All businesses start with an idea, but how do you find the confidence to hit the ground running? While it might come easy to some, the rest of us have to work hard to find our business’s unique identity. Our guest today knows what it’s like to turn a personal mission into a successful business. We’re excited to welcome Kate T. Parker, award-winning commercial, editorial, and fine art photographer, as well as the author of Strong is the New Pretty. Kate’s clients include Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Disney, NBC, and the NFL, and her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Vogue, CNN, and ESPNW, just to name a few.
Kate got her start in photography the way a lot of people do, she started photographing her kids. Completely self-taught through youtube tutorials, Kate initially thought her lack of formal training would be a detriment as she kicked started her career. However, having a background in video editing for CNN and producing for an ad agency, Kate was experienced in making content look compelling on screen. With that knowledge, Kate consumed all of the technical photography information that she could.
After gaining some traction, Kate was asked to be part of a gallery show in Atlanta. The exhibition curator asked Kate to pull 20 of her strongest images for the show. Once Kate chose her images and saw them displayed she noticed a commonality amongst them. They were all young girls. As Kate describes, they weren’t posed, they weren’t perfect, they were fierce and emotional.
Kate wanted young girls to know that was enough. That display of strength is what they should aspire to, not the unattainable images of photoshopped or face-tuned women. Thus, Strong is the New Pretty was born. After sending her images to few blogs for publication, major news outlets like CNN and the Today Show picked up the story. Publishers and literary agents then reached out to Kate to take Strong is the New Pretty from online to print.
Kate’s story is a testament to perseverance. Major companies really responded to the positive and authentic message of Strong is the New Pretty. Now Kate’s clients include Disney, CHOA, and NBC. Partnering with these large platforms allows Kate to continue spreading this inspiring message to young women.
Kate’s business only continues to grow, and there are a number of great things on the horizon. Check out her website katetparker.com and follow her on instagram @katetparker to see more of her amazing work.
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