We were lucky to catch up with Christin Kless recently and have shared our conversation below.
Christin, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
I get my resilience from my paternal grandmother. Her name was Amelia and she was one of a kind. She never gave up and I know some of her strength and toughness is in me. In fact, growing up, she and my Dad would call me “tiny but tough”. I had 2 parents who worked diligently to put food on the table, and giving up wasn’t an option, so it’s something I’ve never really considered. Getting cancer in 2016 was a real test of that, and those around me mentioned my resilience and strength in that process. How it was just part of me during that proved it was IN me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Even as a kid, I had cameras. Granted in those days, it was only film, but that didn’t matter, I’d send away my rolls to the developing center and wait two weeks to get my pictures back and find that maybe there were okay looking! Now with DSLR, and even great phone cameras, there isn’t a day that goes by without me taking a photo or video of something, whether it’s in my own backyard of a plant it bird species I just learned, or in a different state. I especially enjoy the freedom of nature or wildlife photography, but I also look forward to hearing clients’ enjoyment of their family photos I have just done and am giddy to show them how they turned out! I look back at my art 5 years ago and while I am not ashamed, I see the tremendous growth in myself in how much I’ve learned and improved.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Resilience as stated earlier, not being afraid to ask other photographers questions, and being patient with myself- taking breaks when necessary, and understanding my limits when trying to learn new photography skills have all been most helpful on my journey. I say to others just starting out-do what your heart tells you to, and don’t push yourself so hard that you give up or burn out. If your hobby is your passion, and you look at parts of it you’ve created and want to tear up from pride and gratitude, then you know you’re headed in the right direction, no matter how quickly you move. Don’t give up!
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
I think my ideal client is one who just wants great pictures and not all the trendy fuss. Who knows what my art looks like and knows what style they’ll end up with. I’ve never had a client complain about my work or ask me to change something or edit further. During the process and years of photographing people, I’ve learned that any complaints people give are more related to how they feel about themselves, not about the art itself, and that was a huge lesson for me and boosted my confidence. If someone doesn’t feel good about themselves, they’re going to be critical of photos no matter the lighting, composition, editing that you’ve put into it. It’s about them, not you. At first if someone complained about how they looked in a photo I took, I took it personally. Later I learned from them and others it has nothing to do with my art, but everything to do with their own view of themselves. And the best I can do is show them in their best light, and let the chips fall where they may.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @christinmdk
