2019 Behind the Scenes | KHP Year in Review • Kati Hewitt Photography

2019 Year in Review

It feels amazing to be able to write another blog post about an incredible year! It’s surreal to be entering my 7th year as wedding photographer and my 3rd year as a husband and wife team with Alex. When I think about 2019, I think about fun-filled times spent all over Texas, across the country, and abroad. I remember late night McDonald’s frappes after weddings, staying up late looking at photos, and waking up early to begin editing all of the memories we’d captured. It’s been so much fun reflecting on the past year, and we hope you’ll enjoy sharing some of our highlights of the year!

Business Highlights:

-Photographing 28 incredible weddings for amazing couples!

-Photographing 77 photo sessions

-Going to Greece for a film photography workshop

-Photographing a styled shoot for Brides of Houston

-Seeing our work published in Brides of Houston magazine in the spring and fall editions

-Seeing our work featured online by Weddings in Houston

-Being chosen as one of the “Best 13 Wedding Photographers in Houston” by Peerspace

-Attending ShowIt United for the 4th time

Life Highlights:

-Being a bridesmaid in two of my best friend’s weddings

-Going on a cruise with my two friends and fellow photographers, Tara and Ashlen

-Alex switching jobs to a new job he loves

-Alex passing his professional engineering exam!

-Going to Punta Cana for vacation

-Going on our first backpacking trip in Arizona!

-Celebrating THREE years of marriage

-Buying our first home!!

-Visiting California, Nebraska, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Vermont, New Hampshire, Florida, Maine, Greece, and Dominican Republic

Q&A

Here’s a fun little Q&A I put together so you can learn more about us and our business. (A is Alex’s answer and K is Kati’s answer.)

What’s your favorite trip from this year?

A: I loved our Arizona trip because I liked getting to experience nature while being unplugged. I had never gone true backpacking before where you carry everything to the campsite on your back, and that was an experience and an accomplishment. I’m glad I got to do that with Kati, my beautiful wife, who is also surprisingly good at backpacking.

K: My favorite trip was our Arizona backpacking trip! It was so surreal being surrounded by nature for several days and having to carry everything you need on your back. Havasu Falls had the most breathtaking waterfalls, and it’s an experience I’ll never forget.

What’s your favorite song to hear at a wedding reception?

A: Oh, I always like it when Tennessee Whiskey comes on because it slows down the night and allows us to get intimate pictures of people two-stepping together. It’s a nice break from the party music.

K: I think I said this last year, but it’s still Yeah by Usher. Such a classic! Or Mr. Brightside when the guests get REALLY into singing it.

What did you love about the 2019 wedding season?

A: My favorite part of this wedding season was going to Nebraska and getting to photograph a wedding in a new city while also being part of the wedding. I also like that photographing weddings was a creative outlet during all of the months I was studying for my professional engineering exam.

K: So many things! The couples we worked with were just really great humans, and that makes our job so much fun! They trusted us, they were kind, and they had great style. We’ve stayed in touch with a lot of cour couples this year on social media, and I love keeping relationships with them and seeing what they are up to post-wedding!

What are some of your personal goals for 2020?

A: Since buying our house, I’d like to work on more home improvement projects to really make our house feel like home. I’d like to tackle some new projects with Kati and take more trips to Home Depot. Let’s see if I can test out my handy man skills this year and hopefully remember all of the things my dad has taught me- haha! I also want to host more friends and family at our home and cook for them. Lastly, I’d like to get back into running since there are some good trails around our house. I started slacking after our move!

K: I’ve recently become more interested in cooking. We have so many gorgeous cook books that were gifted to us, and I’d like to dive into those. One of my goals is to try a new recipe every 1-2 weeks and then leave little sticky notes in the cookbooks about how it was/other commentary that will be funny to look back at. I also want to revisit the health goals I set in 2018 because I kind of missed the mark in 2019…Also, more relaxation!!

What are some of your business goals for 2020?

A: I’d like to continue expanding our lighting equipment because I’ve become even more interested in gear and seeing light in different ways. I also want to dust off our film gear and get back at it!!

K: One of my goals for 2020 is to create a really awesome experience for…drum roll please…our grooms! I think it’s important for our grooms to feel involved and excited about their wedding day just like the brides do, and we want to create some special resources for them. Stay tuned. 🙂

Best way to spend a free Saturday?

A: Let’s see…I’d want to sleep in, make a whole pot of coffee when I wake up, open up the blinds in the house to let some light in, and get out the ingredients for breakfast tacos. Then, I’d not worry about the time all day. I’d run a couple errands and then hang out at the house and watch movies.

K: The older I get, the more I realize how much I value those rare weekends at home. I think the perfect free Saturday would be sleeping in, making brunch with Alex, hanging out around town, and then watching a movie at home with a glass of wine.

What’s next on your bucket list?

A: I’ve always been wanting to do a roadtrip through Canada and see some of the major cities there.

K: I’ve always wanted to go to Lake Tahoe. I also know Alex is SUPER close to checking all 50 states off his bucket list, so I want to plan some trips that can make that happen!

What kind of music do you like to listen to when working in the office and/or driving to weddings?

A: Maggie Rogers, Lake Street Dive…Anything chill really!

K: Maggie Rogers was my go-to all year. I think my favorite song ever is Dog Years. I also loved listening to Taylor Swift’s album “Lover” and Post Malone’s album “Hollywood is Bleeding.” So random…I know. Haha!

Favorite part about working with your spouse? 🙂

A: It’s fun always having a common goal that we are working towards together. We always bounce ideas off of each other. It feels comfortable working together because we are a great team. Honestly, I like taking road trips with Kati and it doesn’t even feel like I’m working when we are working together! Kati is really organized and keeps track of everything really well so we always have a good game plan for weddings. On a wedding day, I like how Kati can walk into any situation and confidently take control and make sure everyone is being cared for!

K: Alex is always so patient and calm. His positivity is unwavering which is such an amazing quality. His quiet nature allows him to capture photos with a different perspective than I do which gives our couples even more amazing photo galleries every time. We are just so silly together, and it makes driving to weddings, photographing weddings, and traveling for work so much fun! I also just love seeing him grow as a photographer year after year, and I admire how passionate he is about film photography. 🙂

How many images do you think you delivered in 2019?

A: 45,000

K: 36,000

It was really 57,063- holy cow!!

Behind the Scenes

I always get a kick out of going through these behind the scenes photos/bloopers from the entire year. It reminds me of how much fun I have working alongside Alex! I hope y’all will laugh along with us as you watch us toss veils, fluff dresses, and sneak embarrassing photos of each other.

We’ll teach you how to cut the cake- don’t you worry!Loved capturing Natalie’s wedding in 2018 and Rachel’s wedding in 2019! Taylor High School reunion at Christy’s wedding! Alex is an expert veil tosser! Here he is in action again!I’m probably saying, “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe how gorgeous these are!!” Test shot before we took the groom’s photos here.I promise I’m not as bossy as it looks here- haha!! Getting my game face on for the ceremony- ha! Alex is a pro at groom fashion! Always smiling on the dance floor! Testing out that window lighting!Another cake lesson!