Q: Tell us about you, who you are, hobbies, fav things. Can be random and silly!
K: Hi! My name is Kate Roy, owner of Snap Chic Photography. I am married to my high-school sweetheart, and together we have a beautiful 6 year old daughter, three dogs and a cat. My hobbies include wine, child wrangling and extra long bubble baths.
A: Hello my name is Anna Witte and I am Snap Chic’s VP! Honestly photography is my main hobby, and favorite pass time. I was raised on a little island in Washington so I LOVE any beach, river or lake.
Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?
K: I took a photography class in high-school and had an amazing and inspirational teacher, so I purchased my first SLR when I was 16 and about a year later it was stolen. At that point, I couldn’t afford to replace it, and put photography aside. In 2008, my daughter was born, and the photography bug hit me again. From the moment I took the first photo of her, I realized photography was what I wanted to do with my life and the rest is history.
A: Honestly I think I knew photography would play a huge part in my life when I was around 10 years old.
Q: How did you first start out?
K: I started out shooting anything and everything that came my way! I had a 9-5 corporate job for the first 5 years of my photography career, and used that time to master my craft. Finally, in 2013, my sister passed away suddenly, and I realized at that very moment, that life is far too short to be doing anything other than what you love. I took a week off from my job to do some soul searching following her death, and came to the decision that I would not be returning back to my job. I put my 2 weeks notice in, and took a leap of faith to pursue Snap Chic Photography full time. Hands down, that was the best decision I have ever made in my life.
A: When I was a little girl I learned how to use a film camera. When all the other kids went to summer camp, I begged my parents to let me work with a Washington photographer Ray Pfortner. All throughout school, I took classes and workshops just because I was SO interested in it. Finally in college, I decided to try on a fine art degree with a focus in photography. Though I loved the classes and took an incredible amount from it, I did not complete that degree as life took a turn and I went to cosmetology school instead. I always hoped I could work as a full time photographer, and I just kept snapping away. In 2014 I had saved up enough for a career change, and in a perfect twist of fate exactly when I left my previous occupation Kate (my favorite local photographer) posted a “help wanted”.
Q: How did know when the right time to start charging was?
K: If I had it to do over again, I would have waited much longer than I did to start charging. I think, in the beginning I truly did a disservice to both myself and my business by accepting payment far before I deserved to make a dollar. I started charging about 6 months after I bought my DSLR in 2008, and that was definitely too early. My advice to other photographers just starting out would be to really master the fundamentals of photography and become an expert in your field before charging.
A: Opposite of Kate I think I waited too long to start charging, I had this mentality of “well this is just SO wonderful so why the heck should I charge” and I truly believed that I would not be able to make a living. I was so wrong! I think perhaps I should have started charging when people began insisting on paying me, or gifting me things.
Q: How would you describe your style?
K: This is a tough one! If I had to describe my style, I would say it is a healthy mix of fine art, glamour and lots and lots of color.
A: I have always had a soft spot for documentary style photographs, black and whites with a lot of emotion in the subject. My overall style is probably glamour documentary if that even exists? Finding a candid moment and spicing it up a little bit!
Q: What’s in your gear bag?
K: Cameras: Canon 6D & 60D. Lenses: Canon 70-200m, 85mm, 50mm and the 24-105mm.
A: Cameras: Canon 6D & 5D Mark ii, Lenses: Canon 24-105, Sigma 50mm Art, Tamaron 70-200, Canon 85mm
Q: One lens you can’t live without?
K: The lens that stays on my camera 99% of the time is my 85mm. I definitely could not function without it!
A: I would have to agree with Kate, 85 all the way!
Q: How much did you charge for your first session and how much are you charging for the same type of session now?
K: The first wedding I ever shot was for $400 back in 2009. Today, our wedding packages range in price from $2250-$4000.
Q: How did you market yourself when you started out?
K: I didn’t! Haha!
A: Word of mouth really, plus Snap Chic Photography’s clients are extra amazing and we get a very strong number of referrals 🙂
Q: If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be?
K: A lawyer.
A: Well I guess I would try and find a place in a company like National Geographic where I could be involved in the world and traveling.
Q: What’s the best lesson in photography that you’ve learned so far?
K: Having the best gear does not make you the best photographer! Don’t go out and spend tons of money on the latest and greatest until you have truly outgrown and are being held back by your current set up!
A: Learn all the rules, and then don’t be afraid to break them! And never ever stop trying to learn more.
Q: Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught? If self-taught, what helped you the most?
K: I am 100% self taught other than the one photography course I took in high-school. Thousands of hours of YouTube, photography forums, blogs, and lots of practice in real life situations is how I have learned everything I know.
A: Well after all the previously mentioned school and workshops, what has helped me the most is working with Kate. She basically re-taught me everything and being able to eat, sleep, and breathe photography has opened my mind and skill set SO much.
Q: What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business?
K: The hardest thing to overcome so far for me was the fear to make the jump into full time. I always say, “You have to want it more than you fear it, and when that finally happens, the time is right”. For me, I was held back by fear far longer than I should have been, but as I mentioned, taking the plunge into being a full time photographer was the greatest thing I have ever done in my life.
A: Very similar to Kate, the hardest thing I have done was leaving my job without knowing if I could actually make a go of it full time with a high enough income.
Q: Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out?
K: A consistent editing style and shooting style is extremely important. I see so many photographers who have styles that are all over the place, and looks within one session that are so inconsistent. And please, please, please, avoid black vignettes, selective color, and plastic looking skin! YUCK! I think it is also very crucial to define a style that matches your brand and stick to it. Also, practice, practice, practice! Your camera should be an extension of your hand, and if you are charging clients, you should be able to shoot 100% in manual without even thinking about it.
A: Everything Kate said, and also to spend extra time really leaning about light and how it works.
Q: What are your thoughts on props?
K: I am not a fan of props at all. I rarely use them in my photographs unless it is a special request by a client. I feel that props are distracting and take away from the beauty of the subject.
A: The only props I really like are handmade and/ or sentimental items.
Q: What is each of your roles in the business?
A: We really both have the same overall roll, we are both primary photographers. Kate heads up almost all the initial booking, consultation and contract work, so I try to help out with keeping records straight, making follow up calls and keeping the books right. We seem to have found a really good balance.
Q: How do you divide up the tasks?
K: We divide up our schedule depending on availability, client preference, and a little bit of personal preference.
Q: Do you both go on the shoots?
K: We both take sessions separately, and weddings separately but we also work as a team when we haven’t both been booked.
Q: Do you both edit?
A: Yes, we both edit our own work and give lots of input back and forth. When we first started working together we spent a few moths developing our styles, and trying to blend them into one seamless style, the “Snap Chic”. We start in lightroom to make roughly 80% of our corrections, and then move on to photoshop to retouch and add to our photos.
Kate Roy & Anna Witte of Snap Chic Photography are fine art photographers specializing in weddings, seniors, families and children. Snap Chic Photography is based in the small Texas Hill Country town of Boerne. Together, Kate and Anna bring their client’s visions to life by providing artistic portraits that are completely unique, and truly timeless.
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