Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katharine Hauschka. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katharine, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

Photography has always been something I was interested in at a young age. In high school and college I took some basic film photography courses but it wasn’t until I was about 26 and on my way to medical school that I decided to take a shot make a go at really diving into the field. I then attended a year long digital photography certificate program in Washington DC. After that I decided to start my own business specializing in wedding, family & portrait photography. It wasn’t long before that business was thriving. After about 5 years I was ready to move on to some other specialties so I moved to Los Angeles, California where I am based now and specialize in portrait and commercial photography.

A lot of my skillset started out with what I learned in school, and then was developed over time through experience, trial and error, as well as peer workshops and tutorials over the years.

Knowing what I know now, I think I would have started earlier, and moved to Los Angeles at a younger age to pursue photography more aggressively, so I could have entered the industry earlier, however hindsight is always 50/50. There’s nothing that can speed up the learning process more than experience, so I recommend diving into your passions and immersing yourself as much as humanly possible to discover and learn in the most effective way.

Some of the skills I think have been most essential have been gumption- being willing to dive into this career path with out a clear blueprint of how to operate. I’d say though, the most important skillset is the creative piece of photography, but with out the passion for it and the willingness and drive to push through the marketing, and business aspects of running a business as well, it’s hard to get anywhere.

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 have been a lifestyle, portrait and commercial Photographer for over 14 years, I’ve made my living as a photographer, rooted in Los Angeles, and have shot around the world. I am inspired by capturing the beautiful light that surrounds us and the beautiful light that is within all of my subjects. I’m most proud of my ability to bring out and capture a person’s spirit in a matter of moments. I am set apart from others by my laid-back, easy, calm and fun approach to working with my clients as well as my 6’4″ stature that allows for a generally wonderful angle.

I have worked with a plethora of brands such as Dahu Ski, Capranea, Knix, Yniq, Peroni, Rumhaven, M. Gemi, and Microkickboards. I have photographed high-profile clients such as President Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Kate Hudson, America Fererra, Dian Von Furstenburg, Chris Sullivan, AJ Buckley, Lucy Hale, and Julie Benz among others. And I have had work featured in Forbes, People Magazine, and Entertainment Tonight.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Word of mouth, and client recommendations are the best and most highly sought and wonderful source of clients.

Second to that, is website SEO and social media.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

As a creative person who has many interests and curiosities, photography is rewarding in so many ways. Most of all, it is wonderful to be able to use my craft to capture beauty in everything from love and a person’s inner light, to a gorgeous landscape, and to share my vision with the world. Along with that it has provided the freedom to live a life that I adore.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katehaus.com
• Instagram: @khauschka
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katehaus