Meet Kim Ortiz

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kim Ortiz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kim below.

Kim, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?

As an Asian woman, I have learned to overcome the stereotype that an Asian woman is timid and shy. As a child, I grew up with a mom in a culture where women are known to have certain responsibilities and not be very outspoken. I knew that I didn’t want to be like the stereotype Asian woman so I became assertive and independent at a very young age. My coming to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam in 1975 having to leave my country with nothing but the clothes on my back made me strong. I was very focused on learning and growing since I was a young girl. As a business owner, I often find myself in meetings, or groups where I may be the only Asian woman seated at a table or in the room. My confidence stems from me knowing my worth as a business owner and understanding of business and my skills as a professional photographer. I can walk into any room and feel confident I have much to bring to the table. My extrovert personality also helps with my ability to work the room, connect with people and not feel like I am out of place despite the fact, I may not look like everyone else in the room. I speak with confidence, walk with my head high and smile!

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?

I am a professional portrait photographer. My studio Kim Ortiz Portrait Art, is a boutique portrait studio located at the Hill Country Galleria in Bee Cave, Texas near Austin. My studio specializes in portraits of dogs, families, high school seniors, business headshots, business branding and real estate media.

I am known for beautiful wall art because I believe that portraits are meant to be hung on the walls and not locked up on the computer or on an iPhone. My signature wall art is a mixed media painted portrait. It is a beautifully painted portrait that is framed and consist of a multi step process that starts with the photography and then painted with a software then printed on canvas and hand painted with brush strokes of acrylic and oil paint. When you look at the painted portrait, you can see the raised acrylic and oil brush strokes. It is an art piece that resembles a masterpiece painting found in museums.

I am known for family portraits with dogs. People come to my studio because they know that I am a dog person. I have 5 rescued dogs of my own and I love including dogs in family portraits because they are part of the family and they are only with us for a limited time. I love photographing dogs because dogs are so unique and every dog is beautiful in their own way that they deserve their own wall portrait so they can live forever. This is another reason I love doing individual dog portraits.

What sets me apart from others is that most photographers don’t have a studio so having a retail studio storefront sets me apart. When people walk into my gallery style portrait studio, they see many beautiful large pieces of wall art and painted portraits displayed on the walls. Plus with a studio, I can photograph year round without worrying about the weather condition. With dogs, it’s much safer for them to be in the studio because there are no distractions of people or dogs walking by like at a park. I also have a two acre private property on Lake Travis near my studio I call Aloha Hacienda that I also photograph on. I am also unique in that I specialize in offering bespoke products that are made in Italy and my painted portraits are custom commissioned. People don’t come to me for digital files but for heirloom wall art of their family and dogs to display on their walls. I believe the most important art on your walls are that of your family and dogs.

I just launched a real estate brand call KOPA Real Estate Media. We offer high quality flambient listing photography and drone photography to help Realtors market their listings to get it sold quicker. In this saturated market of many listings sitting on the market for more than 60 days, having professional well lit photos of a home for sale will get it sold quicker. What is unique about my studio when it comes to real estate interior photos is we use lighting to photograph the home interiors to provide higher quality and accurate color photos. We use a technique call flambient, which is a combination of a natural light (ambient) photo and hand blended with a flash photo. This gives the image more pop and color accuracy. Most real estate photographers use HDR only because using lights takes longer and they want to get a house done fast so they can do more homes. However, we focus on quality so we spend the time to add flash and natural light to have a higher quality photo. We also market on social media for our clients. I also offer headshots and business branding for Realtors and business owners.

I also recently launched a 40 over 40 project focusing on Women and Men in Business. The business will be featured in a self published magazine with the owner’s headshot and story. I used to own and publish a community magazine so I love sharing stories of people. The session includes a branding session in the studio and hair and makeup can be added also to make the experience more special.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The skills that has helped me most is leadership skills, business skills and people skills. When people see you are confident in what you do, they will trust you and also gravitate to you. To grow your leadership skills, learn by reading, join Toastmasters International to learn to do public speaking, volunteer to be in a leadership role in an organization.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

My ideal client is a woman between 40-75 who love her family and dogs and value wall portraits of her family to celebrate their legacy. If she only has dogs, her dogs are like her children and she spends a lot of time with her dogs and she wants her dogs to live forever so she wants a beautiful wall portrait of her dogs to decorate her home with love. If she is a grandmother, she wants a portrait of her children, and grand children together with her and her husband so that the wall portrait becomes a legacy piece of art that will be cherished for generations.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Kim Ortiz Portrait Art

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your