Name: Caity Kramer
Major: Visual Communications
Year: Freshman
HC: When did you discover your passion for photography?
Caity: My passion for photography really developed over time. As a young kid, I always loved filling my disposable camera up with frame after frame of random shots from our family vacations. I got a small camera for Christmas one year, but it soon fell to the bottom of my bag as other things began to take priority. Then, one day during my sophomore year of high school, I was flipping through someone’s photography album on Facebook (I am such a Facebook creep, I’ll admit it!). I was absolutely captivated by her images, and that was when I knew that I wanted to get into photography. I found my trusty point and shoot again, and began playing around with it. Soon I knew that I wanted to do more, and asked for a DSLR for my birthday. I absolutely fell in love! Everything from setting exposures to editing to sharing was absolutely fascinating for me. I soon got into portrait photography thanks to a shoot my sister asked me to do with her and her best friend and absolutely fell in love!
HC: It seems your focus is on portraits, what lead you to this?
Caity: When I first started photography, the idea of portrait photography seriously made me so nervous. I would have to talk to people and pose them all while setting and using my camera?! It sounded both impossible and intimidating. One day over a Christmas break, my sister asked me to do a shoot with her and her best friend. I was apprehensive, but I also didn’t have much to do that day, so I thought why not? It was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. They got dressed up, and we went to a local park. I shot frame after frame, and immediately rushed home to check out what I captured. I remember being so incredibly proud of these shots, and editing the colors to perfection. I was hooked. A few months later, my friend approached me to do her senior portraits, and from there on, I just fell more and more in love. My style has change A LOT from these first couple of shoots, and I always love looking back on how much I’ve grown over the past two years!
HC: How did you decide to create a photography business out of this hobby?
Caity: It honestly happened (almost) by accident. When I got a camera, I never even thought about portrait photography let alone making a business out of it. I shot my first few sessions for free, but soon people began to offer to pay me. I eventually set up a Facebook page, and later a blog. Although I was originally really scared about how people might perceive me, something about pursuing this path just felt right to me.
HC: How has Captured by Caity grown since it began in 2011?
Caity: My mind is absolutely blown by the amount Captured by Caity has grown since 2011. I would never even believe that I would be trying to start my own business at such a young age. I can honestly really thank all my senior friends that trusted me to do their senior portraits when I was just starting out. Through word of mouth, and Facebook sharing, I gradually started to gain a following, and more photo inquiries. I soon began to get family photo requests for Christmas cards, shots for kid’s birthdays, and just for fun photos. I have even gotten a few inquires for weddings which really blows me away! My style has definitely changed and evolved as I learn different techniques, and it is so much fun and definitely very humbling, to look back on where I came from. I still have a long way to go, but I am having so much fun right now that I can’t wait to see where I am going to be in the future.
HC: It’s hard to make that step from something you love to something you love that can also be a career. How would you suggest other college girls do the same with their passions?
Caity: This one’s hard! I think my best piece of advice would be: don’t be afraid of hard work. If you want something, you are responsible for making it happen. If you want it bad enough, you will make it happen no matter what. Immerse yourself in your field of choice, follow the leaders in your industry, and learn and practice as much as you possibly can.
HC: What do you hope to do with your photography in the future?
Caity: Short term, I am hoping to do a few photo sessions, and assist a few photographers at weddings over the summer. I was on the Photography Committee for THON this year, and really hope to continue with this throughout my time here at Penn State! I plan to pursue a major in Visual Communications with a minor in business to really strengthen my skills when it comes to running a business and interacting with clients. I really love wedding and engagement photography and hope to make this my main focus one day! Overall though, I really just want to build my business, and become the best photographer that I can possibly be! I really am lucky to be able to do what I love, and I am so excited to see what the future may hold :)