Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Marie Trombetta.
Hi Kara, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I got my start in photography quite impulsively, actually. Beyond always enjoying taking photos, I had no real background or experience before I decided 14 years ago that I wanted to be a professional photographer. I went to work at my sales job one day, and by the time I came home that evening, I had enrolled in photography school and stopped by Best Buy to pick up an entry level D-SLR camera. What followed was a fast and furious deep dive into every niche of photography. In the early years I focused mostly on free work with models, then family photo shoots, then weddings, then boudoir. Ten years ago, I moved to Austin from Pennsylvania and finally honed in on what I was best at: photographing women. I opened a boudoir studio with the mission to spread the “epidemic” of confident women. Though my style has evolved to its own little sub-niche, my purpose remained the same and I’ve had my camera on thousands of women, helping them to celebrate themselves. Today, I am a full-time photographer, photography educator, multi-studio owner, and speaker. In two weeks, I will be relocating to Northern Italy where I will focus on developing my artistic craft while my wing women in Austin continue on their work under my studio name.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Of course it hasn’t been easy. I always joke that if a path is too easy for me, then I’m going the wrong way. When you’re a small business owner, your responsibilities are so multi-faceted that it’s nearly impossible to manage everything on your own…yet you must until you have the budget to outsource. Those early years tackling it all… wow… that was such a learning experience for me. When I grew my business to a stage in which I was able to outsource the things that I wasn’t best at (accounting, post-production, systems, client management, etc.), I was so accustomed to doing it solo that you could call me a bit of a control freak. Learning to let go of control and trust people to carry out my vision is something I will constantly struggle with. Another typical hardship of being a business owner is burn out. With a wait list, the demand was there and I definitely got caught in the trap of overworking- I’m predisposed to it, I think. As a result, I landed myself in the hospital a few years back with a progressed autoimmune flare up because I didn’t make myself a priority to get it checked out. When you nearly die, you tend to reevaluate your priorities. You wake up. After a long recovery, I change my lifestyle completely: I put my heath first, drastically cut my work load, and decided that the high-volume photo studio life was one that I wasn’t disciplined enough to scale back on. So I began making plans to lead a slower, more intentional life in my favorite place in the world.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My work has evolved over the years, but the constant is that I help women with their self-confidence or help them to celebrate their self-confidence through black and white portraiture. Once in the boudoir category, I simply call my work “confidence portraits” as the word “boudoir” didn’t seem to encompass what I offer. While, yes, the majority of my subjects are nude or minimally dressed, the focus isn’t on body parts or the sexualization of the female form for the viewer’s benefit. Instead, it’s photography FOR women. It’s about stripping down all the “extra” that women usually carry around or slather on their faces or squeeze their bods into, and it’s about focusing on that woman. Who is she? What does she stand for? What is her story? How does SHE want to see herself? I’m so proud that I’ve been able to help thousands of women celebrate themselves FOR themselves over the years. Over the last few years, I’ve felt compelled to expand the reach of empowering women beyond what I personally could accommodate. As a result, last year, I launched Kara Marie Collective- a team of female artists to provide content creation and personal branding. This allows me to provide work for Austin women, while also helping small businesses thrive in this digital world with our services.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
When it comes to networking, my rule is “Don’t go in with your hand out.”. I think about how many times I’ve been approached by a small business owner who wants me to offer their services to my clients, or wants me to do photos for them for free, or wants me to give them a shout out on my social media. Obviously, I know how that makes me feel, and I never want to make anyone I’m approaching feel that way. Instead, I make MYSELF of service with no return expectations. If there is a brand that I admire, whose views align with mine, with whom I feel would make for an awesome partnership or collaboration, I would simply take awesome photos of their product for them, or give them a social media shout out, or refer my friends to them… all of the above, really. That is always the catalyst for building a real relationship that is authentically reciprocal and not focused on kickbacks.
Pricing:
- Personal Branding content from Kara Marie Collective starts at $500/session.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@karamariestudios.com
- Website: www.KaraMarieStudios.com | www.KaraMarieCollective.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/karamariestudios
- Twitter: http://www.instagram.com/kara.marie.collective
Image Credits
Kara Marie Trombetta, Kara Marie Studios
