More Info
To see more of Greeson’s work, visit kathleengreeson.com.
Name: Kathleen Greeson
Age: 39
Hometown: Fayetteville, Ga.
Occupation: Photojournalist
Kathleen Greeson cut her teeth shooting scenes for the newspaper after graduating from the University of Georgia. With a degree in journalism and a focus on photojournalism, she sought to capture people's attention while upholding the integrity of the moment.
As her family grew, her focus shifted. Now, she helps clients hold onto memories ranging from births to bridal through her personal business, Kathleen Greeson Photography, and this time of year keeps her especially busy. While more and more things become digital, there's not much that compares to a personalized Christmas card. As Greeson points out, "you can't text a Christmas card." Rather, she helps people connect the old-fashioned way; the way that still proudly decorates mantels and sparks a sense of the season.
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For the last nine years, I've been doing freelance work and documenting my own children. I have two: a 6-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy. They're my favorite subjects. I photograph them probably every day. I had never photographed children, really, before I had children.
Most of what I learned I just learned on the job.
[With kids] it's all about the bribery.
[My son's] first Christmas card, he was a little baby in a Santa hat. Everybody loved it, and then it turned into "What are you doing next year?"
I do put a lot of time into thinking about how it's going to be different this year. I get a lot of great response. It's a fun way to connect with people. A lot of times, people will call me and then I get to catch up with them that way too.
[Inspiration] comes to me in all different ways. The most important thing is I try to keep it simple and not have too many moving parts. I pride myself on not Photoshopping.
I have some clients I've been working with since their kids were babies, and I have worked with them to come up with something different [every year].
I like to shoot pictures that make me happy. I try to always do my best; I don't ever use a formula for what I'm doing.
I have a ton of clients, and I worked more this year than ever [with] people specifically hiring me for their Christmas card. There are a lot more people putting thought into it and organizing it.
If you're doing your own [Christmas] card, the lighting is going to be a lot easier to work with outside.
The natural beauty here and the places to go take photos, it's overwhelming. There are so many great locations.
I love personal Christmas cards. I always feel very special. I know how much time and work goes into putting a Christmas card together.
I'll admit, I keep every Christmas card that's a photo. I can't stand to think about throwing them away. I get them out and look at them every year. I display my favorites from this year and years past. I always love to see what they do with the pictures and to see what the finished project looks like. I look forward to that every year.
Who you pick as a photographer, that's a really personal relationship you're going to have with this person. You're trusting them to document your family, to capture that moment. You need to look at their work and be sure their style is what you like and works with your family.
It makes me so happy to be able to do these photos for people and know that is a moment in time they're going to keep.