We recently connected with Kay Anders and have shared our conversation below.

Kay, looking forward to hearing all of your stories 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.

I first starting learning about photography in high school. It was a vocational course that the school offered. This was long before digital came about, so there was only film photography at the time. To be honest, I didn’t take the craft seriously because I felt there were limited opportunities as a photographer, like working for a newspaper or in a portrait studio. As time went by, I realized that I could use this skill to create images to tell stories beyond portraits. It wasn’t until I moved to NYC that I decided to return to school and really learn the craft and hone the skills I had already acquired.

I am a newly certified makeup artist, but I began learning about makeup when I attended fashion college after high school. It was a required course. I did some local modeling then, so again, it was the experience of having to apply my own makeup for those jobs that increased my experience. I recently made the decision to take classes and become certified because I saw it as a way to integrate what I do as a photographer. Going to school and taking classes are good ways to learn the fundamentals of anything you want to do, but for some, such as myself, actual hands-on experience is the best way to learn.

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 always loved fashion and anything that had to do with fashion, including modeling, makeup, and magazines. For most of my life, I’ve always practiced one of those crafts. I’ve modeled, designed clothes, published a magazine, and more. It was always fun for me. I don’t think you should ever do anything if you can’t find joy in it. Eventually, I decided to focus on photography. My dad gave me my first camera on my 18th birthday. Practicing everyday opened up opportunities for me to work in several portrait studios and later work in a studio for a major retailer, where I assisted the company photographer in studio and on location shoots and I also assisted as a stylist. That eventually led me to hunger for more. That passion led me to NYC where I was able to pursue an actual career and work with some of the most talented individuals in the industry.

After I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in photography, I decided that I wanted to pursue photo retouching as my niche. I loved editing images. At the same time, I loved being on set. I began to pursue knowledge to work as a digital tech, taking courses and becoming a certified digital technician. I don’t know if it’s a gift or a curse, but I often find myself wanting to do it all! I’m not trying to be a jack of all trades. I genuinely have a passion for my craft! I take pride in knowing that I can be useful on any professional set, whether I’m working as the photographer, assisting as a stylist, working as the digital tech, or retouching the images afterwards. Now, I also have the ability to work as a makeup artist. I believe that having all of these skills can be cross-functional and have helped me to improve as an artist overall. For example, when I’m capturing images I’m more conscious of perfecting the image in camera, so that very little editing is needed afterwards. Or, when I apply makeup to a model, I’m aware of just how much the photo lights will wash out.

Although my skills have allowed me to work, it’s my character and integrity that keeps me working. When I’m booked for an assignment, I make sure that I’m on time. Time management was always a problem for me in the past. However, since I began working as a freelancer, I AM my business. Professionalism is key. Your behavior is always being watched, whether you are aware of it or not. Once people see that you respect their time and that you are able to conduct yourself well, you usually get repeat business.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to appreciate my own work and stop comparing it to others. As an artist, I think we are always the hardest on ourselves. We may see another photographer getting booked by clients one after another or another photographer getting their work published in every magazine. I used to wonder if my work was ever good enough or would ever be as good as theirs was. One day, I was having lunch with a colleague and she told me that her grandmother told her if she wanted to be happy, take her eyes off of other people. That stuck with me! She basically told her to stop looking at whatever one else was doing and comparing it to her own life or work. If you do what you’ve been called or purposed to do, you will find your success. I thought I was the only artist who was experiencing this, but I recently ran across an Instagram post from a very talented and well-known photographer who had stated that people were questioning his methods and sometimes criticizing his work. He made the declaration that photography is an art and like all art, it is subjective! I love that! I was reminded that what we do IS art and not everyone is going to appreciate everything you do. I had to unlearn that everyone’s opinions matter. I had to unlearn that my art is for everyone.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The path to working as a photo retoucher was not easy for me at all. I basically had no prior experience, only the few skills that I had obtained in school and from editing my own images. However, I was determined that I could do this and I had to prove it to myself. I began working on stock images and old photos that I had so that I could build a portfolio as a retoucher. I watched YouTube videos from some of the best retouchers in the world, incorporating some of their techniques into my workflow. Then I began to put myself out there, applying for work as a retoucher. I soon found out with ecommerce, you are required to edit so many images per hour. You not only have to be good, but you have to be fast. I was becoming good, but I definitely wasn’t fast. With each interview, there was a timed test. I failed each and every one! I was slow! Those who truly know me can tell you that I’m a perfectionist and I over-analyze a lot. I was second-guessing myself and overanalyzing everything I did on each test. I was determined to not give up because I knew that I was good. After one of my interviews, the manager encouraged me and told me to just keep practicing. He was even nice enough to share his opinion on how I could improve. His kindness was well-received and encouraged me to keep going. Finally, after months of interviews, I obtained my first retouching job. It was with Ralph Lauren. For that particular assignment, they didn’t need anyone fast; they needed accuracy. Accuracy, I could provide. From that moment on, I began booking more assignments with other companies. I would tell anyone to never give up on yourself because doors will open, but sometimes you have to wait for the RIGHT door to open for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kayanders.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kayandersphoto/