We were lucky to catch up with Kaldec Frenzel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kaldec, appreciate you joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Almost every year since 2013, I participate in Photober (formerly Photvember) to challenge myself and chronicle my life. Photober is now an actual thing, but back before I began I hadn’t heard of anyone doing it so part of me thinks that I coined the term. I was inspired for the challenge after a few years of completing NaNoWriMo (where you write 50,000 words in one month) and wanted to challenge myself in a different way. I had been following photographers for a while who take on the task of taking one photo a day for a whole year as a way to break themselves out of a creative block.

The concept of Photober for me personally is that it is one self portrait a day, every day, in October. Each photo is accompanied by a writing piece. It’s a bit of a public journal for me, actually. I didn’t realize when I started that it would not only show my growth as a photographer over the years, but it would also show something that is important to me, and important to a lot of other people out there: the inner thoughts of a transman from years before transition all the way though to the present day. My reflections during Photober actually went a long way towards realizing that I was transgender because I forced myself to stop and think–how am I feeling? Why do I feel so tired? Where is that random feeling of dread coming from?

In some of my earlier works, you can start to see as I question my identity and open up about a looming uncertainty I felt about myself and my life at the time. It felt like something was coming, something big, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. Once photo in particular, Barrier, in 2017 is when I first recognized that oncoming feeling of dread. I wrote about it, and what I thought it meant. Looking back and reading it now is a wild experience–because I was right.

After a few more years, I want to turn Photober into a photobook project, focusing on the trans experience and showing others what my particular transition was like from my point of view. It’s a project very close to me, and I’m a bit nervous to share such personal thoughts in a book form. But that’s what the whole project is about!

Kaldec, 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?

My brand is Lightningsavage Photography, and I specialize in all types of portraiture (family and wedding, cosplay, fashion, and more) and also serve clients on the business side of things with marketing and product photography. I formally started my business in 2012 when I was a sophomore at the University of Houston, and quickly began to break into the cosplay photography scene. A few years later, I was recruited by a friend to photograph some small Japanese Fashion shows and events, and I immediately fell in love. Japanese fashion and lolita, with its wide palette and wild silhouettes, was so much fun to photograph. Because I began my life in the world of that fashion as a photographer first, I had a unique way of looking at the fashion that was fresh and new to a lot of people who had grown up in the community. During one-on-one photoshoots, I asked questions that took people aback, like “What’s your favorite part of your outfit?” I was genuinely interested in my models’ points of view, and highlighting their hard work (something that I picked up from my cosplay photography days).

During these years as a fashion photographer, I worked as the official J-Fashion Staff Photographer at Oni-Con in Galveston, TX and met so many lovely people–including designers, brand representatives, musicians, and models from Japan with whom I still talk to today.

In the Japanese Fashion scene, I discovered that as both a photographer and someone who wore the fashion almost daily at that point, I could really make a difference in the community. I worked as a blogger for a Japanese Fashion website called Wunderwelt, and I was able to merge my writing and photography to make a long series about posing in J-Fashion and how to work as a model for fashion brands, in general. This guide gave my photography worldwide exposure among the community, and as a result I was published in several Japanese fashion magazines and zines, including KERA Magazine.

After this period, I focused for a few years on starting my own Japanese Fashion store, called Kuroshiro Kawaii, with a friend. Unfortunately, running a brick-and-mortar store while also working a full-time job isn’t easy, and due to financial reasons we had to close for a while. I recently left that company due to stress and health reasons, and I’m starting to get back into my photography. It’s about time!

I know this is getting rather long, but I thought the 12-year history of Lightningsavage Photography was important to mention. Not many photographers last 12 years in the professional scene, let alone while working full time elsewhere, and I feel a bit like my experience gets overlooked sometimes in the massive pool of photographers out there.

As for what Lightningsavage Photography stands for, I have ALWAYS been about making my models feel amazing about themselves and bringing their personality to the surface. For that reason, I believe in natural retouching, and I never think about clicking that liquify tool in post to make someone look thinner. Everyone is beautiful and deserves to be seen. Imperfections make us who we are, and they tell a story. That story deserves to be told.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding part of being a photographer is seeing the reactions of my clients, especially those who are first-time models or shy and self-conscious.

I once had a client for a cosplay photoshoot who was so proud of her work, but was terrified to get in front of the camera. As a naturally shy person with low self esteem, she was stiff and awkward in front of the lens. She kept apologizing to me as if she was ruining my work, and I had to tell her to stop apologizing, and that her skyness was extremely common and nothing at all to feel bad about. Usually when this happens, I pivot and ask the model to do something random and crazy, like jumping into a fountain while I keep an eye out for security or running around in a circle and screaming “Where are my socks?” Compared to that crazy display, what is so intimidating about a camera?

In this client’s case, I asked her to roleplay as her character, and to “not be afraid of being a nerd because I’m also a nerd and being a nerd is fun.” Once the final images were delivered, I vividly remember receiving a message from her saying that she had been so anxious about the pictures from the shoot, but once she saw them she instantly started bawling. No one had ever been able to capture HER before. And that made her feel beautiful.

As another example, I tend to do really well when shooting animals, children, and special needs kids. A lot of photographers out there work on a one-size-fits-all approach, in a studio, with stationary lights and a backdrop. While there’s a time and a place for that, that time is definitely NOT with animals or children. In this case, I had a parent reach out to me and request a photoshoot of her special needs daughter. She had been to 3 separate photographers, and with each experience she began to feel more and more disheartened because everyone wanted her daughter to sit still and look at the camera, but she physically couldn’t and would quickly get upset because she was in pain and the flashing lights kept startling her. Her mom just wanted a photo of her daughter’s true smile.

I asked her what her daughter loves to do the most–what would bring her out of her shell? We ended up taking her to a local park to play, and I shot candid photos of her playing on the swings, running around picking flowers, and taking a walk with her mother and older sister. In every single photo, she looked so happy and free, and a giant smile was plastered on her face. She loved the camera, and most of all, she loved that I got on her level to play instead of expecting her to look up at me. She was fascinated by me, and at one point actually pushed me over because she was curious about what I was doing! Later, her mother was astounded at my willingness to go above and beyond for her daughter–but that’s just how I work. Why force a child to conform to stiff expectations when it’s not in their nature? This photoshoot was probably the best and most heartwarming experience I’ve had over these past 12 years.

On the flip side of that, I do tend to get sad if I send my photos to my clients and don’t get any feedback. It’s kinda like my art went into a black hole, and I never get to know if I accomplished my goal. Even if it’s a short photoshoot for a professional headshot, I have to stop myself from reaching out to my black hole client repeatedly and asking: “But do you feel beautiful though?”

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The photography community is certainly thriving, and there are more photographers now than ever. And it’s not only the hundreds of professionals out there in the greater Houston area–it’s people out taking modeling headshots with their phones, designers with DSLRs shooting their models for a new dress release, and Uncle John with his fancy mirrorless Sony taking pictures at your wedding. Sure, it might be cheaper up front and easier do just do it yourself, but trust me, the results of a professional are more than worth the cost (especially for a wedding).

The absolute best thing that society can do to support the flooded photography industry is, frankly, just stop. Stop saying yes to excited Uncle John, stop relying on fancy cameras instead of the skill of the photographer behind it, stop buying backdrops and flimsy stands on Wish and Temu, and invest that money instead in the skill of professional who knows how to make you or your products look amazing. It might be $1,000 or more for product photos if you’re a small business, but fantastic photos will make for better sales; great headshots can help you get the job; and amazing wedding photography is timeless and irreplaceable, and can be handed down for generations. Hiring a photographer isn’t about the photos, it’s about what the photos can do, how they represent you, and how they make you feel.

I recognize that is a bit strongly worded, but it is something I feel very strongly about. People in every industry need photography, and a lot of people discount its worth when it comes to their bottom line. And that’s understandable. Even I opted to take my own engagement photos this year instead of hiring a professional simply because of the cost of the investment. But for my wedding? I was prepared to invest around half my wedding cost on the photography alone. Luckily, I was able to find a fantastic photographer who works with the venue so I didn’t have to, but paying that much for professional photos would have been worth it to me.

If cost is an issue, talk to your photographer and see what kind of packages are available, or if they can customize a package for you so it will work within your budget. You might be surprised at how many photographers are flexible, and by the end the result will be worth it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightningsavage_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightningsavagePhotography/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalfrenzel/
• Other: https://www.flickr.com/people/161197723@N06/ https://www.instagram.com/clearkphoto/

Image Credits
Models/Clients: Kroy Catherine Alvarado Ba Stevie Householder Lauren Kaldec Frenzel Houston Methodist Hospital Metroclean Commercial Custodial, Maintenance and Management Services