Meet Christa Paustenbaugh | Photographer & Owner

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

Hi Christa, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have always had a love for photography. We are a military family and when we moved to Japan I needed an outlet since a job in my trained professional career was not in the cards. I figured if I didn’t enjoy it I didn’t have to proceed with it. Turns out I loved it and 11 years later I’m still cultivating this little one woman show!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve definitely been a work in progress artistically in my 11 years in business, but found some solid footing while we lived in California for a few years. I’m still always learning and growing, but love where my business went over the last 6 years.
The biggest challenge over the years has been the moving and restarting of my business every few years due to military moves. Starting over is always a challenge to establish a name for yourself in a brand new area.
I would say that what sets me apart from other photographers is my ability to make families/clients feel at ease and comfortable during sessions with me. I feel like that shows through the images in the natural and comfortable interactions. Photo sessions with seniors and families shouldn’t be a chore, but time to have fun and make memories together. I’m also a sucker for a dramatic background and sky!

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?
That’s a tall ask for someone who has only called Colorado home for 11 months – haha!
I would first show them around my new hometown of Fort Collins because it’s pretty awesome. We would hit up a hike to Horsetooth Falls, walk around downtown to visit the shops and restaurants; and because I’m a beer lover, we have to visit a few breweries too.
I would definitely want to head out to the mountains with them for a few days to see the sites, do some hikes, ski if they are into that and eat our way through the mountains! Looking for and seeing the wildlife in the mountains would just be icing on the cake. Seeing elk, ram and deer is always exciting!
You also can’t go wrong with taking in a game in Denver and visiting a traditional German Christmas market in the winter!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband of 26 years and my 2 daughters have always been my biggest fans and cheerleaders! They make it possible for me to do this.
I also have to give a shout out to one of my very good friends, Chris Thompson. She was the one that gave me a push, or rather a giant shove, to even start the business. After all this time and not living near each other for years, she is still a huge cheerleader and supporter of mine.

Website: https://www.christapaustenbaugh.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christa_paustenbaugh

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christapaustenbaughphotography