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

Alright, Kate thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

One of my very first weddings I had the honor of capturing, will surely stick with me forever. Cassidy and Curtis were my couple. We met because they won a raffle for a free mini shoot with me! Turns out, they were newly engaged.

They decided to upgrade from a mini to a full engagement session. We met up a coffee shop to talk all the things. I think we were there for two hours! We just really connected and had a lot in common.

From then on they booked me for their wedding. Me and Cassidy had another meeting, she showed me her mood board for the wedding, we went over the timeline and family photo list. Both of us got so excited!

Cassidy and Curtis wanted a small wedding (less than 30 guests). I had never shot a wedding so intimate.

They incorporated all these fun things in to their wedding that seamed so genuine and like they were not just having a wedding to throw a party, but to intentionally celebrate their day of love.

I remember feeling so fulfilled because they treated me with the upmost respect; like I was more than a wedding vendor!

Their wedding gallery was full of their closest family and friends. With cries during the ceremony, and laughs during the cocktail hour. I felt so honored to have been a part of this special day!

In a way, I was sad my time with them had ended. Of course, the wedding wasn’t sad at all, but this project brought me so much joy and connection, I didn’t want it to end.

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

I first picked up a camera when I was a teenager, after years of begging for one. After getting a camera it was normal for me and friends to walk around town having photoshoots and getting coffee. I quickly became “the photographer” of the friend group.

After high school, I knew I loved photography, but I had no clue that was actually an option for a career path. I went to school, I ended up taking one photography class but it got cut short because of Covid. When school ended I found a job and continued photographing friends and family. Slowly I started to charge for sessions.

I was having fun doing these sessions! When I started marketing my business, I knew this was what I wanted to start seriously pursuing. I started educating myself. Taking different programs, learning more about my camera and craft, finding a community here in Kansas City.

I have found I am most inspired capturing love stories. Weddings bring me energy, big or small. Near or far. I am a romantic at heart and always have been. Photographing a wedding as it authentically happens lights me on fire! My couples should be able feel their images when looking back on them in 10, 20, or 30 years!

My couples are so important to me. I have worked with far too many vendors who don’t actually want to be at their wedding, and I would never want my vendors to feel like that serving me at mine. So, I have decided I won’t be like most vendors.

I want to be friends with my couples, our coffee dates and engagement sessions are times to relax and have a little date night! One thing I have always strived for is maintaining a professional relationship while also being super personable. I balance both great!

I can’t believe, 3 years after starting this journey, I get to call this my job. Meeting new people and hearing their stories, being a part of such a special time, I will never take this for granted.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Looking from the outside-in on creative industry fields is a unique perspective. Often times people might be thinking “oh you just have to click a button”, “you get to just bake yummy cakes all day” “must be nice to just decorate pretty places for a living.”

I think the key word their is “just”.

As a business owner, you wear many hats. Marketing, admin, bookkeeping, client management, networking… Not to mention your actual craft you produce or serve.

Social media is where many artist market. Where we have to market nowadays. Our goal is for as many people as possible to see our art/service. Therefore people seem to think, all we do is go to photoshoots, make a couple cakes a week…. and we charge an arm and a leg for such little work!

If we don’t post as often, or slack on sending weekly emails, we might be seen as lazy. The reality is this is also our job!

It might be shocking, but sometimes we don’t want to work either. I know I know, this is our passion. Aren’t we supposed to never work a day in our lives now?

I disagree with that statement.

Creatives are still allowed to have PTO.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

When I first started building my social media, I posted anything I could shoot. Looking back on my first posts, I regret that. Because I photograph only weddings now, I wish I would have only posted couples.

This is niching down. You post what you want to get. If you don’t want to shoot families, you better not be posting them! If you don’t have weddings to post? Get some friends and put on a styled shoot.

Keeping up with all the socials is overwhelming at times. It’s worth it to stay up to date on at least two platforms (Instagram + TikTok for example). I have heard horror stories of accounts getting deleted or hacked, you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket for that reason.

Contact Info:

• Website: katephotoco.com
• Instagram: @Katephoto___
• Facebook: @KatePhotoLLC
• Other: TikTok: @katephoto_