Meet Katie Perkowska | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Perkowska and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
Well let me just start of by saying I have a tattoo on my back that says “never let your fear decide your fate” – yup, those are Awolnation lyrics! It’s probably a bit cheesy but I truly try to live my life this way. I’m most afraid of wondering “what if” rather than being afraid of the outcomes of the things I do.

This mindset has led me to have a truly fulfilling life and career. When I started my photography business I was just hoping to make some extra cash to take a vacation or two while getting to make people see the beauty in themselves and their relationships. What it turned into is an incredible adventure that pays me to travel to incredible places to capture love and moments. Was I nervous to start? Maybe a little, but honestly what was the worst that could’ve happened? Wasting a few thousand on gear and maybe taking some shit photos. That’s not enough to not take a risk.

I moved to Ireland on a bit of a whim and met the love of my life which led me to Atlanta. I should’ve been scared to say “fuck it” to my dream of a life in Ireland but I was more scared of losing a man I knew from the beginning was the one for me. We’ve been together for over a year now and living together for almost a year and I can honestly say I’ve loved every second. I’m grateful to not have the distance or any regret from time lost.

My risk taking, my lack of hesitation in everything I do is something I’m truly proud of. I hope that my niece and nephew learn to chase their dreams fearlessly when they’re older and that maybe I had a little bit to do with that. Life is too short to be unhappy or to spend wondering about “what if I did that thing”.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m a photographer – I specialize in elopements/intimate weddings, and couples sessions. I truly strive to get the real, raw, uninhibited moments. I want my couples’ personalities to shine through, I want everyone to fully embrace who they are and love it – messy bits and all. I hate perfection. Is it windy? Rainy? Let’s embrace it and see what emotions come through. Photos to me are not about perfect hair and forced smiles. Photos to me are moments and memories. I think it’s easy to forget that with a camera in everyone’s pocket available at all moments. Think about your kid albums or your parent’s photo albums, that sense of nostalgia is what I’m after with my work. I’m here for the passion, the joy, the love and maybe even sadness. I want people to feel the photos I take, not just scroll through them thinking how cute the outfit is.

I think my biggest challenge when I started was finding my style and voice. There’s so much advise out there, there’s so many incredible photographers, and workshops that it’s very easy to try fit into a specific box and not know how to find your own voice. It took me a good half a year of pretending to be this overly professional person with a camera to realize I’m not attracting my people. I am a ridiculous person, I’m inappropriate, swear a ton, goofy af, and don’t take life seriously. Until I embraced that, I didn’t love my work and I didn’t love doing it. I was getting hired for these portrait sessions that led to “1,2,3 smile!” and there was nothing I liked about it. Now let me say this, there’s nothing wrong with formal portraits. And there’s photographers out that that really do incredible work with that. But that’s not me and my work needed to reflect that. It wasn’t until I truly stopped giving a fuck that I started meeting my people. The people I vibed with 100%. The weirdos that matched my weird. The ones who stripped naked literally and figuratively in front of a camera with no qualms because they trusted me fully and who also just didn’t take life too seriously. Once I leaned into who I am and using that as a brand I started having a blast with my work.

Weddings are stressful, it’s a high pressure thing if you think about it. You’re capturing someone’s big day, you better not mess it up. When there’s a real connection between the photographer and the couple, magic happens.

What I want everyone to know is you at this moment are good enough to be photographed. I probably sound like a broken record with this but I’ve heard too many times people say “when I lose x amount of weight I’ll do a photoshoot” or “when I get that outfit then I’ll do the photos”. I want everyone to fall in love with themselves in that moment. We’ve all felt insecure, we’ve all had those days, weeks or years. And that’s ok, but 10, 20, 50 years from now we’re going to think about how we wished we had those moments commemorated and we probably won’t remember how we hated our skin or our thighs back then. I’m here to say embrace the mess, the crazy hair while playing with your partner, the wrinkled clothes from a good make out session, the messy home that’s full of laughter and joy, the kids who can’t stand still, the loud and wild, the quiet and tame. That’s life and that’s what I capture.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I LOVE food so there’d be lots of eating. Star Provision in west Midtown, O-Ku, Hell yeah gluten free or 2b whole bakery (I love sweets and have tons of allergies). Delbar, The Optimist, Yalda… so good!

We’d go to the beltline, and take hikes in the Smokies. I love to head to Decatur too and Edgewater. Thrift stores in Little Five Points. Irish music at Fàdo of course. Famers Market followed by a walk in Virginia Highlands where all the cutest shops and cafes are.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Let me start with a huge shout out to my best friend Jacey. She is an incredible photographer and encouraged me, taught me and gave me opportunities to chase this dream. Honestly every person in my life was always a huge cheerleader, loving my unconventional style that might not be for everyone. All my beautiful couples who matched my weird and vibed with me to create magic on their special day that sent referrals my way. Even my bosses from my 9-5 that happily gave me days off for weddings or traveling for shoots. I’m damn lucky!

Website: https://Www.wildandtamephoto.com

Instagram: @wildandtamephoto

Image Credits
Wild + Tame Photo