Photographer Spotlight Kenna Klosterman

Photographer Spotlight: Kenna Klosterman04 Oct

Kenna Klosterman, photo by Andy Strachwsky

Kenna Klosterman is a boutique portrait artist based in Seattle specializing in maternity, babies, and children. She’s dreamed about working for National Geographic and took her first leap into the world of photography in high school, when she received a hand-me-down Olympus OM10 SLR from her dad. Hours spent in the darkroom perfecting her craft have paid off, because now Klosterman is not only a working photographer, but also a host, blogger and social media gal for creativeLIVE, a live worldwide creative classroom founded by Craig Swanson and Chase Jarvis. Klosterman, who says her personal vision is to enable change through powerful imagery, focuses her personal work on social documentary, humanitarian and cultural travel photography in Seattle, as well as globally on location. She sat down with us for a Q&A and shared insights on being a pro photographer.

My first camera was…
Some kind of inexpensive point and shoot that parents would buy for a 12-year-old. I’d consider my first “real” camera an Olympus OM10 SLR that my dad handed down to me in high school for my darkroom classes.

Photo by Kenna Klosterman

I wanted to become a photographer because…
When I was a kid my dad used a camera for his job as a location manager for TV and movies. The huge stacks of prints he’d bring home after scouting locations always fascinated me. I’d help him stitch together scenes with tape to present to his director. In high school I was that girl always hanging out in the darkroom. I majored in anthropology in college and fell in love with visual storytelling via ethnographic film and documentary still photography.

My first paying photography job was…
I had a short photojournalism stint in college shooting for The Daily Californian – an independent student newspaper at UC Berkeley. Those were the days of getting assigned an event to cover, picking up rolls of black & white film, shooting, rushing back to the office to develop the film, printing a contact sheet in the darkroom and hoping that my editor would be delighted with at least one image for the story.

Photo by Kenna Klosterman

My first BIG paying photography job was…
There were many, many “little” paying jobs before they got BIG. Once I branded myself as a maternity and baby photographer, I was pretty excited when I sold my very first “First Year Collection” – a portrait series of maternity, newborn, 6-month and 1-year photo shoots for a single client.

I got started in maternity and baby photography…
During my first year of shooting professionally I was willing to try anything and everything. Families, corporate events, weddings, children, nature – the list goes on. I quickly realized that I needed to focus, or potential clients (and I) wouldn’t be able to figure out what kind of photographer I am. When traveling I found myself able to connect and make portraits with women and children across cultures and language barriers. A light bulb went off and I began to seek out pregnant friends to build my portfolio. Then those friends had babies and those babies turned into toddlers and I found my niche.

Photo by Kenna Klosterman

I would describe my style or shooting philosophy as…
Photographer Jasmine Star told me to define my shooting style in three words and then live and breathe my three words with my imagery, brand and everything that I do. My three words are: Earthy, Joyous and Soulful. My clients say they love how I bring out the spirit of ‘the child within’ at any age.

Some of my industry role models are…because…
Tamara Lackey for her business prowess and methods of engaging with children as her subjects. Ami Vitale for her cultural documentary story telling. Michael Smith and Paula Chamlee, who are masters of their large format craft and were my first photography mentors.

I knew there was no turning back when…
In an attempt to satisfy a childhood dream of shooting for National Geographic, I traveled around the world photographing for the year of 2008 – for myself, not Nat Geo. I returned to a tanking global economy and believed my only option was to crawl back to my former line of work in product marketing. Six months later, after leaving my fourth corporate job in the span of 5 years, I realized, “It’s not them, it’s me!” Those big companies, cubicles and me – we just don’t suit each other. I didn’t exactly know how I was going to make a living as a photographer, but I knew I had to take the leap for my sanity and soul.

If I could choose one dream gig, it would be…
Other than that old National Geographic dream? A close second: being hired by a local or global humanitarian organization to photograph a custom image library to publicize its cause and enable change.

Before I got started in the industry, I wish somebody had told me…
Three things. 1) There is no ONE right way of doing things, there is no ONE right path to becoming a professional photographer. 2) There is no such thing as perfect. You have to redefine your relationship with the concept of “perfect” or you may forever be blocked. 3) There are no failures – only learning.

Photo by Kenna Klosterman

One thing NO ONE could have ever prepared me for is…
How to tackle fear of the unknown. I’m still practicing on a daily basis. I don’t think anyone is ever fully prepared for fear. Overcoming fear again and again goes hand in hand with being an artist and a solopreneur.

My favorite piece of gear is…
My Canon 85mm 1.8 lens for its buttery goodness. The 1.2 might be creamier and perhaps if I had the money I’d buy it, but the 1.8 is my own little taste of portrait heaven.

Besides working as a photographer, how else are you involved in the industry?
I am honored to be a host, blogger and social media gal for creativeLIVE – a live, worldwide creative classroom offering education in photography, filmmaking, business and software. We broadcast free workshops taught by industry leaders with the goal of reaching as many people as we can around the globe who may not otherwise have access to such education. The magic with creativeLIVE is that we’re truly a virtual classroom during our events. My co-host Susan Roderick and I relay questions from our online participants to our instructors in real time. We even have a regular student tuning in from his winter post in Antarctica! It’s a true gift to be a window between a global audience and talented teachers within an organization that is changing the face of creative education.

Follow Kenna on Twitter @kennakphoto or Like her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kennakphoto

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11 Responses to “Photographer Spotlight: Kenna Klosterman”

JasmineStar (October 6th, 2011 at 9:06 am)

LOVE IT!!
Andy Unknown Photographer (October 6th, 2011 at 9:29 am)

SAAAWWEEEEEETTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!
Laurie Iten (October 6th, 2011 at 10:03 am)

You go girl!!!!
Lori (October 6th, 2011 at 10:14 am)

wow! what an awsome post for a truly awsome photographer!
Kenna Klosterman (October 6th, 2011 at 10:37 am)

THANK YOU Tether Tools and thank you to everyone who has, does and will inspire, encourage and support my journey! Happy photographing to all of you!
Terry Sikora (October 6th, 2011 at 12:24 pm)

Wonderful article! Thank you, Kenna, for sharing your gifts with the world!
kari (October 6th, 2011 at 1:53 pm)

Very nice Kenna!!! How exciting to be featured!!!
Barb Demusz (October 6th, 2011 at 3:34 pm)

Kenna, great article. I know a photographer that worked for Nat. Geo. I’ll email him this article. Maybe that dream will happen!!
Susan Roderick (October 6th, 2011 at 3:55 pm)

Great article Kenna! You are an amazing woman!
Gary Green (October 6th, 2011 at 6:38 pm)

Wow, Kenna I never knew! But know this, you have the ability and talent. Make your dream come true!
Jennifer Folz (October 7th, 2011 at 7:34 am)

Great article Kenna. I see you on Creative Live all the time so it is really nice to get to know a little more about you.

Photographer Spotlight: Ginger Unzueta

The Unzueta family. Photo courtesy of Amy Grimme Photography

Ginger Unzueta is a mother of three and part of a Marine family living in Central Florida. Ginger’s passion for life shines in her photographs, which capture some of life’s most precious moments. Her family and child portraits are stunning thanks to fantastic work with natural light, but it’s the photos Ginger snaps during military family reunions that simply leap from the screen.

My first camera was…
A point and shoot model I had as a child. I really don’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t have a camera. My first “real” camera was a Canon SLR. I was enamored with all of its capabilities in comparison to a point and shoot. After we had our first child, we bought a DSLR Canon Rebel. I currently shoot with a Nikon d700.

Photo by Ginger Unzueta

  I got started in child and family photography because…
I wanted to share this God given talent with other parents. I realized not all families had the resources or time to capture the everyday moments of loved ones. I cherish these moments because time with our children goes by much too quickly. I feel like it is so important to record these events with your family and to “get in” the pictures, too. I need to be better about that myself.

I wanted to become a photographer because…
I don’t remember consciously ever deciding to become a photographer. I feel like it has always been a part of who I am. After we had our first daughter, I knew that I didn’t want to forget all of the milestones and amazing every day moments. I knew I had a lot more to learn to capture the type of images I was longing for. I began reading and studying and shooting as much as I could.

Photo by Ginger Unzueta

I would describe my style or shooting philosophy as…
Real, authentic, and a bit nostalgic. I am a lover of gorgeous light. I love sun and haze. I want my photographs to tell a story. I want them to evoke emotion and to inspire families to continue to make such loving memories together.

Some of my industry role models are…
This question is hard. There are so many amazing people in this industry. I can’t say that I have studied any one photographer and dream to be like them, rather, my hope has been to evolve into my own style. Over the last year, I’ve been involved with a forum called the Bloom Forum. I can’t say enough wonderful things about the moderators and members. It is an awesome place for growth and encouragement. In addition, I recently participated in a workshop called Finding the Light. This was an amazing two months for me. The techniques and knowledge I gained on natural lighting were phenomenal.

Photo by Ginger Unzueta

I think photography is important because…
We never get today back. It is a way to save all of those memories and, in an essence, re-live them over and over again.

One family I photographed that I’ll never forget was…
My friend’s reunion with her husband after his 10-month deployment to the Middle East. I knew firsthand the feelings she was experiencing. There is such a surge of emotions from nervousness, relief, and thanksgiving. There are not enough words to describe the surge of emotions both the deployed loved one and the family that’s been home are feeling. Capturing such a “real” and “intimate” reunion will allow for them to reflect years down the road on this life-changing experience in addition to sharing with generations of family to come. It is pretty amazing!

Photo by Ginger Unzueta

The one thing I want my child and family photographs to communicate to deployed mothers or fathers is…
I want each photo to be a vivid reminder that family members are back home waiting for them and that, most importantly, they love and support them. Throughout my husband’s several deployments to the Middle East, he always cherished receiving photos of our family. No matter how difficult or busy his days were, seeing photos of the children and me made “everything” just fine for a short few moments. Although thousands of miles away, he was with us again as he viewed each picture…priceless!

A dream gig would be…
My husband and I have always said we’d love to go on a mission trip together. What a privilege it would be to capture photos of families in other cultures. There are so many people around the globe that have never seen themselves through photographs. This would be an incredible gift to share.

Photo by Ginger Unzueta

Show Us Your Set-Up

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In-studio workstation using the Tether Table Aero Master in non-reflective black with a Peel & Place Mousepad, TetherPro USB 2.0 Cable and Clip-On JerkStopper Computer Support. Photo by Sean Armenta

You searched for it. You found it. You put it to work. We want to see your Tether Tools gear in action! Send us behind-the-scenes shots of you using your Tether Tools equipment during a shoot and you could be featured in our upcoming Tether Tools Users video.

We’ll be collecting images (and videos if you’ve got ‘em) and creating a video using Animoto that shows all the creative ways fans put their Tether Tools gear to work. You’ll get a photo credit, of course, and you may be featured in a future edition of our newsletter.

And just for participating, we’ll enter you in a drawing to win a surprise gift from Tether Tools and a free membership to Animoto, one of the best ways for photographers to maximize sales and develop a creative word-of-mouth campaign. The online program turns photos and video clips into professional video slideshows that you can easily share with clients or across your social media networks.

To have your image included in the video and be in the running for the prize, send us your behind-the-scenes images
by Friday, May 18. Be sure to include basic information such as the location and concept of the shoot. We’ll post our video featuring your image and draw a winner at random on Monday, May 21.

Equipment and Accessories for Videographers

Mount your iPad with the Tether Tools Wallee Connect for video calibration.

Tether Tools gear isn’t just ideal for shooting still photography – there are various ways to put our workstation solutions to use when shooting video as well:

Tether Tables – Having a laptop workstation on set is ideal for production managers who want a portable working solution to access files, update scripts, develop editing notes and keep an all-around organized workflow going for the crew.
Studio Vu – Viewing footage on a monitor for the crew to see is important when on a film set. The Studio Vu allows you to mount any monitor to an existing c-stand.

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Connect your iPad to the camera via the Connect Bracket and Zacuto Adapter for use as a teleprompter.

Wallee iPad Mounts – Using the iPad as a teleprompter, clap board, time keeper, set reference chart, or complete video planner? Then you’ll need a place to mount the iPad to your film gear. The Wallee iPad system offers complete video integration using various options – our Zacuto Adapter for Wallee or the Easy Grip System used with the Wallee Connect. And Tether Tools new Connect Light makes it easy and simple to mount the iPad within a film production setting.
StrapMoore – When it comes to cable organization and keeping gear from getting damaged, the StrapMoore is just about the best grip friend you can imagine. Keep powerbricks attached to camera stands, prevent cords from dragging or getting caught under rolling stands, or simply use it to keep anything you need nearby.

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Use the StrapMoore to keep powerbricks, cords and cables from getting caught under-foot or under rolling camera stands.

Want to see all of these solutions in action? Tether Tools will be at the 2012 NAB SHOW April 16-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Center showcasing workstation solutions for video and film. Be sure to stop by the B&H Photo-Video-ProAudio Booth #C11022.