Makers: Kristine Erickson Photography

As a maker myself, I appreciate other makers and want to celebrate them and what they do. Every so often, I will post about a maker I admire. A few simple interview questions to get to know them better and images of their work will make up this Maker column. I know you will love them just as much as I do.

I’m so excited to share today’s maker not only because I know her (we went to the same college and see each other, though not often enough) and I think she is a gem but I absolutely love what she is doing! Kristine is a talented photographer and a brave soul. She uses her skills to capture the beautiful scenes of real life and the every day happenings of small businesses (she even photographed me!). And I love it all.

__

Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Kristine Erickson and I’m a small business + lifestyle Photographer.

How did you get here?

Photography has been my biggest love since my Dad handed down his Canon AE-1 twenty years ago. I can still picture that afternoon and hear the first click of the shutter. I’ve always been a natural observer; fascinated by people and how they interact. I’d describe photography as my own form of meditation. When I’m shooting, the world shuts off and I’m totally focused on my subject.

In college, I took a job with the Photo Bureau as a Staff Photographer. This was a turning point because it was the first time I saw my images in print. Since then, it’s been a very slow climb of friends and family expressing interest in my work. It wasn’t until I took myself seriously that I realized there was an opportunity.

One of my early jobs was for a local business association (Grand Avenue Business Association). My assignment was to photograph over 80 small businesses in St. Paul. This led to conversations with a number of business owners and it was through these conversations I learned the story of their business. I also started to understand just how busy they are. I saw an opportunity in the market – these small businesses had great visual stories, but lacked the time and resources to secure good photography. Social media made it possible for them to be accessible online, it just so happened the images they were using were either poor quality or didn’t accurately reflect the business.

Since then I’ve had some wonderful opportunities and relationships develop. As time goes on, I realize so much about driving a business is about connecting with others. You have to be willing to reach out and listen to your own style/voice.

Tell us about your day.

It really varies, but I think that’s what I enjoy the most. I live in a St. Paul neighborhood I really enjoy with a variety of coffee shops so I make an effort to get out of my apartment to work on my laptop or meet with clients. On days when I’m shooting, I’m usually on site at a local business for 2-4 hours. It can be anything from a floral shop to a chocolatier. I’ll spend time focusing on the visual elements I think are really important to tell the story of that particular business (i.e. interiors, product, workflow, headshots).

What inspires you? How do you stay inspired?

People. Anytime I have the opportunity to work with a small business owner who is out there doing their own thing, challenging the status quo, I’m in awe. It forces me to not only think creatively about my own business, but also how I can help them tell their story visually.

If you weren’t a photographer, you would be a _________.

If I wasn’t a Photographer, I would be a…Florist. I took a career interest profile once in college. Photographer was #1. Florist was #2. So that’s my Plan B.

__

Isn’t she the sweetest? I just love her point of view.

For more Kristine Erickson Photo:

Site: Kristine Erickson Photo
Twitter: @ke__photo
Facebook: Kristine Erickson Photo
Instagram: kristineericksonphoto

This is not a sponsored post. I have hand-chosen the makers because I like their work. To keep the style and look of this blog, I did photograph their work myself. The pieces were then returned to their makers.