Today we’d like to introduce you to Katelyn Ege.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started with the art of photography when I was 16 years old. My dad gave me my first camera and like most beginning photographers, I started photographing nature. Once I realized the flowers didn’t pay very well, I moved on to portraiture at age 19. I practiced photographing my daughter and family members, checked out several books from the library, studied, and learned from the many tutorials on Youtube while I worked at a local car wash to provide for my family and save up for more photography equipment.
As I grew my skills and developed my style, I opened my first business, KE Photography, which focused on photographing weddings, events, and a variety of portraiture. After some time, I was able to quit at the car wash and rely on my business. Every year, I would use a portion of my tax return to invest in more gear and items I needed for my business in order to grow my business debt-free. I focused solely on KE Photography until 2019 when I discovered the niche of real estate photography and decided to open a separate 2nd photography business that offered real estate photography, virtual staging, drone, and videography.
It was a learning curve adjusting to the “rules” of real estate photography and figuring out how to properly light and angle for interior spaces. Real estate photography is very different from the portraiture I was used to but I finally found my flow after many hours of research, practice, and help from local real estate photographers (Ray Briggs, Fernando Hevia).
I began working with local real estate agents and also began contracting for Airbnb, after about a year I now am able to do what I love full-time. I still run KE Photography as well as Next Nest and hope to expand Next Nest and begin contracting my own team of photographers, videographers, and drone pilots in order to serve the South Texas area.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wish I could say success came overnight but it took many years of saving and tax returns in order to get all of the gear I needed to successfully run my business debt-free. With both of my businesses, KE Photography and Next Nest, I didn’t see reliable or steady income until after the 1st year.
Luckily, my husband worked at the time, so I was able to still make it on a part-time income as I created and grew each business. Without that security and the unwavering support of my parents and family, I believe it would have taken much longer to reach my goals.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in many areas of photography as I feel it’s important to diversify to make a full-time living as a photographer but my favorite area of photography that I specialize in is real estate photography. I love being able to travel to so many different locations while jamming out in the car, get inspired by different homes, meet a variety of like-minded entrepreneurs and showcase a space in its best light.
The majority of people looking for a new home start online with their search, it’s so important to have professional photos of a home be their first impression to really attract people to the listing and I love to help realtors achieve that not only for their buyers but to set their brand as well. What sets me apart from others is 2 things, one is I really care about what I deliver and like to think of the realtors/hosts I work with as a team. We are coming together, working together to achieve a goal and that is to sell this home quickly and for what it’s worth or for my vacation rental hosts, to attract visitors to want to rent out their place.
I get so excited when I hear feedback that a realtor’s listing got sold in a matter of days or the host has seen much more bookings. It’s a win for us both and I’m always happy I could play a part in the process. The second is my shooting technique, many real estate photography companies use a technique called HDR, which merges 3-5 different exposures of the same image. It’s quick and efficient on-site but results usually end up looking somewhat of a cartoon effect or if not that, it typically will show color casts and blown out light fixtures.
I use a technique called Flambient, Flambient is where you take a bounced flash shot and an ambient shot and blend the two images, the flash shot helps show the correct color of the walls, exposes the light fixtures as well as out the window, the ambient image helps give the images more of a natural look. Each shot, ambient, and flash, have pros and cons but when blended together you take the pros of each and create a perfectly lit room that brings out the best of each space.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters to me most is offering great customer service and demonstrating a teamwork relationship with each of my clients. Even as I scale my business and serve more areas, I don’t want my company to become a Mcdonald’s of real estate photography, in, out, and on to the next. I want to be a part of each process and always provide quality work.
Pricing:
- Real estate photography packages start at $129
Contact Info:
- Email: nextnestrealestatephotos@gmail.com
- Website: photosbyke.wixsite.com/nextnest
- Instagram: instagram.com/nextnest_realestatephotography
- Facebook: facebook.com/nextnestrealestatephotography
Image Credits
Katelyn Ege
