Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Miller
Hi Katie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up with a dad that was interested in photography and I learned some about it in school but not enough to consider it career as a kid. I have vivid memories of watching my dad develop film in our basement and seeing the photos he took come to life in the chemicals.
When my kids were younger, they were involved in competition dance at Burns Dance Studio in Aiken. I wanted to be able to take pictures of them at recitals and competitions so I bought my first DSLR camera and spent a lot of time reading about how to use my camera without relying on automatic settings.
After awhile the other moms of dancers on the team wanted me to take photos of their children and it gave me opportunities to increase my knowledge and skill behind the camera.
When I officially started KT Photography, I had a business partner named Tracy (the T in KT) but she wasn’t able to do it for every long because of other things happening in her life. I decided to keep going with the business and it has steadily grown over the last 9 years.
Over the last 3 years I have increasingly focused on working with high school seniors and dancers. I still do other types of photography but seniors and dancers are where my passion for photography lies. I’ve spent time studying with other dance photographers, including attending a photography conference in 2023 that was solely focused on dancers.
In 2023 I started a Dance Ambassador program that included 24 dancers from 6 studios in the CSRA. We did group photo shoots and solo photo shoots. It gave me the opportunity to connect with more dancers and studios in the area and to help dancers connect with each other outside of their own studio. Two of those girls went on to become college roommates this year! This year we have grown to 43 ambassadors from 16 different dance studios, including dancers from Charleston, Columbia & Greenwood!
2025 will be a big new step for my business. I am in the process of opening my own studio in Aiken, which will give me a dedicated space to do all kinds of work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. There’s been a lot of learning curves along the way. And imposter syndrome is an ever present issue for me. But I work everyday and improving my craft.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I think most of my success has been hard work, not luck. I am very fortunate to have a supportive husband and family. They cheer me on and help me out whenever I ask and that’s helped me a lot!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ktphotographyaiken.com
- Instagram: ktphotography_aiken
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KTPhotographyAikenSC
