We recently connected with Katie Todd and have shared our conversation below.
Katie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
Going from idea to execution was actually a long process for me. Not necessarily because I had a lot on my to do list but because I made up every excuse in the world for too long. I would love to tell this grand story of my dreams becoming reality when I was in college but life doesn’t always work that way. I went to art school for fine arts to become a painter, but changed my emphasis to photography and then dropped out! While that doesn’t help boast my story or character, it did mold me to what I am today. I wasn’t in the college mindset and I didn’t want to spend money on something that I wasn’t fully invested in. I had a lot of one off photography jobs through the years. I did concert photography basically for exposure after asking a local photographer to mentor me. I worked for LifeTouch doing sports portraits and then would do family member photo requests on the side. I’m not complaining but this wasn’t quite the dream I had lead up to create in my head as an early 20 year old.
Time went on and that dream got further away as a job and life took my focus away. It was actually when I met my husband in 2017 that I started talking about that dream again. Back to making every excuse in the book, it was simply asked by my husband, Eric, why don’t you start doing photography again? My excuses were, I need to upgrade my gear, my computer, and the list goes on. But to put it simple, which my husband is really good at, I bought the new gear and just starting shooting again. Everything is still an idea at this point and the thought of being a full time photographer still seemed impossible. But then something shifted. This dream of mine started to take form. I started shooting sessions that weren’t just family, I started to put myself out there and sure enough I started to get some traction. I was doing a handful of sessions every month and it was great income on the side and to get my feet wet again. I started to learn what I liked, what I didn’t like, some growing pains of what having a business actually was like. Let me tell you, I still had NO idea what running a business was like at this point.
After a couple years of doing this as a side gig, I started raising my pricing and finding tools to help me schedule and communicate with clients. There were many times I wanted to leave my job and just go full time but it still didn’t feel right. Now I was really digging into being a business owner. You make some mistakes and you learn some tough lessons. With that brought contracts, retainer fees, insurance, upgrading my gear even more, elevating my website, putting myself out on the internet everywhere I could, taxes, licenses, permits, etc. This list goes on and on! I really had no idea how much there was in running a business. This idea of being a photographer sounded glamorous, and don’t get me wrong, I love what I do but it was the business aspect that was so out of my league. It got to a point where my photography and my day job were conflicting. I couldn’t execute the shoots I wanted due to my schedule at work and it started to become frustrating for me.
I can’t say there was a hard line in the sand of idea to execution, but I can say that there was a shift when I realized that I could actually make my dream a reality and to be honest, it scared the crap out of me! I think it’s crazy how we tell ourselves we aren’t worthy or capable of something. So much of it was mental and once I became determined to make it a reality, I hit the ground running. I signed up for every photo company and website I could find. I worked for other photography companies just in the case things slowed down for me, so that I’d have something to fall back on. I used tons of websites to generate leads and put my name on everything I could. I started shooting as much as possible and exposed myself to so many different scenarios. All the stars fell into place and in 2021, I went full time. It was the strangest thing but everything just started to fall into place and it became a clear sign to make the move. It was terrifying! I had a great steady job, a steady paycheck, a 401K, insurance, and I was about to walk away from that comfort zone! But it felt so right and I haven’t looked back.
After that, I fine tuned my editing, the way I was shooting and anything I could to become a better photographer, I still do that! On the business side, I started using more and more tools to help me stay organized. I started doing more marketing, hired someone to help with my taxes, which taught me a whole world of things I didn’t know as a business owner! I’ve been working on a team and outsourcing things that I don’t have mastered. This journey has truly been crazy! I look back to when I just upgraded my gear and sometimes I can’t believe I did it. That’s not giving myself enough credit. I worked my ass off to get here and still do. I am still learning the business world, communicating with people and elevating my photography. Looking back I was my biggest hurdle and sometimes still am. Sounds corny but believing in yourself and not giving up is huge! There were many times that it would have been easier to just stick with my day job because that was the safe route to go, but I knew I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t take the leap. This idea of mine may have taken 10 + years to execute but I am so grateful I did. When you know deep down you’re meant to do something more, you have to go do it!
Katie, 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?
I’m Katie Todd, I am a Colorado based portrait photographer that specializes in weddings, elopements, engagements, couples, families, maternity, graduates and any other of life’s milestones. That sounds like a lot! But I like the variety and those really are life’s milestones. If I can build a relationship with people and follow them through their different journeys in life, that is soooo special to me. It’s amazing to do maternity photos and then family photos and watch kids grow! Or go from engagement photos to the wedding and then beyond. I value those relationships more than anything.
When it comes to my process, I really love using lighting to create some magic, whether it’s staying till sunset or using a bright beaming light to really emphasize my subject. I’m all about having fun and creating some natural looks. Most of the time I hear, “i’m awkward taking photos” or “i’m nervous” and I know how intimidating it can be to do photos, but I tell my clients to not take it too serious, be yourself and we’ll create lots of laughter together! I welcome inspo that they might have and I’m always up for an adventure somewhere, especially in the mountains! I provide a wide variety of sessions depending on what we’re doing. I like to have creative consults with my clients to really understand what they’re looking for. The worst thing is to show up for the session and feel unprepared or wish we would have thought of ideas that it’s too late to execute. I provide all digitals but options for some amazing wall art and prints.
I’m really proud of how far i’ve come because I am always pushing myself to grow. I like being pushed out of my comfort zone. That’s really important to me because we can get really cozy in our safe space. I look back to where I came from and my confidence in my abilities has grown so much but I know I always have more to learn. There is some amazing photographers out there and I love to listen to their podcasts, read articles and tips and tricks from others. I consider other photographers collaborators compared to competition. We all have something to learn from each other and we all have different style.
After hearing from clients over the years of their insecurities in front of a camera, it’s been my goal to make people feel comfortable. The creative consults helps break the ice and get better acquainted and when we show up for the session, I have my clients do some silly stuff, go with the flow and have some fun with it. It have some really silly prompts for people that make sense in my head and it seems to make people laugh! It might be a couple standing together and I tell them, “now, stare off in the distance together… imagine your future!” All this all in a very storyteller voice. It tends to get a laugh! I value the feedback I get from my clients and something common I hear is that they feel that my portfolio really shows off natural looks, which is a huge compliment and I think sets me apart. I try to stay away from any hard poses because it often feels weird. Everyone is different and I go into my sessions with a clean slate. What works for some, might not work for others. I’ve learned that I really feed off of my clients energy and the more fun and silly we get, the easier it is to capture those natural looks. Being relatable is an important aspect of building those relationships. As mentioned before, getting photos taken can be intimidating and making people feel comfortable is big with photography!
Outside of my work, it’s just me and my husband, Eric and a Australian cattle dog, Nikita. We’re a good little trio and our dog gets no lack of love! I love to ski, as I grew up in Steamboat Springs and the mountains are truly my happy place. I am very close with my family and we try to do just about everything together. I have to give credit to my husband, he’s been my #1 supporter and really helped get me to where I am today. We like to find new restaurants, travel, go to baseball games, concerts and we also enjoy going to NASCAR races. I know that one is a little out there but it’s a family favorite and we really enjoy that together. I love pizza and Mexican food! Favorite animals are pandas, cows and I think capybaras are the funniest! Favorite color, mint green. Favorite TV show, Friends, hands down! I’d say that’s me in a nutshell.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
More recently I’ve been really feeling the weight of being a business owner. There are a lot of ends and outs that I’ve learned and boundaries as a business owner is a big deal. I’ve sacrificed a lot of personal time to make things happen and I wouldn’t trade that because it’s gotten me to where I am today but burnout is a real thing. It’s crazy how sometimes the weight of the world feels so heavy and it can become too much. Sometimes its back to back weddings or sessions everyday for weeks on end. I’m not complaining about being busy but again, burnout is a real thing and it’s important we all take care of ourselves. Self care is a big deal and I think it gets overlooked as a business owner. There’s always this grind mentality. I’ve been in it for years! But over the past year I’ve been focused on managing my schedule differently so that I have enough time to commit to my clients, start to finish. As a small business you wear many hats and it can be super overwhelming! I’m learning that I need more time for myself as well. I’ve come to realize how much of my identity has been lost to my business and I work everyday to find that balance. It swings back and forth and I have a lot of support to help get me there. I’ve had some highs and lows but I just can’t give up. I want a successful business which I believe I’ve achieved so far but I also want peace in my life and to live my best life!! And I wont’ give up on those things either.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
I listen to a podcast called the Mindset Mentor and its so aligned with how I want to live my life and run my business. I am constantly working on mental health and finding a healthy balance of being an entrepreneur and my personal life. Being a business owner is challenging and while i’m so grateful for the journey, it’s also hard to turn that off at the end of the day. Podcasts and books help me stay grounded and work on keeping my identity outside of being a business owner and photographer. I love books by Briana Wiest, specifically The Mountain is You. It’s about self sabotage and overcoming habits we’ve built over time. I believe that putting yourself first (in a non selfish way), is what helps everything else thrive. If you’re not at your best, how can we expect to give our best to our business, to our families, etc. I think we often get those mixed up and think we need to put everything else in front of ourselves but if i’m run down and feeling unhealthy mentally and physically, what do I have left to give to the other assets in my life?
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.katietoddphotography.com/
- Instagram: katietoddphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatieToddPhotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katietoddphotography/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/katietoddphotography/
Image Credits
Katie Todd Photography