We recently connected with Katie Bodden and have shared our conversation below.

Katie , appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I contribute a lot of my skills from trial and error, a lot of practice, and learning from my peers.

I am a self taught aviation photographer. I think if I took a photography class to learn more of the basics with my DSLR camera I would have been able to figure out settings for different photo opportunities a lot faster.

I take a lot of photos fo the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. and one of the skills or knowledge that I acquired after watching a lot of practice demonstrations as the National Naval Aviation Museum Volunteer Flight Line Photographer is knowing when to expect a fast moving F/A 18 Super Hornet. If you know when and where you want to capture a maneuver you should figure where to stand in order to get that shot. It definitely helps to know the show line up so you know where to point the camera.

I am not sure I would call this an “obstacle,” but me being a mom to three amazing boys can be a challenge because sometimes life happens where they get sick or school things come up that requires me to be present with my family. It doesn’t necessarily deter me from learning more. It just means that I might have to find time to make up for that lost practice in another way. Sometimes I try and capture some of the aircraft that flies prior to the practice to check my settings and see how the lighting is for that day.

Katie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, my name is Katie Bodden. I grew up in Pensacola, Florida when my dad, who was in the Navy decided to retire in Pensacola. Since I grew up around naval aviation I had an admiration for what our United States military does. Pensacola is the home of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and I started taking photos of the demonstration team at the Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow and the Pensacola Beach Airshow.

What started off as a mere hobby turned into small business. I attended Auburn University where I met my husband, and we moved our family back to Pensacola in 2015. I started consistently attending the Blue Angels practices on NAS Pensacola about 7 years ago and brought my camera. After a few years of being on the flight line as a guest, in 2019 I was asked if I would like to become the National Naval Aviation Museum’s Volunteer Flight Line Photographer and take photos of the Blue Angels Autograph Sessions. I happily accepted. Since then I have had the pleasure of meeting so many aviation enthusiasts/aviation photographers and Naval Aviators. I have a passion for photography, Pensacola, and aviation. I am so grateful that I get to do what I love every chance I get.

I have recently had several of my photos published in the “National Naval Aviation Museum’s Blue Angels: A Pictorial History” book. I was truly honored to be asked to contribute some of my photos. I was selected to be the September’s Featured Artist of Gallery Night Pensacola. This was a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and to physically showcase some of my favorite photo prints.

I am proud to say that I have come a long way in the past 6 to 7 years when I started going to the flight line with my point and shoot camera. I dusted off my older DSLR once I realized that I wanted to have better options for improving my aviation photography. I never took a photography class, but I credit a lot of my skills to trial and error, researching online on specific camera settings, and asking other photographers how to better my craft. I have thoroughly enjoyed all experiences the people I have met along this journey so far and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Several of the most rewarding aspects of being a photographer is when I hear from flight students that they felt inspired by my aviation photos to pursue a career in naval aviation; or when a family member says that they were so grateful that I was able to capture moments of their aviator’s flight; or a veteran family member that gets to meet the Blue Angels. I also, love when I can take photos and capture the beauty of my beloved hometown of Pensacola.

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

I think the best advice I can give for those starting to use social media for their business is to stay consistent. If that means posting photos for a product or an event that your business is a part of is a great way to show what your business has to offer. When you create a post it also allows you to connect with your audience when they comment or have any questions regarding your post. Even if you don’t have something new to post if you share a story on Instagram or Facebook it keeps your audience engaged with your social media platform. I may not have something new to share, but when I make a post using a popular photo it helps engage your audience.

Another tactic.

Social media is a great marketing tool to use because it is free and a lot of people use social media. In the beginning I would take photos and use Instagram as a platform to share my love for military aviation when I would post photos of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels or when I would share different landmarks and hidden gems of Pensacola. I began to meet people (a lot of them who are now friends of mine) through social media. It was the shared interest in aviation and landscape photography that gave me the support to share my photos. Once I started to see that people enjoyed my photos I decided to keep a common theme to my platform. The majority of followers on my Instagram are aviation and military enthusiasts. Once I knew who my projected audience on social media was I was able to focus on aviation photography.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katieboddenphoto.com
• Instagram: @katie.bodden
• Facebook: @KatieBoddenPhotography