2020 in Review

It was never really my intent to make Kirst Photography a ‘real’ thing.

My interest with photography started with a passion for documenting my own life. I wanted to show others my perspective. With my degree in Art History, I was trained to notice the small differences, the impact of interesting composition, the shift in focus. I began documenting things that I loved, and that changed to documenting the people that I loved. I loved catching a small glimpse into someone’s expression, even if I was the only one that knew what it meant. I wanted the viewer to see what I was seeing, and now I had to learn to tell the camera to show you what I was seeing.

2021 was an interesting year, to say the least. We all have had our challenges with the world wide pandemic, and for me, it was the pandemic that changed my life in a positive (for the most part) way. I began the summer of 2020 furloughed from my full time job, and the market was anything but plentiful, so I did what I could to make ends meet. I started slinging coffee for the siren and picked up my years-old DSLR to learn a new language.

By the end of 2020, I understood the concepts of shooting in manual mode, learned to edit, and started to experiment with friends in front of the lens (shoutout to my very first couple peeps in front of the lens; my fiancé Jacob, Emily, Reebs, Alli, & Payt). 2021 started with a few friends asking me to take their graduation photos, their family pictures, engagement pictures, and I even did a few boudoir shoots. 2021 was full of experimentation in terms of session types, poses, learning how to be more creative now that I was mastering the mechanics. My hodgepodge of payments and records were not cutting it anymore, and one upgrade became another, and my LLC was created.

To be paid for your skills, your vision as an artist… it’s hard to describe how that feels. It’s validating, scary, exciting, and a million other things all at once. This year, in 2021, I had 29 shoots (6 individuals, 14 pairs, 6 groups, 2 special events, and 1 wedding). I’ve obtained a business license and invested in my learning and growth with confidence for the first time. It still takes me a while to feel this accomplishment (imposter syndrome is real, even when you’re literally doing the damn thing).

I don’t really know where I was going with this week’s blog, but I do know how thankful I am to have been given the opportunity to share my vision in the way I have in 2021.

Here’s to a year of growth and learning in the books, and to a brighter, and more creative 2022.

Love, Kirst