Meet This Week's Judge: Kate Densmore

This week's judge is the immensely talented Kate Densmore, and so fitting it is that she is judging a theme of 

"possibilities", since she is able to see the possibilities that exist withing all subjects. I mean, how awesome 

do those eggs look?? Read a little more about what fuels her inspiration. And, a big thank you to you, Kate, 

for joining us this week.

Possibility

“I dwell in possibility…”
― Emily Dickinson

1. Tell us about yourself...

I’m Kate – I’m a wife to an amazing man, and mama to two perfect little girls. My husband is a ranger for the National Park Service, so our life is tied to some of the most beautiful places in the country. We are currently stationed in a very remote area of Olympic National Park. We live 45 minutes away from the nearest grocery store, but we hear the ocean crashing on the beach at night and our house is nestled between giant rainforest trees. I am currently a stay at home mom, but I was a secondary social studies teacher before I had my daughters. I am a documentary and fine art photographer, and I am teaching a workshop in February, “Voice and Visual Intent”, through In Beauty & Chaos.

2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now?

I feel like I am always grasping at fleeting moments. Sometimes in the middle of a moment, I’ll step back in my head and try to hold onto every little detail and smell and feel of a moment – my daughters’ sticky fingers, their baby smell, the sound of my oldest mispronouncing “strawberry” –  I feel frantic knowing it will disappear. Photography lets me hold onto those things, and express how I feel about them in a way I can’t with words.

3. What's in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least?

I shoot with a Canon 5D Classic and a 35L lens most of the time. I have a 100L which is a beautiful lens, but the focal length of the 35 suits me perfectly. I also recently added an old school, fully manual Canon film camera to my bag which should be a fun challenge in the new year. I also have a Lensbaby Spark, which I rarely use because of the aperture limitations, but it’s so much fun when I do!

4. What's your dream project or shoot?

I would love to shoot a birth someday, but my biggest dream is to create images that say something meaningful about motherhood and the beauty of our everyday lives.

5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?

Tuning out the noise and following my own path.  

6. If you had $500 to spend on photography...

How should you spend it?

I should put it towards some marketing and branding….

How do you wish you could spend it?

I wish I could spend it on a new camera body – the mark iii is calling my name louder and louder every month…

How would you really spend it?

I would actually spend it on continuing my photography education. There is just so much to learn!

7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very beginning of your photography journey?

I wish someone had told me that it would look nothing like I had imagined it would in the beginning. My path has been very twisted, long, and steep, and my biggest battle has been against myself and my own stubbornness, but it is so much better than I could have imagined. It took stepping back from what I thought others expected of me to find myself, which has been freeing and really allowed me to find my voice. The struggle has also taught me to trust in myself more.