Katie picked up her dad’s old Minolta camera when she was 17 years old for a school project.  She loved the feel and the mechanics of the camera and loved that she could visualize a final image and somehow create something artistic. She didn’t pick up another camera until she was in the Army and stationed in Hawaii. She bought a digital camera and began photographing everything around her on the island.

 

After the Army Katie considered photography to be a hobby, as it provided an outlet for her to deal with stress. Later, though, as she began to develop her skills, she realized she could make photography her life. She just had to find her focus. But, that was easy, fighting.

 

Katie has been an avid MMA and Boxing fan for years, even attempting boxing herself when she was working in law enforcement. She was proactive and began looking up fight gyms in the area and quickly got linked with the local fight community in Spokane, Washington.

 

Katie began photographing fights, including promotions like Invicta FC, and King of the Cage. She progressed into fighter gym visits to MMA Masters, Urijah Faber’s Ultimate Fitness, Trevor Prangly’s AKA, Sikjitsu, and Warrior Camp. Her upcoming project “Why We Fight” examines the personal stories of fighters and the reasons they fight.

 

Katie currently lives in Spokane, Washington, working as a freelance photographer for marketing, events, and fights, and is also a photojournalist for local news outlets.