Happy Tuesday!!
Today we have a great interview with one of our featured members Katy Gray. We hope you enjoy learning more about her and her business and seeing some of her beautiful work!
Katy Gray Photography
www.katygray.com/blog
How long have you been doing photography?
I’ve been taking photos since I was about seven and wouldn’t let my brother use my parents’ old Canon on a family vacation to Florida. Since then it seems like I’ve always had a camera, even if it was just a disposable one from the grocery store…I just couldn’t figure out how you could go to parties, go on vacation, live your every day life and not take pictures of it. Since then I’ve gone back to school and gotten my BA in photography from MSU – I graduated in 2004.
Where is your business located?
Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
What type of photography do you do?
I mainly shoot weddings with some portraiture on the side.
What was the thing that attracted you to photography the most?
I’m a bit of an introvert, so I think that taking pictures allows me to be a participant without having to mingle, if that makes any sense. So that’s one thing. But really I just love that frozen moment, that ‘wow, that’s how we looked RIGHT THEN’ feeling. There is nothing cooler than finding a box of old photos and imagining their lives and stories and why they had their photo taken right at that exact moment.
Plus, when shooting weddings almost more than anything else – you’re recording history. No, it’s not world history or even national, but it’s family history and I just love the thought of one of my bride’s grand-daughters getting out their wedding album to see how pretty and happy and in love Grandma and Grandpa were on their wedding day.
What kind of cameras do you shoot with?
I shoot Canon – mainly the 5d mk II and then two 20D’s for backup. I’ve also got an old all manual Canon and a Pentax of similar vintage and a Holga – I’m getting quite a backlog of film since I never make it to the darkroom!
What is your favorite lens to shoot with and why?
I love love love the 45 mm TS-E from Canon – it just meshes so well with how I see things and how I want my images to look. I love the dreaminess you get with the tilt and I love that I have to work a little harder to get it just right as it’s a manual focus. Plus the tilt changes the amount of light that hits the sensor so there’s a lot of exposure compensation going on there.
For more traditional imagery I love the 50 mm 1.4 – the bokeh is sooooo pretty and it’s such a great all-purpose lens.
What is your favorite part of running your business?
Shooting! 
And hearing from brides who are so excited about their images and can’t wait to share them with all of their friends. If I make someone cry with my pictures that is such a good day.
What do you feel is the biggest challenge of running your business?
Networking. Marketing. As I mentioned above I’m a bit of an introvert so it’s really out of my comfort zone to introduce myself to vendors and set up a referral network and just get my name out there!
What do you think your clients like most about your work?
I think that it’s a bit different, especially for my area. There are quite a few photographers here but very few of them are using textures or funky processing in their post-wedding workflow. I try to keep it subtle but I think it really adds a quality to the finished image that they can’t get from just anyone.
How has The Shoppe helped your business?
I’ve used quite a few of the textures from the Shoppe (they work GREAT integrated with TRA Dirty Pictures, btw!!) – I really like them at a lower opacity to give images an aged quality. I’ve also picked out a few of the holiday cards to market to my clients this winter season.
What is your favorite section or item in The Shoppe?
Textures! And I love all of the brushes but haven’t had a chance to use them yet. Oh and the card designs!! And if I didn’t already have my branding in place I’d die for the Chinoserie branding pack.
Thanks for sharing Katy!! Here is some of her gorgeous images she has shared with us:
Also here are a couple samples of how she used our holiday cards this year:
