Katie Motta Photography

I rarely work in film, but I took my film camera with me to the NJCAA National Championships earlier this year and photographed on color film for the first time. Here's some of my personal favorites of the film that has been developed so far!

I was thinking back to competing and being able to photograph my team during the 2020 NJCAA National Championship swim meet before the pandemic earlier today when I came across this diptych. The lighting and colors, the warmth, the smile on Olivia's face in this picture, brings me right back to that trip. I really loved capturing the energy from that amazing time and can't wait to experience more of the world again when this pandemic is over. Do you ever look back at photos and feel like you're experiencing it again?

From California, Summer 2019, from the Golden Gate Bridge. I used to focus on nature and landscape photographs growing up. I think when you used to have an interest, you never really fully lose it! :)

Hear no Evil . . . .... This was a cool shoot for my class titled "Hear No Evil" that I really enjoyed! Everything was done in camera, hung from fishing line in studio! See more

Would you rather have a $10 check written out to you with a fancy pen, or a $100,000 check written with a BIC ballpoint? . . . You do not need to have fancy equipment to get good results! COVID-19 took away my access to a studio filled with equipment that I could use at my disposal and left me with no lights, no backdrops, nothing but my camera! This image was created at the start of lockdown with a dress shirt as a backdrop and a 3 inch long LED flashlight! If you put your mind to it, it can happen!

Learning and observing are very important skills to have, but having people to learn from and observe is also very important! I volunteered to assist a professor of mine, Curtis, with a project and I ended up assisting Clifford Hausner (a Profoto lighting wizard). As he showed me different lighting techniques for the shoot we were assisting with, I was taking mental notes. Later on in the semester, we had to do a beauty shoot for a class, and using the techniques he showed me, I created this image! Never stop learning, and never stop observing, sometimes it's as simple as that!