Meet Kari Young of Kari Marie Photography in Sugar Land

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kari Young.

Kari, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am the owner and photographer for Kari Marie Photography. I have been a photographer for 4+ plus years, specializing in weddings and couples. I learned photography right out of high school; back in the film days. (before film was popular) It wasn’t until a few years later I picked up a digital camera, (Nikon girl) and mastered photoshop that I fell in love with photography. Prior to being a full-time photographer, I was a dental assistant for 11 years. I would go to work every day and stare at teeth knowing that I was far too creative for that line of work. I will say that there is one thing in common between my old gig of filling teeth, and my dream job; the people! I love working with and meeting new people. I consider myself very down to earth, and easy going. I credit my wedding “success” to those attributes. When a bride and groom hires me it’s for a few reasons, they love my work and they love my personality.

Even after 4 years of photographing weddings I still get nervous, there is a lot of pressure for photographers. I typically will sketch the day out on a piece of paper, from the timeline to poses. I think getting nervous is what drives me and my creativity; keeps me on top of my game! The day of a wedding I have the same routine, I have a large breakfast, check the contract a few times just to make sure I still have the right date and time. (this is a reoccurring nightmare of mine, that I will get the date or time wrong). I lay out all my gear before bagging it up just to make sure I am not missing anything, sometimes I will even pull over on the way to the venue to double check my bag… On the way to the venue I have to play some of my favorites tunes, mainly country music; I’m really loving Sam Hunt. Anything to get me pumped up and ready for the big day. Once I’m at the venue and I press the shutter for the first image, all nervous are gone; I am in my zone!

Aside from photography, I love spending time with my beautiful family. My loving husband and biggest supporter, Alecs. I know it sounds cliché but he truly is my best friend, if you find someone who laughs at all your jokes even when they aren’t funny; they are a keeper! Laughter is the secret to a happy marriage and relationship, or at least it is in my book. I love spending time in the kitchen with our 13-year-old son, Kaiden. He is a great young man with big dreams of being a chef out in New York someday. He actually does most of the cooking in our house, it’s an ongoing joke that we have our own personal chef!

I am a huge animal lover, we have two poodle mix pups; Oliver and Niko. They are a huge part of the family, and have been for the past 5 years. My days that I work from home editing wouldn’t be the same without them.

Great, 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?
I was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. I am a Midwest girl through and through. I spent the first two years of business back in my home state, where I had become very busy. I had quite the referral base, being I was born and raised there I knew lots of people. In early 2015, we packed up and moved to the greatest city in the country, Houston. We chose Houston for its endless opportunities and the people (we heard Houstonians are amongst some of the nicest people). Moving 1,000 miles away from home and starting my business over from scratch and not knowing a soul in the wedding industry was quite scary for me. I knew soon as I got settled into our new home, I had to hit the ground running. I was making list of all the venues, dress stores, cake shops around. I went to over 50 different places and introduced myself, and left some business cards. From there I was fortunate enough to establish a relationship with some of the venues, and become a preferred vendor with many of them. Most of my weddings come from meeting brides and grooms at vendor open houses, I credit that to being able to spend more one on one time with them during the open house.

There is no other city than Houston that I would rather be photographing weddings. One thing people may not know is that Houston has a pretty amazing community of photographers. We all kind of look out for each other, send work each other’s way; community over competition. I love that!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Kari Marie Photography – what should we know?
Kari Marie Photography primarily specializes in weddings. When I am not photographing a wedding, you can find me doing some family or senior portrait sessions. I think when a bride and groom chooses me to be their wedding photographer I think there are many factors, mainly it’s for my style of work. My style is very candid, genuine and real. I love to capture real unposed moments and emotion, when doing so the images don’t come across as stiff or overly posed. To get these emotions mainly from the bride and groom I love to ask them questions that will take them back to when they first met or fell in love. I will ask things like “When was your first kiss” or ” who said I love you first”. Think back to your first kiss with your significant other, does the thought of replaying that moment in your mind make you light up? I sure hope so! I love to be fun with my clients too, the day doesn’t have to be rushed and stressful. If can I show them I am not stressed and I am having fun, that vibe will radiate throughout the whole wedding party. In turn makes for some amazing images!

I am also known for my editing style; my style is very true to the day. Crisp, clear, and sharp images. I don’t like to overdue on the editing side of things, my style is truly timeless, images that you will be able to look at in 50 years and still relate to them.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I would have to credit my heart, drive and compassion for how far I have come. When I am photographing a wedding, I am at my happiest. I absolutely love what I do; so therefor I am going to work very hard to insure this is something I get to continue to do for years to come. When a couple meets me and I am asking them personal questions, like where they met; or how he proposed. They know my heart is in it, I ask these things because I truly care and want to know. In most cases, I will have a continued friendship with the bride and groom long after the wedding. To me that says a lot about me as a person and a photographer. Lastly, my compassion and need to give back is a huge part of who I am. I offer great discounts to those who serve, have served our country, as well as anyone that is a first responder. These brave men and women put their lives on the line daily to protect our country, and communities; offering them a discount is my way of being able to personally thank them. I work hand and hand with The Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, their whole mission is to help wounded veterans. I donate back to wounded soldiers and the Coalition as much as I possibly can, as this is something near and dear to my heart.

Pricing:

• Wedding Packages start form $1950
• Family Sessions start from $350

Contact Info:

• Website: www.karimariephoto.com
• Phone: 832-363-3287
• Email: kari@karimariephoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karimarie.photo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karimariephoto/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Karimariephoto
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kari-marie-photography-houston

Image Credit:
Kari Marie Photography
Sara Stanley Photography- Personal Headshot