Welcome, friends! Even though I initially published this website last August, it feels like this is the very first time I am introducing it to the world.

I never intended to launch Kyla Shattuck Photography in the midst of such a challenging year, but I had lots of opportunities in mid-2020 that gave me the courage to do so after dreaming about it for quite a while. After sharing some of my work last summer, I had a surge of inquiries and opportunities (and was so thankful for it!) and started to build my portfolio. The fall season was busy, between editing wedding galleries and photographing portrait sessions.

Waiting and Praying

But then winter came. The world around me, around all of us, was changing on a daily basis. There was so much uncertainty. Honestly, I was afraid to pour into my business in the midst of that uncertainty. So instead, I paused. And I prayed. And I waited. I wanted clarity and peace about how to move forward. And not just for the season we were in but also for our future, for the future of our family. I waited and prayed for months. While we stayed home. While New England hibernated. During the season when everything was covered with snow. And there was still so much uncertainty about our world. Those months felt like a really long time.

And then, in May, my prayer was finally answered. My friend Alyssa invited me to second shoot a wonderful wedding alongside her (grateful for you, sweet friend!). The experience completely lit a fire within me. I remember calling Dillon the second I got in the car to drive home from that wedding and telling him that my prayer had been answered. I was confident that I was ready to build Kyla Shattuck Photography. And that confidence has only grown since then.

Pouring Myself, and My Heart, Into This Dream

So what have I been up to since that day? I’m finally pouring myself, and my heart, into this dream of building a successful wedding photography business. Here are some of the practical steps I’ve taken, behind the scenes:

• Education | Learning and growing, investing time and money into quality photography courses from educators I admire
• Practice | Picking up my camera to practice and apply what I’ve learned through the courses I’ve taken. Getting reps doing what I love. (For my photographer friends out there, two of the best things to come of this practice have been discovering spot metering and how to toggle AF points for perfect focus!)
• Branding | Creating new visual branding, including logos, fonts, and colors (thanks to my graphic design experience, I designed it all on my own!).
• Website | I’ve updated the design of my website (welcome to the new look for KSP!) and will continue to refresh the layout and content in the coming months!
• Second Shooting | This one is extra special to me because it means that there are talented photographers, who are further along in their careers than I am, who believe in me, and who invite me to serve their couples alongside them. I’m sure you’ll hear about them more in the coming months!.

Lastly, I’ve been refining my vision: I want to document joyful legacies through timeless photography. I want to serve others during the most special and monumental seasons of their lives. Together with Dillon, I want to inspire strong marriages, rooted in the Lord and in what matters most. I want to help people capture cherished memories that they can share with future generations, telling their family story in a beautiful, tangible way.

An Entirely New Perspective

I’ve always seen photography as a way to preserve the most joyful moments in people’s lives. The moments you want to keep forever. The challenges of the past 17 months have given me an entirely new perspective on just how important those moments are.

Looking ahead, when I’m not photographing my own clients, I will be assisting my incredibly talented friend Annmarie for the rest of this wedding season to continue to learn and grow. I’ve long admired her work and her character and cannot wait to be a sponge and learn from her expertise! Tomorrow marks my first wedding with her and I am incredibly excited and grateful.

So this is where you (and this sweet little blog of mine) come in. I want to bring you along with me in this journey. I absolutely love seeing behind the scenes of things, and to watch people build their dreams. I’m inviting you to watch me build mine. Thank you to every single person who has cheered me on, believed in me, and helped me to get to this point. I am so grateful to have you along for the ride!

Love, Kyla

Read my full photography story HERE!