This announcement has been a long time coming — like, for over two years! But with the new year comes a fresh perspective. I originally was going to make this post all glitzy and super fabulous, but as I sit down and begin writing, I feel as though my heart will do all of that on its own. And so, I want to give my KGP peeps a little flava and share my story behind KT&CO. I’m sure this will be ridiculously long, so stay with me.

A lot of you knew me back when I started this crazy photography journey … and many of you did not. Over the years this little hobby of mine morphed into something REAL and I quickly became a small business owner. For me, running my own business and watching it succeed was as much fun as learning how to master my craft {nerdy, but true}. My client base began with referrals and as I continued to blog and post to social media regularly, my online inquiries kept growing and before I knew it, I was busy. And I mean BUSY. You see, I also have my career as an insurance broker and I LOVE my job. I know you’re not supposed to say this, but I like working for the man. I like corporate America. I like my team and my clients. But, the best part is that this means that I get to be selective about my photography work. It gets to remain FUN and be my creative outlet without me having to worry about taking another gig because I need to make my mortgage payment. That aspect just does not interest me at all.

And now to KT&CO. The story is rather simple. I had hired Kristen Taylor as my own wedding photographer and as my photography obsession continued to grow, I reached out and {nervously!} asked if she needed an assistant to help on wedding days. She let me know once she was hiring and let me tell you: assisting is not for the weak. No, seriously. After 10+ hours of being on my feet and carrying heavy equipment, I was not sure this was for me! Looking back, that memory makes me chuckle knowing how much I carry now! Luckily I powered through {ha!} and assisting quickly turned to second shooting where I shot alongside Kristen Taylor at many of her weddings for the next three years.

In addition to second shooting, I began taking on my own weddings and, let me tell you, my KGP brides have been THE BEST. I feel so fortunate that so many of my brides have turned into good friends and there is something to be said about attracting your ideal client: someone who shares your ideals, style and sense of humor! Then in 2014, Kristen Taylor took her photography company to the next level and asked me if I was interested in being one of the lead photographers at her company in lieu of shooting weddings under KGP. GAH.

You guys. There were so many advantages of accepting the position and jumping into KT&CO {which was called Kindred by Kristen Taylor at the time}. But in the back of my mind, I felt like I was giving up SO MUCH that I had worked SO HARD for. You KNOW I’m a control freak. You KNOW I love running my own business. I was making connections, working with awesome vendors, bringing in my ideal clients and my business was growing! But on the flip side, there are SO MANY aspects of the business side of the wedding industry and I knew I wanted to vastly improve in this area. I wanted to be published. I wanted to align with my favorite venues and be a preferred photographer. I wanted to be more efficient with my post-production. To offer high-end products and fast turn-around times. And most importantly, to be completely accessible to my couples to answer any of their questions at any time and that was not easy with my 9-5.
Once I got over my pride, I began to really see all of the benefits of joining KT&CO and I did so without hesitation. I was part of a passionate, kick-ass, professional team that provided those business aspects I was seeking for both me and my clients. FRIENDS of mine who I had already worked seamlessly with for the past few years. We already shoot in the same fashion and have a similar style. And, really, at the end of the day, I am still able to do the most important thing: connect with my ideal clients. At KT&CO, our couples choose their photographer. I am the one that meets with my bride during the consultation and ensures that we have that connection. I get to know them on a personal level at their engagement session and then, I show up and get the honor of being by their side as I capture their wedding day.

So, that’s what I’ve been doing the past two years and I am SO VERY happy! Now click on over to our super fabulous site and check out our rebrand that launched in October 2015! There you will see my full wedding and engagement portfolio {I’m known as Kristin G!} and be sure to check out the blog for a sneak peek of each and every shoot!

Here is a snippet of my glorious last two seasons with KT&CO and there’s so much more to see! Much love! xo