Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla von der Heide.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I started photography in high school. It was always a hobby of mine. My great grandpa was a photographer as well as my mom. They had old film cameras lying around that I was fortunate enough to inherit. I took a few classes at the local community college to learn how to develop and process film, and that was when my love for photography kickstarted. I eventually purchased my first canon rebel with my own money when I was about nineteen or twenty (I became very popular amongst my friend group when it came to photographing their profile pictures for myspace). Eventually, people started to ask me what I charged for a photo shoot, and I think in the beginning I charged as little as $25-$30 per session (I had to start somewhere)!
Photography is now my livelihood, and it makes me so happy! I tried a bunch of different jobs and career paths along the years and nothing ever felt right. I really had to learn how to tune everyone’s opinions out and really follow my heart and listen to what I wanted. I knew that it was time to give photography my all when I was sitting on the side of the road one day, in the rain, after a bad day of work at my previous job. I wasn’t happy, and I knew that I had to make a change, and for once, follow my passion. I resigned from that job and made the decision to put everything into my business (& I was terrified). After tons of persistence, hard work, and so many ups and downs, I can proudly say that today this is my full-time job! I have twenty-three weddings booked this year and so many awesome lifestyle sessions booked for the days in between! I absolutely love my job. I LOVE being creative. It’s such a blessing working with my wonderful clients. It’s most important for me to make my subjects feel beautiful and comfortable in front of the camera. I truly believe that everybody has their own unique beauty style and I love the challenge of trying to capture all of that in an image. I always want my sessions to feel like you are just hanging out with a good friend at sunset, at a beautiful location, and I want to have the best time with my wedding clients at their wedding! It’s supposed to be fun! One of my favorite things to remind people is to stay in the moment at a photo shoot. Leave the posing and composition up to me! I’ve got this! My goal is to make you look and feel amazing– let’s get creative!
I’m 27 years old now, and after such a wild journey, this job is finally what sustains my life. I wouldn’t change any of it for the world, and I will continue to pursue this will all that I’ve got. If you are reading this, I really encourage you to give yourself a shot. Just for once in your life, go for that thing in your heart that you’ve always wanted… with full force! It’s scary, but the journey will be amazing, and the people you meet will become YOUR PEOPLE, and the amazing experiences you will have (good or bad) along the way will teach you wonderful life lessons. If it’s happening for me, it can happen for you! You’ve got to take a chance on yourself!
Please tell us about your art.
I’m a wedding and lifestyle photographer, and I get a lot of my inspiration from music. Music was my first love. I always sang, played piano, and eventually picked up the guitar when I was a kid. I can hear a song and picture a world to go along with it. I remember being really young and envisioning music videos and pictures to go with my favorite songs (I was quite the daydreamer). Recently I heard this amazing song called GHOST by a band called The Acid, and I thought up an entire photoshoot idea in my mind, made it happen, and that shoot was one of my most successful photoshoots to date! I received some of the best feedback I’ve ever received on a photo because of a wild idea that I heard through a song!
When it comes to weddings, I am so inspired by thinking outside of the box. I want your wedding gallery to be unlike anything else, and it’s always such a blast to me to try a funky pose, or photograph my Brides and Grooms in a way that isn’t considered to be “the norm.” I just really enjoy being creative and different.
What do you think is the biggest challenge facing artists today?
I think a lot of people get really competitive and closed off with photography nowadays. It’s a shame because even if someone is inspired by your art, or if someone takes an idea from your work, NO ONE will ever take the same photo that you take. No one will ever have your unique vision. No one has what you have, so you can’t be so afraid of competitors. There are so many photographers in the world, and there are also so many clients in the world. You cant constantly be worrying about other photographers stealing your clients or copying your work, and if someone does, then that’s okay! It’s fun to hire different photographers and work with different people, and there will always be people that will be interested in your art if you truly believe in it! It’s so much more fun when we all work together and are open with each other. We were all new at one point, and we all have questions. I’m always happy to help if any photographers out there have any questions for me! I’m sure I’ll have a million questions for you too!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can find me on instagram or facebook! My instagram handle is @kaylavphotography, and my facebook is facebook.com/kaylavphotography. You may also email me if you’d like at [email protected].
Contact Info:
- Address: 9990 SVL Box, Victorville, CA, 92395
- Website: kaylavphoto.com
- Phone: 760-780-2220
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/kaylavphotography
- Facebook: facebook.com/kaylavphotography
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
