We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Katie Beth Howard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Katie Beth below.
Katie Beth, appreciate you joining us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
I started my portrait business back in 2014. Since then it has relied upon word of mouth. My family and friends heavily influence my business by sharing my work. Social media has become a lot more influential and a lot of my friends and family take active steps to share my best work online to increase my potential outreach. I try and post my best shots from each session no matter the subject type to ensure my work reaches my intended audience. Overall, I think it is essential to have support from people via shares, posts, and most importantly, positive reviews.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Photography has inspired me since I was a child. I would take my parents disposable cameras & take photos of my toys, my pets, and nature. I started taking photography and technology classes in 6th grade. Throughout my experience behind the camera, I frequently placed in photography competitions. In high school I was on the yearbook staff doing both editing and photography. This enabled me to learn the fundamental basics regarding photography while also learning from my fellow peers. After graduating high school, I then branched my hobby out into a business. I took labor and delivery photos for friends, newborn photos, high school senior photos, college graduates, and couples. I worked at a studio as an editor and printer for yearbook and senior photos, expanding my photography experiences further.
Upon moving to Pensacola, Florida, I transitioned my focus on capturing the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team. My favorite partner when photographing the team is my 3 year old son! One of my favorite aspects about the local aviation photography scene is the difference amongst each individual artist. We all edit photos in a unique aspect with different gear setups. The local scene is able to come together and express their own artistic style while sharing a common interest in a subject we love.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I built my audience by posting my best work on social media and by having appropriate hashtags for each post. I was able to take advantage of the social media algorithms to ensure that my content, no matter what it is, received outreach online. I think it is key to use hashtags to be able to reach specific audiences that you intend. I spent a lot of time researching hashtags to optimize my usage and success with them. To make it easier for me, I made a section in my “notes” in my phone for each subject that I have captured, enabling me to efficiently share content no matter where I am with a targeted audience in mind.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is meeting and connecting with new people. Either with clients, or fellow photographers, it’s just good seeing other people enjoying my work. While being a photographer can be overwhelming, I also find it very rewarding. For example, my content featuring the U.S Navy Blue Angels has provided me with the opportunity to befriend many members of the actual demonstration team as well as other aviation enthusiasts.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katiebethhowardphotos.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katiebethhowardphotos/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/katiebethhowardphotographs
Image Credits
Personal Headshot is by Tim Ludvigsen