Meet Steven Kuzmich | Photographer & Small Business Owner

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

Hi Steven, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Whether I am chasing around my four kids or out in the wilderness enjoying a peaceful moment with a bull moose, photography has been my creative outlet for over 30 years. However, it wasn’t until covid hit and having time at home to go back through hundreds of thousands of photos (it was a lot of photos) and I realized that I was just snapping shots rather than taking meaningful photographs. Every once in a while I would see a shot that was just amazing, the light, colors, it was a moment frozen just the way I saw in my mind, a hero shot. It was during this trip through the past that I realized I wanted more from my photography, more of those hero shots. I wanted to learn about the mechanics, how to tame the light, and truly capture the things that caught my eye rather than relying on luck.

Needing some reason to push myself to learn and grow as an artist, I created a photography print shop called Kuz Photo. Publishing my photos for others to enjoy has truly given me something to work for and I have enjoyed expanding my photography knowledge. My hope with Kuz Photo is to continue that growth and expanding my collection of hero shots so others can enjoy my journey and adventures.

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.
With 16 years in the software industry I have always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur and starting my own business, but with a family, life obligations, and a million other excuses I never really found the right way to go about it. However in 2018, through my life long passion for photography, I found a way.

When I was 6 years old my grandpa, who was a photographer and avid lapidary artist (stone jewelry), got me a very small first film camera and since then I have never stopped shooting. Over the years the cameras changed almost as often as my subjects, and throughout my younger years I continued to flood boxes and eventually hard drives with fun memories. All my shots were taken off the hip and more blurry ones than I’d care to admit, but I loved capturing every moment around me. With the addition of our first daughter the photography in our home absolutely exploded as my wife and I tried to preserve all those amazing memories. I slowly learned how to use larger cameras and a few different techniques, but most often it was still my usual quick snaps and photography was just a constant but casual part of my life.

In my mid 30s after a difficult medical issue I struggled to find myself again. I spent the next few years dealing with the mental trauma of what I had survived. One of the ways I learned to cope was through photography, it gave me something to focus on and helped relieve my anxiety. I slowed my breathing, kept an eye on my subject, and let go of all my thoughts so my hands would be steady, this became what I like to call my shutter therapy. Funny thing is, all that time spent between me and the camera also helped me enjoy photography more than I ever had in the past. Over time I began to accept the things I had been through, that I was different now, and I was going to be okay.

A short while after coming to terms with my new normal, I went on a trip to Washington DC for a family wedding. I leveraged my shutter therapy to help with my anxiety of traveling and not only did I have a good time but I also took a bunch of great photos. After everything I had been through and years shooting, photography just clicked into place for me and I wanted more. Being a fairly risk averse person, it took me a while to figure out how I wanted to pursue this deepening lifelong passion and It wasn’t until covid hit that I came up with the idea.

Like many other artists, I set out with a plan to turn my hobby into something more, a way to share my passion and keep me motivated. By starting an artistic wall decor business I was able to do everything I’ve wanted, I could keep my day job as a software developer, enjoy time with my family, and continue to grow my photography skills. Someday I hope to make the leap and be a full time photographer, but for now it’s become the very small business I never knew I needed.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
For a fun weekend in Colorado there’s no better place than Red Feather Lakes, CO. Between the fishing, at places like Bellaire lake, multiple hiking trails and tons of camping there’s no better place I can think of to take someone on a unique Colorado adventure.

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 want to thank my family for all their support and encouragement over the years. Most of them had a lens pointed their way, likely more than they wanted. I am so grateful for being a part of a long heritage of creative artists including painters, lapidary, quilters, stained glass, videographers, authors, musicians, wood workers and photographers.

A special thanks to my wife, I never would have made it this far without you.

Thank you all.

Website: https://www.kuzphoto.com

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/steven_kuzmich

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