Meet Kalilah Harris | Family Photographer and Mom

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

Hi Kalilah, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have always loved taking photos- whether it was back in middle school with disposables, high school and college with the old school digital cameras, or the original iphone photos once iphones started having that technology. I loved others reactions when capturing the “it” photo. I became a high school teacher after college and taught English/Language Arts. I was also hired to be the Newspaper teacher. At this point, I took some photography courses so that I could teach my students what I learned. Fast forward to 2018 when I gave birth to my oldest daughter and decided I wanted to become a stay at home mom. We never got maternity or newborn photos with her because at that point, we were young and living on one income and we couldn’t believe how much a session would cost us. Instead, my husband bought me a nice camera for Christmas that year and I started taking her photos. I ended up with some messages from friends and acquaintances of my posts on socials asking what photographer I used. Once I told them it was me, I started getting questions on if I had considered starting my own business. I honestly hadn’t thought about this because in 2020, I gave birth to my second daughter. The following year, I did a few sessions of friends and family members who also posted to their accounts so I started getting a lot of inquiries. Fortunately over the years, my husband became established in his career so I wasn’t necessarily chasing the income of photography. Don’t get me wrong, making money is a positive, but I really just love taking pictures of families. I love the way a photo can hold memories long after it was taken so in May of 2022 I brought up the idea to my husband. I wanted to start my own business in photography but I wanted to make it affordable for families. I couldn’t stand adding to the concept that a one hour photo session would cost half of a month’s mortgage. I wanted to especially provide moms with photos of their littles at a cost that didn’t make them put so much pressure on their kids to “act perfect.” I wanted a safe space for photos where kids could be kids and parents could relax a bit without overthinking how much it was to get the pictures done. I also wanted to make sure that I could still do my most important job of being a mom. That has always been my priority so becoming my own boss was the way I could make sure that could continue. I began my business in July of 2022 and it exploded. I was so lucky that the community took to me so quickly. I love all my clients but especially those who have been with me from the start. In 2024, I will have had over 120 photo sessions with the best families in our community/state!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I live in Castle Rock and I love how tight knit of a community we have here. I feel like my business was able to take off on the concept of affordability and word of mouth. The pictures I provide aren’t insanely expensive and yet I believe they capture moments in times for families. I have loved seeing how excited- especially moms- get when receiving their galleries because it is their families and they are proud to show them off. I am always striving to take pictures of kids exactly where they are in life- without trying to ask them to act perfectly. I have a no stress mindset for family pictures that I try and prioritize for other moms. I want them to have the chance to get dressed up and look nice but also to just be completely and totally themselves in the way they interact during our sessions.

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?
I’m a Colorado native- being born and raised in Littleton, went to college at CU (Go Buffs!), lived in Denver post college and now living in Castle Rock so my list of Colorado fun would be rooted in all of those places. I would definitely take them on a hike up in Boulder with lunch on pearl street. I then would make our way south and stop at Washington Park in Denver for a walk around the lake. We would then stop for a quick ice cream at Bonnie Brae before heading back. Throughout the week I would make sure to take them to South Valley Park in Littleton for a run or walk, and then we would spend the majority of the time exploring our local spots around Castle Rock. We would go hiking and walking around Dawson’s Butte (a favorite spot of mine to take pictures), go to The Great Divide Brewery, walk up the path to The Rock, bike ride Plum Creek Trail, eat at Tribe, and explore the cute shops of Downtown Castle Rock. One week would never be enough time to show them all the other great places Colorado has to offer!

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?
I quite literally couldn’t have done this without my husband and my daughters. The three of them have been my biggest support on this venture. I also want to recognize our third daughter who we lost while we were pregnant with her. After giving birth to her, I was in a dark place and I felt pulled to start something I was passionate about and get to know the stories of other moms. I also would love to recognize the families who have trusted me to capture their memories and who have continued to share my business with others- word of mouth is very real- and I am fortunate that these families are so supportive of what I am pursuing. Oh, and a huge shoutout to my mom- my girl’s Nana- because she is always willing to help with my kids while my husband is at work and I am out on sessions and she still is my biggest fan.

Website: https://www.kalilahclaraphotography.com/

Instagram: @Kalilahclaraphotography