Print Yo’ Photos

July 29, 2020 By // by kate

Collaborating with my clients to create heirloom artwork that they and their families will be able to pass down through generations is LIFE. Seriously. Life.

IB Art kicked off not only my study of the interplay of emotion and art through documentary photography, but the actual creation and expression of my own body of work. From there, a degree in psychology.

Print Yo’ Photos

I’ve documented my life, and by proxy, the lives of those around me since I was 16 years old, and studied emotions since I was 18.

(For those of you keeping score, that means I’ve had a camera in hand for more than half of my life.)

Enter Lifestyle Documentary

Sessions are built around celebrating and documenting who you are.

Want to do it up Black Tie? GREAT. Want to kick it and cuddle on the couch in sweats with steaming hot mugs and piles of books? FANTASTIC. Digital Nomad? YUP.

We can do that, too.

The saying that “You’ll never know the true value of a photograph until it’s gone.”, you can’t know how true that is, until you do.

Show up in photos. Take up that space. Then print them, hang them on your walls, set them on the shelves in your office.

Document your moments, because this life is not a dress rehearsal.

Win A Free Portrait Session

When I ask someone if I can photograph them, the response is almost unanimously the same. “Me? I’m not photogenic, I could never do something like that”, or variations on a theme. All of which I believe is the bullshit we tell ourselves because at some point we were shown a photo that was taken of us on a day we were really feelin’ ourselves, (you know the kinda day I’m talking about) only to see it and think “wow, that’s what I looked like? I’m never wearing that again”.

I’ve been there. I get it in a big way. That gut-punching feeling, it’s what I built the foundations of my studio on.

Your headshot is your digital first impression. What do you want yours to say about you?

What’s Included

The winner will receive a full portrait session, starting with an in-person consultation, an up to 2-hour Portrait Session, and three digital files.

($1500 value)

Contest Closes 9 pm on August 16th, 2019, winners will be announced by email on August 19th, 2019.

Enter to Win

Planning Your Portrait Session | Styling Your Portrait Session | Prepping For Your Portrait Session

The Fine Print

Prize includes 1-hour in-person consultation, up to 2-hour portrait session (time and talent only – no digital products), and three finished digital files of the winners choice.

Contest Closes 9 pm on August 16th, 2019.

Winners will be announced by email on August 19th, 2019.

Consultation must occur before September 4th, 2019.

Session must occur before October 11th, 2019.

Conditions – No cash value, one entry per person.

Photographing COMFEST | Summer in Ohio

September 26, 2018 By // by kate

Three days after fully arriving in Ohio two years ago, we went to Bakersfield for dinner with my mom, to celebrate our arrival in Ohio. While at dinner, a MASSIVE rainstorm blew through, turning High Street into a lake. Shortly after the deluge started, people began streaming by the window we were seated at. I turned to mom and Jeff both and said, “Where ever they’re coming from, I want to go there. These are my people”.

From our server, I found out that they were leaving Comfest (say what?) due to the rain. The next year, Comfest fell on the weekend that Alicia and I left for the Southern Summer Road Trip, and as such, we were able to make it to Goodale for about two hours, enough time to check it out, and figure out that yup, I love this, and definitely want to come back next year when I can spend more time.

This year, I got to photograph the festival, for the festival.

Photographing COMFEST

The ever wonderful Megan Rivers of Eat Play Cbus tagged me in a Facebook status (more of a call to action from the organizers of Comfest, but, for all intents and purposes, same same) earlier this year, as they were looking to fill out their photography team.

I sent in the application immediately.

k.H.a. Lifestyle Photography was chosen to be one of the festival photographers this year, and I loved every second of it. Being able to capture the event (with a press pass, hell yes legitimacy) was a dream. My style, when it comes to photographing events of any kind is to do so from a photojournalistic stand point. Getting to photograph Comfest in that manner, and experience Comfest from behind my camera was perfect. I was able to soak it all in, document it, and kick around Goodale park in the early summer sunshine for a day.

I can’t wait for next year.

#khalifestylephotography #cookeatexplore #theladyh

Want to work with me? Contact@khalifestylephotography.com

Let’s Talk Plan B | The Brass Tacks

September 9, 2018 By // by kate

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LetstalkplanB #CollectiveBias #ad

The Importance of Having a Backup Plan | Let’s Talk Plan B One-Step | The Brass Tacks

I’ve always been told that I’m too loud, too ‘extra’, too blunt. Well, no, I’m just not afraid of talking about the things that can make others uncomfortable. I figure it this way. If my talking about women’s health, the “taboo” topics (which I don’t believe should be taboo at all) and being real, open, and matter of fact about all of it, if that makes it so that ONE other woman either has a question answered, or finds the courage to voice her own concerns or opinions or seek out more information, I’ll be doing backflips. So, let’s talk Plan B One-Step.

We as women run households. We run companies. We run families. We plan vacations. We absolutely understand the importance of having backup plans for the backup plans.

Whenever I’m working on a project, be it for Cook.Eat.Explore (the food and travel side of my professional life), styling a session for a client, throwing a dinner party, or traveling back to the West Coast to see family, I inherently understand the importance of having a backup plan. (Or five. Whatever. I like to be prepared for all eventualities)

So why should our birth control be any different?

Despite our best efforts, life never goes quite as we planned.

So much so, that the number of colloquial phrases summing said up seems endless. Sod’s Law. Coughlin’s Law (Nod to one of the best movies of the 80’s). Murphy’s Law. Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Life is all about how you handle your ”plan B”. Failure to plan means you plan to fail. Here’s the thing with all of that, though. While there may be a sliiiight grain of truth to those sayings, we do the best we can to ensure that we cover all of the eventualities. We make sure that we cover alllll our bases in every aspect of our lives, because let’s be real for a second, surprises are only a good thing when it comes to birthdays. And diamonds. Or maaaaaaaaaaybe vacations.

“Surprises” and “birth control” in the same thought? Nope. No thank you.

We as women have more choices and options at our fingertips now than at any point in time. We can do or be anything that we want to be, and the fact that we have a second line of defense (that we do not have to rely on anyone else to take care of) in the realm of birth control, that’s HUGE. HUGE.

No matter how careful you are (and let’s be real for a second, mistakes happen, and we don’t always make the best choices for ourselves), condoms break, pills get skipped, or even worse, someone slips something into our drink and rape occurs.

Before Plan B emergency contraception came onto the market (either with or without a prescription (and requisite visit to your doctor)), women who were not ready to be pregnant had to look at the calendar, figure out the anticipated dates for Aunt Flo’s next visit, and pray.

And wait. And pray. And wait some more.

Now? Now we have options. Now we have choices, and now, now we more than ever, are in control of our own futures. Which is all well and good (and in my opinion, as it should be), but what about the woman who’s not sure of what questions to ask? What about the woman whos drink was drugged the night before and has turned to Google prior to heading to the corner drug store?

That’s where I come in. If I can answer one woman’s questions, ease the mental stress even a TINY bit? Win.

There’s A TON of myths about Plan B, right? Plus, add in the whole fear of the unknown thing, and things can start getting a little overwhelming. What does it do? When does it need to be taken? Why does it work? At what point does the efficacy drop? Most importantly, why having a backup plan in place before you could ever imagine needing it is so vitally important.

I’m here to provide a resource to anyone who is looking to learn more about what Plan B, what the process for taking it is, and where to find it. Here’s the other thing, I’m not a doctor. (basic chemistry and I, not so much of a good match) so if you have specific questions, I’ve gotta tell you, reaching out to your doc, the pharmacist in your drug store, or to one of the resources listed at the bottom of this post, that’ll be the way to go. I can remind you of one thing, though, Plan B One-Step does not replace regular birth control methods. It is a backup option when regular birth control failed or somehow unprotected sex happened.

Ok. So, tell me more about Plan B. What does it do? Why does it work?

Biggest myth I’ve heard tossed around about Plan B is that it’s “the abortion pill”. Nope, false. The active ingredient in Plan B is levonorgestrel, is the same ingredient in many common birth control pills – just at a higher, single dose. Plan B works mainly by delaying ovulation – it helps to prevent pregnancy BEFORE it begins. It WILL NOT affect an existing pregnancy. I will say that again for those in the back.

Plan B WILL NOT affect an existing pregnancy.

When does it need to be taken?

The short answer? The sooner the better. The sooner you take it, the better it works. Plan B must be taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex or birth control failure. That’s three days. Even with a three-day window, stick to the sooner the better thing. Also, as with all medicines, make sure that you take it as directed.

The sooner you get Plan B into your system, the better it will work, and real talk here (hey, I meant it when I said I’m not afraid to talk about the hard stuff.), if you’re at a point that you’re taking emergency contraception, you get that time is of the essence.

Even the worst hang over I’ve ever had, it didn’t last three days, so don’t even try and tell me that you’re too hung over after a night that you may or may not remember fully to drag yo’ hungover self outta bed and drag yourself to the store.

At what point does the efficacy drop?

At the end of 72 hours, after you either made a questionable decision, your primary birth control method failed, or the worst case scenario happened, and you’re reading this after having been raped. If that’s the case, please, PLEASE go to an urgent care clinic, an E.R., your gyno, the closest Planned Parenthood clinic, the closest police station, the closest fire station, your best friend’s house and get them to go with you, and report it. You can walk into any of those places and ask for help. IT WAS NOT YOUR FAULT.

Oh, you just wanted the short answer? The sooner you can take it, the better, but NO LONGER than 72 hours after unprotected sex.

Where can I find it? Do I have to talk to anyone to buy it?

CVS is my drugstore of choice, so that’s where I’m going to tell you to go. That’s where I’m going to show you where to find it at, but you can find it also at CVS Caremark, Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid or Walmart, etc., and you should not have to talk to anyone if you don’t so choose.

If you’re a CVS gal like I am, Plan B is on aisle 14, (the adult care, feminine care, and family planning aisle) near the end, right about knee height.

Not near a CVS? You may have to ask the pharmacist because some stores keep it in different locations, or if you’re standing in the pharmacy, and got here via Google, ’cause you’ve looked and aren’t finding on your own, you can always ask the pharmacist and they will be able to help point you in the right direction, and answer any further questions you may have.

Click [HERE] for a coupon that’ll save you $10 off.

Hang on a sec, I want to have kids at some point down the road… will taking Plan B affect my fertility in the future?

Nope.

Am I going to have to show my ID to someone? I don’t want anyone to know I’ve taken Plan B, and I DEFINITELY don’t want my name to go on any list.

Yo’ body yo’ choice. Period.

You don’t have to tell anyone that you’ve taken it. You don’t have to tell anyone you bought it. If you want to, awesome. If you don’t, awesome. You wanna shout it from the rooftop? You do you.

You do not need to show ID to buy Plan B. If someone tells you that you do, turn around, walk yo’ ass out of that pharmacy, and find one that respects your right to privacy. Because here’s the thing. There is no age restriction. You do not need an ID or prescription to purchase.

So…… I’m in my 30’s, will it still work?

Absolutely. While half of the women who use Plan B are 18-24, the other half are 25+. There is no specific “type” of women who use emergency contraception. There is no one group of women that use EC more than another. We’re all human. Mistakes happen. Birth control fails.

That’s why we have a Plan B, in all aspects of our lives, and that’s why we plan for all of those eventualities. You never know when you’re going to need plans b-z.

#LetsTalkPlanB

Want to work with me? hello@khalifestylephotography.com

EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IS NOT ART.

August 31, 2018 By // by kate

You know those nights when you go to bed early, fall asleep pretty quickly, mayyyyybe getting up to drink water or pee, but never wake all the way up, and you’re able to crawl right back into bed and fall straight back asleep? It was that night last night. I was loving it. Until around 3:30, when all of a sudden I’m fully awake. Tossed around a while, gave up on it, and figured I’d start the day early.

Between Happy Hour with Columbus Bride and Groom at Thursday Therapy last night, and a project meeting that followed, it was late enough when I got home that other than a quick run through email, my phone was off and my computer stayed closed.

This morning, once I’d given up on sleep, I ran through email to make sure there wasn’t anything that needed immediate attention, and opened facebook, planning a couple of minutes of rather mindless scrolling before getting started for the day.

This is the first paragraph of the first post in my feed.

I read the words. I know the definition of each of those words. Each of them. And yet, my brain struggled as it tried to make them make sense together. It took reading just those two lines a couple of times before what was being talked about here, which is, in no uncertain terms; child pornography.

Wait. What?

The greasy, sick, dread that flooded into my body was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I read the rest of it, and as I read, group notifications were going off like crazy. The boudoir groups that I’m a part of, where discussion of boudoir portraiture is the norm (uh, duh, we’re boudoir photographers) were instead coming to the sick realization that a big name portrait photographer has been shooting child porn under the guise of her ‘art’.

I now know what it looks like to have sold your soul.

This abuser, this pedophile, (because let’s be very clear, in no way is this art, this is unequivocally child pornography) is claiming to be the victim. The statement released is tantamount to “Oh poor me. I’m really the victim here, no one understands me, blah, blah, blah, bullshit.” Bitton’s response to all of this?

Producing child pornography isn’t healing old wounds. It’s a federal felony.

https://statelaws.findlaw.com/ohio-law/ohio-child-pornography-laws.html

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Support those that are trying to fix this issue. Share petitions that help the voice travel further online. Send those petitions out via email, text even.

Here is a brief list of places you can contact to see how you can help. There are many more resources in your area if you get savvy with google.

• Operation Underground Railroad
• Exchange Initiative
• Thorn
• TraffickCam
• Polaris
• http://www.sacasa.org/about-saaturn/
• National Human Trafficking Resource Center 1-888-373-7888 or text “HELP” or “INFO” to 233733
• National Center on Sexual Exploitation
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children 1-800-THE-LOST
• www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign

WHAT I WANT TO SEE HAPPEN

If you can see on the list above there isn’t really one place that fights the kind of sex trafficking involving Social Media images, reposts, r o l e p l a y and other child fetish hashtags that contribute to the issue.

• I want Instagram to change their “community policies” and include a “sex trafficking, pedophilia, or grooming” selection in their reporting process.
• I want the team that responds to these reports to be FULLY trained on what these individuals do and HOW THEY ACT on social media.
• I want this team to be directly connected to the FBI and the National Human Trafficking Resource Center.

If you see something, say something. Trust your instincts as though your families lives depended on it because they just might.

HUGE thank you’s to Bre Geiger for her contributions to this article, as well as for all around being a badass.

Columbus SOUP | Photographing the Green Spoon Army

August 13, 2018 By // by kate

The first SOUP event that I photographed was last fall, the end of October to be exact. That Sunday, and that SOUP, wrapped up a weekend of photography that included Highball Halloween (shout out to Shiree, and all her badassery), Making Strides Against Breast Cancer for the ACS, a wedding (in Cincinnati), and doing the food for another photographer’s photo shoot.

It was driving home from doing the food that Liz and I connected via phone, both of us juggling about four more balls in the air than we should have, and somewhere in there, above and beyond our crazy juggling acts, we clicked.

I photographed my first SOUP that night, and a new collaboration was born.

#khalifestylephotography #kathrynheitkamp #columbusohio #greenspoonarmy #asseenincolumbus

Columbus SOUP | Photographing the Green Spoon Army

So, those balancing and juggling acts that I mentioned, clearly I need to pull a couple of those bad boys back in, as it’s now August and I’m (finally) getting to blogging the SOUP events that I’ve since photographed.

#adultingSpring

Getting Sloshed for SOUP

Aside from each seasonal SOUP, this year, for Liz’s birthday, everyone headed to Landgrant Brewing to get sloshed for SOUP.

Yup. You read that right.

Sloshed for SOUP. The community came together to hang out, have fantastic OH! Burgers, drink really good beer and do a small part to raise the level of the SOUP grant.

Changing How Columbus Thinks About Philanthropy

We live in a city that embraces good ideas, and Columbus SOUP provides a platform to share those ideas at the ground level and make connections that matter. Through quarterly community events, local organizations gain needed funding by presenting their ideas for creating positive change in our city. Attendees at our events pay a $7 minimum donation for dinner and a vote. Cash donations are combined to create a micro-grant, and everyone at the event votes for which of the projects wins the grant.
Call it a kickstarter, call it crowdfunding, call it a giving circle—we call it Columbus SOUP.
Columbussoup.org

Photographing Natterdoodle’s Intro to Hand Lettering

August 7, 2018 By // by kate

I’ve been fascinated by hand lettering for quite a while (let’s be real, most of the nation is right now, and I am A-Ok with being a part of that crowd). When the opportunity arose to photograph Natterdoodle’s Intro to Hand Lettering at The Joseph, I was all in. (BTW, the next opportunity to attend that Pen Party is August 22nd, 2018)

#khalifestylephotography #kathrynheitkamp #asseenincolumbus #handlettering #naterdoodle #thejoseph

Photographing Natterdoodle’s Intro to Hand Lettering

I got to the Joseph with enough time ahead of the Pen Party’s start time to watch (and capture) Natalie as she prepped for the arrival of that nights attendees.

Watching her brain work as she put together the big flip boards for the evening, it was so freakin’ cool. I got to watch her creative process in action.

My favorite part of the evening, however, was listening to the lesson as Natalie worked her way through it. This chick not only knows her stuff, she’s got phenomenal delivery. (Plus, the light in The Joseph, ammmmmmazing)

Throughout, no one’s attention wavered or wandered. Y’all aren’t here to hear me rave about Natalie, the phenom behind Naterdoodle, you’re here for the photos, so without further ado, scroll down and check ’em out!

Want to work with me?

Email Me.

Arthritis Foundation | 2018 Cruise-In & Auto Show

August 3, 2018 By // by kate

I met Liz Martin last fall, on a rainy Sunday afternoon, as we both were mastering the art of #adulting. At the time, I had no idea how much a chance phone call would change the direction of my life, and I am SO hugely grateful to the universe for crossing our paths.

The evening that followed that first phone conversation was the Fall SOUP event and the first time that Liz and I met in person. It was one of those, “oh hey, there you are” kinda moments that simply clicked.

Arthritis Foundation | 2018 Cruise-In & Auto Show

Since that fateful fall Sunday afternoon, I’ve photographed a handful of events in collaboration with Liz and by extension, the Arthritis Foundation. Each event is more kick-ass than the last, and the AF Auto Show and Cruise-In was no exception.

I have an intern this summer, Colby, who was with me at the Auto Show, and without him, I would not have been able to capture the event in the same way. Not even a little bit.

That first morning we got to check in, picked up our badges and the key to our golf cart (HELL YES golf cart!) and got to work. Hang on a sec, and lemme back up to earlier that morning. Colby got to the house, together we loaded up the cooler with bottles of water, Gatorade, and energy drinks, (props to the wedding and event photographer day of drinks of choice), made sure that all of our gear was packed and ready to go, stopped at Starbucks for a hit of that liquid gold, and off we went.

We figured out real early that first day that the k.H.a cooler, while heavy with drinks and ice, was not heavy enough to stay in the cart when we went around corners. (That tidbit of knowledge only took twice to sink in) Which meant that Colby was tasked with driving, while I rode shotgun, using my legs to keep the cooler where it was supposed to be.

The next two days were spent zipping around the show field, capturing alllllll the things. This show was the first ever auto show for both Colby and myself, which meant that we were both essentially little kids in a candy store, for the first time ever. Experiencing it, and soaking it all in, cameras in hand, eff-ing fantastic.

Arthritis Foundation Auto Show Food Court

Plus, Y’all, the food carts at the Auto Show? Ballin’. We dug into funnel cake, because if duh. If you’re able to be at a festival that has a booth selling funnel cakes, and you’re able to avoid it entirely, you’re a better person than we are. We inhaled that thing. Then lemonade. Then burritos. Something along the lines of keeping our energy levels up and whatnot.

Rockin’ out with Snidely Whiplash

Saturday, the second day of the Auto Show, Snidely Whiplash performed, and lemme tell ya, these guys have real big energy and are real fun to watch.

The show was wrapping up, I was done shooting, so I kicked my feet up on the dash of my golf cart, popped a top, and enjoyed the show. There could not have been a better way to end the weekend.