Rising Stars: Meet Kara Laferty

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Laferty.

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?
It all started with a Canon point and click camera for me when I was in middle school. I was the one who always felt the need to capture memories that were happening: from family vacations to everyday moments, I was constantly snapping photos and was the person behind the camera watching the world change from behind my lens. I never imagined that photography was something that I could do professionally; coming from a small town, it just wasn’t an art that was really valued or seen as important.

Life eventually got in the way of my art and I found myself at the University of Michigan graduating with a Master’s degree in Social Work. It wasn’t until I met my now-husband, Andrew, that everything changed. With him coming in to my life also came his DSLR! Andrew was a landscape photographer and enjoyed taking pictures of still objects, but that had never been a passion for me. I wanted to capture moments and emotions. I eventually “borrowed”, aka stole, my husband’s camera and started creating again in 2016, and I haven’t stopped since.

I truly began my professional career in photography by taking photos at a friend’s wedding in 2016 and started building my skill set by asking friends and family to work with them. Those small sessions morphed into getting my business, Melian Photography LLC together and becoming a legitimate photographer and booking multiple weddings. As they say, the rest is history, and those small sessions and first wedding of my friend’s is what made me into the photographer I am today!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have to admit that I laughed out loud at this. I don’t think any photographer’s journey has been a smooth road because it is such a unique art form. Putting COVID aside as I think that has been a struggle for everyone, my two largest struggles have been balancing how to remain relevant while working another full-time job and a family, and people taking my art seriously and not thinking it’s just “snapping a few pics” for free at a family event because I’m the one with the camera.

For background, my main job is a Chief Quality Officer with a Community Mental Health agency in Mid-Michigan. I’m also the mother of a ten-month-old little girl. Photography to me is a passion project that has evolved into an amazing side business that I refuse to ever give up because it is my passion. Quality is my day job, and providing high-quality photography is my night and weekend job. With the ever-changing world of social media, clients reaching out on multiple forms of social media, and maintaining a social media presence, it can be a lot. You have to find ways of spending your time though, your time and presence is valuable- you have to figure out, as a business owner, what your time is literally worth and what is better to hire others to manage for you.

I think most photographers deal with friends and family and even “friends from high school”, even though you were never your friend, reaching out and asking for a discount or for free sessions. It can be anxiety provoking along with immensely frustrating. For me, it’s anxiety provoking because you have to figure out how to maintain a balance of wanting to please others and maintain those relationships with being a business owner and needing to make manage a business and make a profit. You would never go into Jimmy John’s and try to negotiate a discount on your sandwich, would you? Well, photography shouldn’t be any different, and it isn’t to those that truly value the art of it.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in documentary wedding photography and also avante garde creative fashion photography. For weddings, my goal is to capture the moments and the emotions of a wedding day. I’ve never been one for posed images; with my couples, I’m always trying to come up with fun and unique ways for a couple to interact to really bring out their personalities. I’m most proud of my ability to set couples at ease with me, and I attribute that to my personality as well as my Social Work background. I try to be the calming influence for a couple on their wedding day as, as you know, weddings can often be incredibly chaotic and hectic. It takes a lot to rattle me, and at the end of the day, I’m there for the couple and I’ll do what I need to make sure that I capture their day to its fullest.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
If you’re looking at getting into photography, just know that it’s not something that happens overnight. It takes a lot of work and dedication, but in the end, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Be patient, always be kind, and most of all, just enjoy the ride!

Pricing:

• Wedding packages start at $2,300
• Lifestyle sessions start at $300
• Fashion sessions start at $300

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.melianphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melian.photo/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melianphotography/

Image Credits:
Brittany Black Photography
Melian Photography