“When I was growing up, I imagined myself being a boat captain or a truck driver!,” Katherine Arntzen exclaims with a giggle.

A professional photographer originally from rural Illinois, Katherine moved to Savannah Georgia almost two decades ago in pursuit of her academic endeavours. She ended up staying on after graduating and created a life for herself there.

“I first came here to study photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design which is popularly known as SCAD,” Katherine says. “And after I graduated, I got a job at Armstrong Atlantic State University as their staff photographer and while working at the university I was also able to earn a degree in Spanish for free which is one of the great perks of working at the university.”

“So I can use my Spanish degree casually to be a better traveller,” Arntzen shares with a big grin and sparkle in her eyes.

After working at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Katherine went on to work at Georgia Southern University and soon afterwards started her own business as a photographer. While working at the universities, she had also been working on developing her portfolio and business as a freelance photographer shooting everything from portraits, weddings, special events and other projects.

“I like to do portraits and landscapes mostly. Specifically portraits of people in their environments doing their jobs,” she enthusiastically responds.

“I always enjoyed and was naturally drawn to taking pictures from a very young age,” Katherine fondly recalls of her passion and interest in photography. She cites her mother as being an influence. “My mother also always took a lot of pictures and was very organized, putting her albums together by year. She would have the nice sleeves with the negatives in them, and everything was just so perfectly labelled.”

In addition to photography, Katherine highlights that her other love and passion is travelling. Something she spent many summers doing with her family -mainly road tripping around the country. “I love travelling and seeing nature and people in different environments,” she states with a tone of excitement.

In discussing the role and impact that technology has had on photography, Arntzen notes that almost everything is digital and there is “not much of a market for shooting film as far as being paid to do a photo shoot.”

“Ever since I have been doing this professionally, it has always been digital. Lately I’ve been trying to get away from that a little bit in my work, by shooting with a 35mm film camera again. But even then, technology impacts that because when I have the film developed, I have to scan the film that was given to me on a thumb drive. Only then can I choose what I want to share with people. All that is done through technology, online, or through social media.”

Arntzen feels that technology has also contributed to an abundance of images and loss of artistic quality in photography. She says that is good to see everyone take an interest in photography, however it also makes it harder for her to get work.

“It makes it so that people don’t want to hire a professional photographer which impacts me as I may not get as much work. I constantly have to push myself to shoot in scenarios that other people may not know how to, and to prove my value and what sets me apart from everyone else with a camera,” she states.

Working as a photographer, she explains how essential it is to constantly put herself out there and stay top of mind in order to stay relevant as work is not always consistent, “I have to put myself out there including on social media, which I don’t love, but I have to do it to stay fresh in people’s minds. Otherwise they will forget about me because people only need a photographer once in a while for a special event, but not every day,”

When it comes to the skills needed to be a successful photographer, Arntzen says being versatile, adaptable, and open minded are pivotal. She also says that learning new technology is key to attracting new clients.

On the question of whether photography is a dying art, Katherine confidently says, “While video is taking over in many aspects, there will still always be a need for photography in print publications, books, websites, and there will always be a need for portraits, landscapes and still images.”

As an artist, Katherine views the camera as a tool to create her artwork. "One day I may decide to switch tools and take up painting. So I think of myself as an artist and the camera is a tool by which I can express my feelings.”

As another container ship makes its way into Savannah port, the largest and fastest growing terminal, Katherine pulls out her camera and begins to take photos. After taking a few pictures she pauses and with a chuckle she says, “I still want to be a boat captain, so maybe one day I will get there, because I really do love seeing new places.”

Until then, she will continue to visit places and take bicycle tours across the country. Katherine is content to use her photography to meet people and show them in the beauty of their environments.