05/28/2026
Today, we are wishing a very happy birthday to our CEO, Event Planner, Accountant, Director of Marketing, and Head Photographer⦠me š„°
Every year, I learn more about all the hats entrepreneurs balance. Every year, I get a little better at balancing it all. Despite all of the hard work, seen and unseen by all of you, this business is truly a gift that I treasure every day.
If youāve ever read The Giver, Iād like to compare photography to the main characterās job in the book. Jonas is assigned the role āReceiver of Memory.ā His job is to receive and store all past memories, both happy and painful, of the past. In the end (spoiler alert) he chooses to share these memories which were previously withheld from his community, bringing back important emotions and knowledge to his people.
For a long time, I strived to compete with the perfect aesthetics that rule our social media feeds, and attempted to keep up with the speed of the AI thatās changing what this industry looks like. It felt exhausting until one day, I realized out-running all of it is just an illusion. Itās impossible to stay on top of it all.
The message I want to send out on my birthday this year is that for me, itās not about being the most popular on social media or staying on top of every trend! For me, itās about remembering the core of photography itself with every booking I choose to take on. I am the Receiver of Memory, and it is a sacred thing to share and hold close the memories of the people in my community.
Iāve known that since high school, where the beginning of my photo journey was taking photos at football games. I documented practically every game unpaid, but that wasnāt even something that crossed my mind. I got such a thrill out of sharing pictures with the players and their families. To this day, people in my hometown approach me and thank me for capturing those photos from all of those years ago.
Eventually, a photographerās name will be forgotten to time, but those precious photos will be passed down and cherished by my community for generations.
Thank you for entrusting me with this job. Itās the best gift I could ask for on my birthday!
Cheers,
Katie Mae š„š§āØ