Meet Kirsten Weikart | Lifestyle Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kirsten Weikart and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Kirsten, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Photography has always, and will forever tell a story. As a child, and even still to this day, I love to look at old photos of family and friends. Physical photo albums will always be cool to me, and I have started to fill them up in my home for my kids to look at! When I had my first kids (I had twins- 2 boys), I couldn’t get enough of them, the storage was always full on my phone. A year later, I got pregnant with my daughter. For both pregnancies we did the newborn photos and maternity photos, and loved them, but I thought… I could do that too, and I would really enjoy it! So as a stay at home mom, wanting to do something I loved, while making a little extra money, I decided to turn it into a business. My husband graciously bought me a camera, and I just started take pictures of my kids throughout the day, and eventually started reaching out to friends and family to gain some experience. Over the past few years, my photos have made it on so many Holiday cards, and I love to see them! I love capturing other peoples families and little moments in time, and hope one day they look back on those memories, and share those stories.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am overall just proud of myself for being brave and starting! That’s the hardest part. Not only do you have to overcome any external challenges, such as weather, lighting and locations to name a few, but you have to overcome the internal challenge. Believing in yourself, and the work you create is good. That was the hardest part for me. I always surprise myself when I come home from a session and look at the photos, especially on the sessions where you walk away thinking, “that one just wasn’t my best”. Being a photographer is a challenging job, because the completion is endless. I am eternally grateful for the people who choose to take photos with me, and know that every time I get out there, I am only getting better. If there is something you can take away from my sessions, our time together, and the photos I capture, it’s just simply that these photos are going to tell a story. Whether we are out taking holiday photos in freezing cold winds, or we are taking maternity photos, and showing off the new life, those pictures are going to have emotion and will be a moment forever captured in time.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Phoenix, well Arizona in general, is an amazing place to explore. The opportunities are endless, and there is a wide variety of places to see and things to do. I love being a nature and so I would defiantly recommend a good hike, with South Mountain and Camelback being some of the best (in my opinion), but there are so many more. One of my most favorite places to shoot photos is on the Salt River, where you can also kayak and have a very good chance of seeing the wild horses. Food wise, Ajo Als in Scottsdale is my favorite restaurant, but if you’re looking for something a little more trendy, I love Diego Pops, Joyride Taco and Postino. You can never go wrong at any of those places.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate this shoutout to husband, Travis Smith, for giving me the encouragement and allowing for that time for me to go out and build this business. He makes a nice test subject and helps me bounce ideas around, whether it is location or editing.
Victoria Rivera (a fellow photographer and coffee enthusiast) Shoutout Chubute Coffee and Victoria Rivera Photography. Victoria took a set of my newborn and maternity photos, and has been a friend for many years. She graciously shared beginner tips and helped me get some basic knowledge, as I was starting out. She recently debuted her Chubute Coffee Business, and makes some of the freshest coffee!
and Hayley Steck, of Umber Photo Co. for recommending me here!! She also has taken photos for me over the years, engagement and maternity. She is the kindest, sweetest soul and takes amazing photos!
Website: https://kirstenannephotography.mypixieset.com/
Instagram: @kirsten.anne.photography
Image Credits
All Additional photos were taken by me