Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Yoder.
Hi Kari, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
At a very young age, I was obsessed with a camera & loved to capture anything that would hold still long enough for me to get pictures. Fun fact about me is that I grew up Amish & we were only allowed to have cameras when we went on trips & with a big family, that didn’t happen very often so you can imagine the times, we did have a camera, I hogged it & took pictures to my heart’s content! Also, for as long as I can remember, I was an avid animal lover & a tomboy, following my 2 brothers around the barn more than I played with my older sister & her dolls. There’s very few animals that I didn’t have as a pet at one time. Growing up I had more animal friends than human friends, so just imagine me sitting down at the end of the day & telling my horse or cat my troubles or how my day went because that’s exactly how it was! So as the time went on & I became older, I had to make the choice of joining the church & giving up my dreams of someday being a photographer & having a hobby farm, as those things are not allowed in the culture I was in. The thought of disappointing my parents, family & the few friends I had by leaving the church was just too much, so I joined but was very unhappy because I knew I could do more but simply wasn’t allowed to because of the culture & the rules. About a year after joining the church, I couldn’t take it anymore & told my parents & bishop that I don’t think I’ll be able to continue living that way & I’d always be feeling suppressed from my dreams & goals. I didn’t buy a camera right away, but very soon, I bought my own camera & being an introvert, I knew I didn’t want to be a wedding photographer or do portraits. I continued to practice on my horses, cats & dogs when I realized that I can combine both of my obsessions by being a pet photographer! Fast forward to today, I’m still learning a lot & practicing, but I have my own business & I’m proud of where I’m headed & I know 10 yr. old me would be so happy to know where I ended up! Moral of the story that I want to bring out is to whoever is reading this if you have a dream or a goal, but you’re afraid of pursuing because of what your parents or friends think, or maybe your parents want you to become this or that, please step out & pursue your dreams! Maybe you have a hobby, find a way that you can make money with that because you know you’ll love doing it & having a job you love isn’t a job, it’s like a vacation every single day! If I had to go back 100x, I’d always choose the path of being a disappointment & leaving my friends to live a life that makes me happy & having a business that I’m in love with!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Even tho I mentioned I’d choose to be a disappointment 100x over living the Amish life, it’s very difficult leaving an Amish church & looking at your parents & telling them you can’t be who they want you to be. Also learning about all the small details of having your own business, taxes, money management, making your schedule & getting things done, having self-discipline to get your “to do” list done. Also learning about all the different settings, the camera has to get the best possible picture in the lighting situation you’re in & then learning all the different ways to edit & make sure it looks great. I had to learn a lot of discipline to make sure I studied that all to become the best possible photographer I can be!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about KY photography?
I call myself a “pet photographer,” but I specialize in a more western lifestyle photography where I capture the bond between horse & rider but I love to capture any & all pets so that you’ll have great memories to look back on someday because we all know that every pet, unfortunately, has a shorter lifespan than a human. Every photographer has a different edit to their pictures, kinda like their thumbprint on the pictures & that’s what I like. My editing style is what I love & my final touch to the picture to make it a masterpiece.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
When leaving your friends & family to pursue a career, you don’t have a lot of supporters. My mom is probably my biggest hater, so I’ve learned to turn hate & negative energy into drive & determination to get to where I’m at. My boyfriend is also an entrepreneur that’s in real estate, so he’s my biggest supporter & has taught me a lot about setting goals & reaching them & a lot about having my own business & all the little details that come with that!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: k.y_photography_
- Facebook: K.y_photography_
Image Credits
k.y_photography_
