The First Annual Watermelon Picnic // k.H.a.lifestyle photography // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

September 21, 2017 By // by kate

One of the biggest reasons we decided to move out to Ohio last year was that we wanted to be closer to our every growing brood of nieces and nephews. I’m about 90% that we’ve crossed in the twenties when counting them all up. Growing up, my aunts played a pivotal role in my life, coming to soccer games, swim meets, track meets, school plays, and one ill-fated attempt at a dance rehearsal. We had sleepovers, and when we were older a whole bunch of long conversations that you don’t realize at the time are shaping the adult that you’ll become, but that’s totally what’s happening. I hated that we were so far away, and that in all reality (at the time) a lot of them didn’t know who I was.

They got the concept of “Uncle Jeff is married to Aunt Kate”, and they could identify that Jeff was in fact Uncle Jeff, but when it came to knowing who I was, nope. No idea. I will never forget the moment that my then youngest niece stood with next to her mom, wrapped around her legs asking who I was. Well, says my sister in law, that’s uncle Jeff, so who’s that? Silence. Then a shy “I don’t know”.

My heart cracked a little bit at that. The chance to be more involved in the lives of this side of the family and get to be a part of thier lives? In a heartbeat.

I called my sister in law that lives here in Columbus and asked her if she’s bring my two nephews over for a watermelon and popsicle idea I had had brewing for some time. She said yes.

We got to have a backyard snack picnic, the littlest brother got to have his first popsicle, and we played. It was amazing.

Chef Thom Stevenson // Cancer Support Community of Central Ohio

August 15, 2017 By // by kate

When you cook, you are doing more than preparing food. You are feeding peoples souls.

Last year I volunteered to photograph the Night of Chocolate fundraiser gala for Cancer Support Community of Central Ohio, which was fantastic, and have teamed up with them for a few more projects, which includes this years Night of Chocolate, (tickets can be purchased by clicking [HERE]) which is going to be FANTASTIC. I had the opportunity to meet and photograph thier executive chef, Thom Stevenson.

In addition to being the executive chef for Cancer Support Community, he is a professor at Ohio University, and is all around an awesome person. He and I had a ball talking food, laughing, and talking kitchen stories.

I can’t wait to work with him again.

Chef Tom Stevenson // Cancer Support Community

Red Twig Farms | Ohio’s Best Boutique Peonies

August 5, 2017 By // by kate

I met the McCollough crew last year, two days after we arrived in Ohio, why my sister-in-law told me we were going to a peony farm, to pick up fresh cut flowers for the house. Sure, why not, right? At that point, I was down for pretty much anything, especially as it was still very surreal that we were finally there, we had made it. The cleaning, packing, driving, and all of the crazy chaos of moving was done. We were here. It was weird.

I took my camera along, cause hello, I don’t go anywhere without it, and I am so crazy grateful that I did.

We drove just out of the city, out past New Albany to Red Twig Farms, and pulled into the gravel lot. The big ass door (seriously, it’s almost the size of the entire wall) was rolled up, every flat surface was filled with jugs and buckets of peony’s, and the light that pours into that building, so beautiful.

I made sure to ask before shooting, as I find it incredibly rude and presumptuous when photographers assume they’re allowed to shoot inside buisness’ without express permission, and as a part of that, handed my business card to Lindsay. From there? The rest is history.

This year I photographed the VIP event that they had early one misty late spring morning as well as the farm store opening, which if you haven’t been to, you’ve got to make it out next year.

There’s not such thing as too many peonies. Ever.

The peony’s themselves, huge, gorgeous, and those suckers last. Just make sure that you don’t crowd them in thier jars. I learned about that one this year. Having the big fluffy blooms in vases scattered throughout my house all spring was the pop of color and pretty that I needed. Not to mention they made the house smell fantastic.

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Re Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Red Twig Farms

Red Twig Farms // Farm Store

Red Twig Farms // VIP Event

Emily + Krista // k.H.a. lifestyle photography // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

July 13, 2017 By // by kate

I met Emily just before Christmas, at Marcellas up on Polaris, and it was this instant click of recognition. She and I started hanging out in the winter sunlight here in Ohio and have been friends since. I knew the first time we met that I was going to get her in front of camera, we just didn’t know when.

Emily + Krista share a big, beautiful, amazing kind of love. #columbusohio #khalifstylephotography Share on X

The love they have for each other fills the room.

This spring, we finally made it happen. (Also, Emily is a dog whipserer like you would not believe. Eddie, the dog who used to be afraid of EVERYONE took right to her, and Otis was right behind him). They don’t even relax on me they way they do with her. It’s fantastic to watch, and it happens eery time she comes over.

ANYHOW.

Watching these two interact is so cool. the love that they have for each other fills the room. Seriously, it rubs off on everyone around them.

Krista started out in front of the camera, and the laughter started flowing. I’m tellin’ ya, thier love fills whatever room they happen to be in.

Arlo, thier furchild, who btw, has (his own Instagram.) even decided that he would let us get a few frames of him as well. You should check it out, it’s fun to watch he and his person Emily on their adventures.

Snuggle sessions, lifestyle sessions, I love this. Being able to put people at ease enough to let down the guard that EVERYONE puts up when they get in front of a camera (professionals aside) down, and let me show them how truly beautiful they are, this is my passion.

Want to schedule a session for you and yours?

Let’s talk.

Emily + Krista

Welcome Home Eliza // Garrison Family Lifestyle // k.H.a. lifestyle photography // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

May 30, 2017 By // by kate

I met Missy this winter when Heather, Jesi, and I shot her maternity portraits. Missy was a suuuuuper good sport about our creative ideas as well, being willing to wade out in the water at Hoover on the third day of January. In the rain. In a few different dresses. In weather that was hovering just under 40 degrees. Did I mention what a good sport she was?

Once she and her husband Steve welcomed thier new baby girl Eliza to the family, and Avery had settled into his new role of big brother, they invited me into thier home to hang out and capture lifestyle portraits of their newly expanded family for them.

SO. MUCH. FUN.

And Now They Are Four // Garrison Family Lifestyle #Columbusohio #ohiophotographer #khalifestylephotography Share on X

Avery and I played with race cars, he showed me how high he can bounce on his bed (with mom’s approval, of course) and got to eat PB&J for lunch.

Eliza is SUCH an adorable little gal, with the COOLEST hair do.

If Not Now, When? // k.H.a. lifestyle photographer // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

May 11, 2017 By // by kate

It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. In that gut check, what is important to me, we get one shot at this whole doing life thing kind of way. It’s been eye opening, hard, amazing, and most importantly I was in a place that I was able to really get IT!

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always known, in that deep down secret place within yourself that we all have, that we try to gloss over, and we try to squash because we’re doing what is expected of us, that I wasn’t meant to work for someone else.

I fought it for years, and tried my level best to make it work in the corporate world.

Think about that for a second. What is expected of you? What is it that you think you have to do to be successful? What do your friends expect of you? What family expectations are you laboring under?

Have them in your mind? Heavy aren’t they? Why the hell do we put that kind of pressure on ourselves?

I can hear what you’re thinking :: Kate, I have to pay bills, I have to feed my family. Well no shit. Those responsibilities and obligations aren’t what I’m talking about. EVERYONE feels that pressure, that’s just a part of being an adult.

Dig a little deeper than that. I’m talking about the yard sticks that we’re measuring ourselves against. The voices that say “well, in order for so and so to like me, and be my friend I have to ______”, “My family expects _________ of me”, “what will so and so think of me if _______”, “to be successful in my industry and business I have to do ______”.

Again, I’m not talking about the basics of being a decent person. I’m not talking about the hard work and the behaviours that you have to put in to get to where you want to be.

I’m talking about the bullshit lies that we tell ourselves. I’m talking about the standards that you *think* you need to hit in order for others to view you in a certain light.

I spent damn near a decade trying to live up to what others thought I should do, thought I should be, thought how I should dress, how I should act, how I should talk to customers, and listening to people who in some cases were horrible human beings, tell me why I wasn’t doing it right.

Throughout all of that, I was hitting every bench mark that on paper showed that I was achieving pretty remarkable successes in my career.

I was miserable. And over the last couple years that I did everything in my power to shoehorn myself into that world, it didn’t just take a toll on me creatively. It affected who I was. It made me physically sick. And I couldn’t even see it.

I had co-workers asking me when enough was going to be enough, and I maintained the same thing. “I’ll know when I know.”

That night came one winter, when I watched this woman who had recruited me to work for her, (so you’d think she wanted me to be there right? after all, she approached me about working for and selling for her) added that one final straw.

She tore into a coworker who’d stood up for me. That was it. That was my breaking point.

Six minutes into the next morning, I resigned.

After I’d worked out my two weeks (undoubtably the longest two weeks of my entire life) and left the office for the final time, I crashed. There was no free-ing feeling, there was no relief that I never had to go back again, what I instead felt was simply an exhaustion.

Three months after that night, as I was just starting to feel like I was starting to show glimmers of who I really am, we packed it all in and moved across the country.

The growth that you experience when you dive head first out of your comfort zone is amazing. AMAZING. So-freakin’-hard-can’t-stop-ugly-crying-flirting-with-the-edges-of-pulling-the-covers-over-your-head-and-not-coming-back-out kind hard.

It is 100% worth it.

Featured on LadyBossBloggers // k.H.a. lifestyle photography // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

April 10, 2017 By // by kate

Kathryn Heitkamp is a photographer and blogger who finds inherent joy in entertaining, exploring the world, meeting new people and learning their stories. She’s a lover of paper planners, copious amounts of caffeine, red wine, gold fish crackers, good manicures, lattes, big Jackie-O style sunglasses, sparkling water, blue pens, lipstick, and black yoga-esque pants & boots (or sandals in the summer months). She has had a camera in her hands for as long as she can remember, a background in professional kitchens, and has a big workaholic problem. Read our interview with the lovely Kathryn below…

What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?

After a long and incredibly wearing attempt to fit into Corporate America, I left that world to regroup. Then three months later, my husband and I moved across the country to Columbus, Ohio, leaving our family in Portland, Oregon to be closer to our family in Ohio. I dove into establishing my business in a completely new market and haven’t looked back since.

Tell us about your business.

My photography studio has a few different facets:

Under my “k.H.a.lifestyle photography brand” I do weddings, portraits, and events.
Under my “cook.eat.explore brand” I do food photography. Food and photography have both been long time passions of mine and rather than trying to decide between the two (and with the support and final push from my husband) I decided to embrace both!

I work with my clients to capture the truest portraits, working to put them at ease in front of my camera. I find the most joy in hearing my clients say, “That’s me? Oh wow, I’ve hated every portrait of myself before now, and I LOVE that one!”

On the cook.eat.explore side of my business, I interview local chefs, restauranteurs, and the big dogs of the local food scene, bringing to life their passions and art for my readers. My goal is to get people out of the suburbs and chain restaurants and into local farm to table restaurants.

List awards/certifications/accomplishments.

I entered 50 of my favorite photos from 2016 into the Shoot & Share contest, and had three rank! One placed in the top 10% and two in the top 20% of over 300,000 photos entered.

Where is your business based?

I travel the country for my clients and am based out of Columbus, Ohio.

What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?

I have had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember, so once the decision was made to fully kick off my business, I spent the first year focusing on the legal side of things, making sure that all my ducks were in a row. Once contracts and processes were in place, websites up and running, the marketing started. From there, it’s been a rollercoaster of networking, shooting, traveling for clients, editing, and writing.

What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?

The most effective way of raising awareness for my business has been through two different channels.

First off, I have been getting out and networking with local creatives, through the local Tuesdays Together group of the Rising Tide Society, styled shoots with other photographers and vendors, and passing out what feels like an ocean of business cards.
Secondly, I’ve spent a year learning the ins and outs of Instagram, Facebook, the importance of hashtags, and how incredibly important consistent posting is.

What have been your biggest challenges so far?

My biggest challenge has been moving my relationship-based business to a city where I knew no one, essentially starting over from scratch, which in turn, became a blessing in disguise.

How did you overcome these challenges?

Overcoming these challenges has been challenge in and of itself. Everything in my world changed at once, and largely, I’ve rolled with it. Moving to a new city has afforded me the chance to focus wholly on business and on growing it. By networking with other creatives, I have found a community of people who face and deal with the same challenges on a daily basis, and have built up a tribe of other creatives who can lean on each other for business support, personal support, and who all act as each other’s sounding boards. My husband Jeff has been a major source of support as well, acting as a constant source of support and encouragement.

How do you keep motivated through difficult times?

While in the corporate world, I was given the nickname “Fearless”, which defines me pretty well. I will talk to anyone, about anything, and firmly believe that you miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take. My inherent belief in myself and my talent pulls me through the difficult times that come with being creative entrepreneur. I’ve learned, after a long while, to embrace the bad days, and stop beating myself up for having bad days. After all, everyone has them in every industry. At the end of the day, even with the difficulties that come with this life, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would rather work 200 hour weeks for myself, than 40 hours a week for someone else.

How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors?

I don’t ask the standard interview questions, rather I have two questions I prefer to ask and then I follow the lead of the person I am sitting down with. I am able to relax my clients while they’re in front of my camera, which as someone who actively despises being in front of camera, I understand the importance of feeling comfortable!

By doing so, I have been able to capture images of my clients as they truly are, creating portraits that are loved and shared. My passion for printed art stems from one simple sentence: “You may not ever understand the importance of a printed photograph, until it’s all you have left”. In our digital world, printed art work is making a comeback and I am helping to preserve my clients memories from start to finish.

What is the best advice you have received recently?

The best advice that I have received has been how incredibly important it is to take care of yourself. It is easy to get caught up in the never ending to-do lists that come with owning your own business, and feel as though you can always be doing more. Set business hours. Stick to them. If you continually put off taking care of yourself, it will catch up to you.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF. Get enough sleep. Drink enough water. Get out and do something physical. (Photography Yoga, anyone?) Make sure that you set business hours and truly BELIEVE in them.

What is your favorite business tool or resource?

My favorite business tool is my gigantic Plum Paper planner. Without it, I would be LOST. The biggest lie I’ve ever told myself is “oh, I don’t need to write that down, I’ll remember.” Not true. I need to write it down – pen to paper.

What social media outlets do you use? List them below.

Instagram @k.h.a.lifestylephotography, @cook.eat.explore
Twitter @kha_photography, @cook.eat.explore
Facebook www.facebook.com/whatkatescooking, www.facebook.com/k.h.a.lifestylephotography
Pinterest Cook.Eat.Explore & k.H.a.lifestylephotography
Website www.cookeatexplore.com, www.khalifestylephotography.com
Email kate@khalifestylephotography.com, kate@cookeatexplore.com
Hashtags #khalifestylephotography #cookeatexplore

What is a good article or book you have read recently?

Reading for fun has always been a passion of mine and I find my way back to the same two books to read for fun, to turn off the business side of my brain and recharge my batteries – “Wuthering Heights” & “Shadow of the Wind”.

What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?

I am always looking for new ways to network and market my business.

What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?

I am currently booking 2017 weddings and perfecting my blogging work flow.

A Series of Lightbulb Moments // k.H.a. Lifestyle Photography // Columbus Lifestyle Photographer

April 3, 2017 By // by kate

One weekend last summer while my cousin and her husband were visiting us here in Columbus she and I had a discussion about moving away from everyone and everything you know, essentially on a leap of faith.

She knows this better than anyone else I know, as she’s not only done so here in the States (multiple times), she also did so in Ireland. She get’s it.

As we were talking, one thought she had has really stuck with me.

Moving across the country (in her case ocean, country, ocean, country, country) is hard, and there a moments that really suck. However, the things that happen while you are so far out of your comfort zone are AMAZING.”

So. Much. Truth.

One of the many mental ‘light bulbs’ I’ve had since we moved is how important it really is to be true to who you are. Moving out here has been fantastic for me in that sense. I’m done trying to be someone I’m not, and in that, I’ve finally shrugged off the rest of the bank, and that feels amazing. (Light bulb number one.)

I’ve spent more hours than not since leaving Portland working. (not always so much on the getting paid part, but working nonetheless) A major part of that working has been learning, watching every webinar I can to learn from the people in the industry that I have crazy respect for.

I can’t remember who said it, so my apologize to whomever I am not crediting, but thier point was this :: We spend so much time working on the business side of things that we can forget what brought us into this business in the first place. (Light bulb number two :: the creativity of photography is what I love, capturing moments is what I love, and when I stop picking up my camera for myself, I tend to get crabby. Same goes when I spent too much time focused only on the business side of things.)

This year I was able to go to WPPI (you can read more about that here) and while there, completely recharged my creative batteries.

With that, came the realization that my creative kicks in the most at night, be it editing photography, writing for here or for Cook.Eat.Explore, or working on mood boards for styled shoots, I do my best at night, during the day, I can do the business side of things, and do them fairly well, but the creativity is for the night. (Light bulb number three.)

According to my mom it’s always been this way.

I fought this for a very, very long time, and have finally realized that it was time to stop fighting it. This is what works for me.

About a week and a half after that, Christine Tremoulet, one of the speakers I heard at WPPI last month (who is also a woman who I have crazy respect for) posted a blog talking about pretty much the same thing, only far, far more eloquently than I have.

I’m reposting her words below, however, click HERE to read them at her blog, which you need to do. (Shameless plug for her :: check her out, she’s fantastic all the way around.)

The Real Best Time of Day to Post

You’re spending all this time researching when is the best time of day to post online, when do you need to make your Instagram post so it gets the most eyes on it, how many times a week should you blog, all of it.

Have you considered when is the best time of day for YOU to post though?

When should you sit down and work?

When should you focus on writing – which takes a LOT of brain power – and when should you focus on tasks like responding to emails, editing photos, or even having client meetings – which don’t take quite so much?

When are you at your highest energy levels – and what are you doing during that time?

The Magic of the Morning

I have spent the past several months tackling this question for myself, determining how my work fits in with my morning routine, with my life, when should I be getting it done, when do I find myself just procrastiworking?

I like to believe that I’m a night owl, but it isn’t really true. Yes, I often stay up quite late at night, as I’ve always had strange sleep patterns. Nighttime is best for me to do things like redesigning a website – where I don’t need to be creative so much, I’m just rearranging code. (It is creative, but not the same as writing.)

For me, the best time to write, to create, to get my thoughts down? Is actually in the morning.

I’m fresh out of bed. I haven’t had a chance to get allow the needs of others pile on to my to do list. I’m at my creative peak.

So why is it that we often insist on doing anything but writing at that time of day?

Instead, I fill that time with appointments, with errands, with exercise.

Or with reading Facebook and Instagram, if I’m going to be honest.

Yes, the perk of being self-employed is that I can do things when I want to do them, but how much more would I get done if I took advantage of my own rhythms?

My high-energy, most well-rested, creative time of day is early in the morning. If I put off a blog post until 4pm, I’m tired. I’m dragging. My writing is stiff, it just doesn’t flow. I feel like I’m trudging through the mud, and who likes that?

Your Working Patterns

As I work with my coaching clients, I encourage them to pay attention to their own energy levels. When are you most creative? When do the thoughts that you want to share with others come to you? When are you best at articulating them?

Don’t put your blog posts off until later in the day, after you get all the busy work tasks done. Try for a week putting them first thing in the morning. See if it makes writing more enjoyable for you.

The morning is when most of us are in the highest in energy – stop squandering it on the tasks that take the least amount of effort. Or on reading Facebook. I promise, all those things will still be there, but you’ll have finally knocked that blog post off of your to-do list where it has lingered for the past week.

Have you figured out what time of day is best for you for doing tasks like this?

The world needs your voice. Get it out there.

Interested in Reading More?

These are just a few of the books I’ve read on this topic when I realized I needed a better morning routine:

The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8AM)
The 4-Hour Workweek

Family Photographer

When you cook, you are doing more than preparing food. You are feeding peoples souls.

There’s not such thing as too many peonies. Ever.

The love they have for each other fills the room.

Moving across the country (in her case ocean, country, ocean, country, country) is hard, and there a moments that really suck. However, the things that happen while you are so far out of your comfort zone are AMAZING.”

The Magic of the Morning

Your Working Patterns

Interested in Reading More?