Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Olah.
Hi Kaitlin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve always been a creative person. Art has always been a big part of my family, so being artistic felt very natural to me. My love for photography actually started in high school, when I took an off-campus film photography class. There was something about learning to slow down, compose an image, and then wait to see what you had captured that really stuck with me.
I went on to college and studied both Art & Design and Communications. At that point, though, I didn’t necessarily know that photography was what I wanted to do. After graduating, I went into marketing and spent about 10 years working in that world. I loved the creative side of marketing, but photography and that artistic part of me were always quietly operating in the background.
It wasn’t until our oldest daughter was born that I picked up a camera again. I was struck by how quickly everything was changing, and I wanted to document all of those little moments that seemed to disappear almost as soon as they happened. What started as a way to capture my own family eventually turned into photographing friends and other families, and in 2019, when my daughter was about two and a half, I officially launched my photography business in Jacksonville, Florida.
That beginning was a little unconventional, though. Shortly after launching, my husband deployed, and my daughter and I moved to Michigan to be closer to family. My business understandably took a back seat. Then came COVID, followed by my own cancer diagnosis and a season of healing that shifted my perspective in a lot of ways.
When we moved to Virginia in the summer of 2021, I finally felt like I was able to truly begin building the business. In many ways, I consider 2021 to be the real beginning of Kaitlin Olah Photography. Since then, it has been a gradual process of growing, learning, and figuring out what I want my business to look and feel like.
Today, I primarily photograph families here in Virginia Beach, along with seniors, newborns, and military homecomings. I love creating images that feel natural, joyful, and connected rather than overly posed or perfect. After everything that brought me to this point, I think I appreciate those ordinary, fleeting moments even more – and I feel incredibly lucky that I get to preserve them for other families, too.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not! I don’t think many small business journeys are as smooth as they might look from the outside, and mine has certainly had its share of unexpected turns.
I officially launched my business in 2019, but almost immediately my husband deployed and my daughter and I moved to Michigan to be closer to family. My business took a back seat, and then COVID happened and the world shut down. Not long after that, I was diagnosed with cancer, which obviously shifted my priorities even more and put photography on hold while I focused on getting through treatment and healing.
When we moved to Virginia in 2021, I essentially felt like I was starting over. I had to rebuild my business, my client base, and my confidence while also figuring out what I wanted the business to become. There have been plenty of other challenges since then, too – learning the business side of entrepreneurship, figuring out how to market myself, balancing work with raising three kids, and constantly reminding myself that growth doesn’t always happen as quickly as I’d like.
If anything, those less-than-smooth seasons have taught me to be patient with the process. My business has grown gradually, and I’ve learned that success doesn’t necessarily mean everything happens according to the original plan. Sometimes it’s about continuing to move forward when the path looks completely different from what you imagined.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a natural-light family photographer based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and families are at the heart of what I do. I photograph families in the seasons that tend to go by the fastest – from the chaos and sweetness of life with little kids to the excitement of senior year and the anticipation of welcoming a new baby. I also have a special place in my business for military homecomings, which are some of the most emotional and meaningful sessions I photograph.
My style is bright, natural, and timeless. I want my images to feel like my clients actually remember their family – not overly posed or perfect, but full of movement, connection, and joy. Especially with young kids, I’m much more interested in letting them be themselves than trying to make everyone sit still and smile at the camera.
I think what sets me apart is the experience I try to create during a session. Most people aren’t naturally comfortable in front of a camera, and parents especially can come into a family session worried about whether their kids will cooperate or whether they’ll get the “perfect” photo. I want to take that pressure away. I give families enough direction that they don’t have to wonder what they’re supposed to do, but I leave plenty of room for the real moments to happen.
I’m probably most proud of the fact that I’ve built a business around something that started so simply – wanting to document my own family – and that I’ve been able to grow it into something that allows me to preserve those same fleeting moments for other families. There’s something really special about being invited into people’s lives year after year and watching their families grow.
I’m also proud of the fact that my work has continued to evolve as I have. I’m not trying to chase every trend in the photography industry. I want to create photographs that my clients will still love decades from now, and an experience that makes them feel like themselves while they’re in front of my camera.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as a natural risk-taker. I tend to think things through pretty carefully, especially when the decision affects my family. But I’ve learned that sometimes the bigger risk is staying comfortable and never giving yourself the chance to see what could happen.
Starting my photography business was definitely a risk. I was leaving behind a career in marketing that provided a much more predictable path and trying to build something from the ground up in a creative industry where there are no guarantees. At the time, I didn’t know if it would become a real business or simply remain a creative outlet.
In some ways, I’ve had to take the risk of starting over more than once. I launched my business in Florida, stepped away when my husband deployed and my daughter and I moved to Michigan, and then eventually rebuilt from scratch after we moved to Virginia. None of those were decisions I would have necessarily chosen as a business strategy, but life required me to adapt.
I think that’s shaped my view of risk quite a bit. I don’t think taking risks means being reckless or having everything figured out before you begin. Sometimes it means taking the next step even when you can’t see exactly where it will lead. For me, the biggest risk has been believing in myself enough to keep going – even when the path has looked very different from what I originally imagined.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kaitlinolahphoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaitlinolah/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KaitlinOlahPhotography
