Inspirational Photographers

I would like to introduce work from some photographer friends of mine on my blog and this week I am starting with Kat Evans, an incredibly sweet and talented self-taught freelance photographer from Nashville TN.

Kat says: 'For years, photography was always more of a serious hobby for me. 'Real' photography was for the pros. Well, things started to change when I went on a trip to the Southwest and took some photos of my cousin Chelsea in Monument Valley. My cousin is half Navajo and she had just had her kinaalda (or puberty ceremony) earlier that year. I wanted to capture the "essence" if you would, of this young Navajo girl transitioning into a womanhood.

The moment I received the prints from that roll of film, and saw my "vision" on photographic paper in front of me, well. . . I was stoked! It was from that moment that I knew I truly wanted to pursue photography more seriously. However, making the decision to pursue a creative career was a little difficult. For nearly ten years, I had been working for a large arts & crafts retailer and had earned my way to a nice paycheck. I would be giving up the stability of this cash flow, and like many, I had to weigh out what was more important to me at the time. I chose to work for corporate America. But there was something always missing. I missed the creativity'

'This is one of the photos I captured for my Project 365. This is one of my all-time faves because this captures one of those moments that I was glad I had a camera. In this shot, my daughter, Aislin, my little photographer, is capturing her own image. I don't see a toddler, I see an independent little girl ready to capture the world one image at a time.

As many mothers can relate, everything changed when I found out I was pregnant. Suddenly, life isn't about you anymore. You become more aware of the simple things that make life much more meaningful. I wanted to slow down and smell the roses, and then capture a photo of it so that I could relive that memory down the road. Just a few months after my beautiful daughter was born, I decided to leave the company. And for several months after that, my husband (also an aspiring photographer) and I would shoot portraits and a few weddings to bring in extra cash while at the same time, fine tune our skills. I LOVED it!

'While living in Lexington, Kentucky, I got a chance to take some photos of the Lexington Ballet rehearse for an upcoming performance. Watching this dancer from the bottom of the stage, I was mesmerized. The emotion, the flow of movement, the dedication. I left the Opera House that day with a deep respect and admiration for the ballet.

Then, just as quickly as things were starting to look up, my husband was laid off. I found myself going back to 50-70 hour work weeks. Even though I liked my job, I didn't LOVE it. It was something I had to do, not want to do. Then about a year later, we received a phone call from my husband's old employer back in Nashville. He was offered a job and so, we packed our things and left Kentucky to move back to good ol' Tennessee. Now, I am trying to balance life working part-time at a bookstore, volunteering, building my portfolio AND raise my family. One of my favorite photographers, Rodney Smith, once said "To take better pictures, you must become a better person." I'm working on it.'

My daughter was just a few months old when we took her to the carnival. I never took notice of carousels before until that day. The calliope music and movement of the horses kept my daughter's attention (it still does to this day) and while standing there, watching it go 'round and 'round, I realized just how beautiful these things were.

'I love hands. Which is ironic because I hate mine. My sister lovingly calls them "bear paws." This photo is the most recent addition to my Project 365 collection. It is from a statue that stands in the cemetery where my grandmother's body was laid to rest many years ago. This reminds me of her hands. Her beautiful, loving, artist hands.'

I want to thank Kat for this interview and for sharing her beautiful images as well as her thoughts.

Kat's blog is here and Kat's photoblog is here