Meet Hannah Peterson | Lifestyle Photographer

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

Hi Hannah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Well, it was kind of an accident really! I’ve always been a very nostalgic person, especially when it comes to photographs, so that led to buying my first DSLR at 19 years old. At the time, I knew absolutely nothing about how to actually work a camera, so I watched countless videos on manual DSLR settings, in which these creators shunned automatic mode.

I don’t think I ever shot in automatic at all for this reason, which meant that my very first pictures taken on that camera were entirely too dark or bright, and/or insanely blurry due to not understanding how aperture, shutter speed and ISO worked together. I was too stubborn to just shoot in automatic, but it was a great (sometimes frustrating) way to learn manual settings!
Anyway, I starting taking photos of EVERYTHING…. my dogs, my room, really anything that brought me joy. Then, I had a friend who was graduating college and asked me to take their grad photos – then friends of friends started asking me – it really took off from there, and I was like “I guess I’m doing this!” A happy accident, if you will.
Now, I’m lucky enough to get to photograph weddings, engagements, families and all of the moments in between. I’m so so thankful that things have worked out how they have + working for myself is pretty dang cool.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My photography journey started out self taught, and I do fully acknowledge that a formal education in photography is not necessary to find success in the profession, but I was lucky enough to take a couple photography classes during my time at UNT. I wasn’t sure how I would like photography classes, since being in a classroom has potential to crush passion (LOL), but it was such a cool experience. It gave me the opportunity to take photographs solely for me and art making, critique my classmates work and get feedback on my own. It was also the first time that I had seen my photographs printed out which has to be one of my favorite memories ever. I feel that my love for fine-art photography sometimes seeps into my lifestyle photography, which can be really fun and create super unique images.

Being surrounded by other artistic people has inspired me to create more and try new things. Of course, I follow a ton of other photographers and draw inspiration from them, but really, all mediums of art inspire me. My best friend crochets, which I think is one of the coolest things ever. I’m also taking a ceramics class at the moment, and throwing clay on a wheel does the same thing that looking at a beautiful photograph does for me (it’s just a bit more messy, haha).

I actually always thought that photography would be more of a side thing for me, and had applied to masters programs in counseling in hopes of being a play therapist. After a couple of really difficult rejections, I noticed that everything was pointing me towards pursing photography full-time (I’m a huge ‘sign’ person), so I decided to listen!

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?
As an introvert, I tend to gravitate towards the quieter parts of Dallas, so here are my picks!

DMA and lunch at the food trucks – a classic and must be seen!
Brunch at Oddfellows in bishop arts + walk around the area (SO many cute shops! Mosaic Makers Collective – super sweet store full of handmade goods by local artists)
When it’s a bit later, wild detectives for cocktails! They also have coffee and books – 2 of my favorite things in this world!
Buffalo exchange in Lower Greenville – love a thrift moment, plus, there’s a super cute cafe next door called the corner market, as well as a flower shop!
Also have to visit a coffee shop, so it’s gotta be la la land, but I’m happy getting coffee from most places, haha.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mom has fully supported me from my first few indecipherable photos, to the moment that I registered Hannah Kate Photography as an LLC. It’s easy to feel as if it’s not a “real job” (because it’s so dang fun), but she has always made me feel so proud to be a photographer. She is a constant source of love and encouragement for me, and that love has definitely flowed into my business as well.

Website: https://www.hannahkatephotography.co

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahkate.photo/

Image Credits
My personal photo was taken my Madison Shewmaker and all others are my own