts. It’s hard work. Spreadsheets, pricing decisions, product testing, refining categories, and simplifying how people move from interest to purchase are anything but glamorous. But that discipline is what turns creative work into something sustainable.

If I could go back and speed anything up, I would have built my own infrastructure sooner. Visibility is great. Validation is great. But owning your own ecosystem and making it easy for someone to confidently buy your work is what moves me.

I’m still building, but now it’s mine.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My photography origin story is a lot like many photographers’. I started back in 2005 in western Michigan as a mom with two young kids, building a wedding and portrait business because it gave me the flexibility I needed at that stage of life. Wedding photography was just starting to become what it is now, and it was a natural entry point for me.

When our family relocated back to my home in South Carolina, I gave up my wedding and portrait business, but found that the industry wasn’t the same in this part of the country. And my family’s needs weren’t the same. So instead, I found myself surrounded by musicians and live performers, and the learning curve for shooting in dark venues with unpredictable lighting and fast-moving performances forced me to think quickly and adapt constantly.

But then COVID hit and it all went away. When the pandemic left, not everything came back the same. The photography industry in general had completely changed. I took a hard look at where it was all heading and decided to train formally in food photography. The experience strengthened my technical discipline and reinforced my core belief: if you want it, you’ve got to work for it. Plus, I took tremendous pride in keeping it all real. I photographed real food. That bowl of ice cream is the real deal, and it melts really quick, especially under studio lights!

Over the years, alongside client work, I quietly built a catalog of fine art images focused on regional landscapes and recognizable places. For a long time, that work lived in different places online. Recently, I brought it all together into a dedicated online print shop where people can easily find and purchase pieces that feel connected to where they live or visit.

The shop provides fine art prints and framed wall art designed for homeowners and businesses who want strong, straightforward imagery without pretense. I’m less interested in chasing trends and more interested in creating work that holds up over time.

What sets me apart is that I approach photography as both a craft and a business. I care about lighting, composition, and technical detail, but I also care about clear pricing, organized collections, and making the buying process simple. That balance matters.

I’m most proud of the fact that my business is a reflection of me and my values: practical, disciplined, and independent. I’ve never been interested in being like everyone else, and it shows through everything I create.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that being everywhere would mean I’d be successful. Early on, I thought exposure meant scattering my work across as many platforms as possible. The more places people could find me, the better. At least that was the theory.

What I eventually realized is that exposure everywhere doesn’t actually mean exposure anywhere. If your work is spread across multiple platforms, algorithms constantly change, priorities change, and you don’t own any of it. You’re borrowing space.

Unlearning that mindset changed everything. I stopped chasing visibility and focused on ownership. I built a dedicated online shop and organized my catalog. Fewer platforms means more control. It’s not flashy, but it’s empowering.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

At this stage in my life and career, legacy matters more to me than momentum.

I’m not interested in trends. I’m building something that lasts. I’ve spent an entire career building a body of work that documents places, seasons, and moments that people feel connected to because it doesn’t shift with the wind.

If someone looks back years from now and sees consistency in my body of work, and the discipline, regional identity, and independence that are such an integral part of who I am, that’s enough for me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shop.heatherkitchenphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherkitchenphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherkitchensc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherkitchen/
• Other: Main Portfolio: https://heatherkitchenphoto.com

Image Credits

All images © Heather Kitchen Photography