concept + image + design

Welcome back after the holiday weekend!  

What better way to start out the short week then KAFFE TALK WITH Tonhya Kae.  I shot a wedding with her last fall in Seattle and her work is truly breathtaking. 

1.) I first discovered my love for photography when my dad let me mess around with his Nikon camera. The whole concept of freezing a moment in time to create a single image absolutely blew my mind. The passion started there and now my passion is for people. Being able to tell someones story through imagery is something I feel so blessed to do.

2.) I only use digital, but occasionally mess around with film for fun. 
3.) Life inspires me. People inspire me. Love inspires me. Art inspires me. The simple things that we find joy in throughout life inspire me.
4.) Somewhat typical answers, but Richard Avedon has always been one of my favorites photographers. As well as Annie Leibovitz. 
5.) Working as a professional photographer is it definitely a challenge to make time for personal projects. Going into this career I have always told myself that I don’t want to get so consumed by my job that it becomes work to me. I want to love what I do forever, and in order to do that I have to create time to shoot the personal projects that inspire me and push myself to be a better photographer. 
6.) I definitely go into the wedding day already thinking about how I want to tell their particular story in an album. From the beginning of the day, where the bride is getting ready all the way until my bride and groom are partying on the dance floor…I’m capturing details that tell their unique story. 
7.) Nothing specific comes to mind, but every wedding I shoot has some type of memorable moment. There are certain moments throughout a wedding day that simply make my heart melt. I fall more in love with love every time I shoot a wedding… : )
8.) I was self-taught up until the point where I realized I wanted to make photography my career choice. After that, I transferred to the Art Institute of Seattle where I studied the art of photography and was able to build a solid portfolio to begin my career. If I would have known that I was going to become a wedding photographer, I think I would have just pushed myself to learn everything on my own rather than going into major debt : )
9.) There is definitely a combination of concept + image + design when creating art. But I would say that I am definitely more of an instinctual artist. With the work that I do, the art is created by real life’s spontaneous moments and I wouldn’t have it any other way.