Today we’d like to introduce you to KC Knoop
Hi KC , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Well, I always loved to take photos…I guess you could say it was a hobby of mine. But the way I got into doing photography as a profession was kind of my wife’s doing. I was active duty Coast Guard and I hit my 10 year mark and decided that I would stay in for the 20 years to get retirement. However, Carolynn (my wife) asked what I wanted to do after retirement. It made me start thinking about my options and what would make me most happy. I had been told so many times that my photography skills were good enough to get paid for that it was an easy decision to make when my wife said she’d support me in that. She had gotten her business degree so with that and my skills we started a side-job business taking family, wedding and event photos. It gave us a little extra money and the ability to decide if we liked it well enough to keep doing after retirement. In the back of my mind I also wanted to teach at some point. We grew a small clientele of friends into something bigger that was fun for us to do in our spare time, all while raising four kids. That business eventually became our full-time employment after retirement but it lead me to a full-time teaching job at CTHS teaching high-schooler about photography.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road! In the beginning there were a lot of obstacles to overcome from how to find customers to knowing how to run a business. I needed to learn more about photography from the editing side and that was a challenge. I did whatever I could to learn all about post-editing and eventually was able to attend the Academy of Arts in San Francisco where I received my BS in Photography and next month will be getting my masters degree. Overall, the biggest hurdles have been learning current style photo techniques and editing. Plus the challenges of finding the right clientele.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a professional photographer of families, senior sessions, weddings and events. Of these categories I love senior sessions most. They are great subjects! They love to be creative and fun all by themselves. I’m just there to capture it. I think I am best known for my fun family sessions where I try to make the time fun and engaging for everyone. I am also best known for my Drone work. That is my personal preference and my relaxation time.
I’m most proud of my masters final project. It’s a compilation of abandoned things around the country that I have photographed and put into one book. I think my eye for finding things that I see as pleasing vs what the average person might see. I take something “ugly” and make it pretty!
What makes you happy?
My family! They are my biggest fans and ground me. But I also love to fly my drone and see the world from an aerial view. The patterns and designs from the air of our world are festinating to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kcknoopphotography.com
- Instagram: kcknoopphotography and kcknoop_drone_imaging
