Photographer Spotlight - Kate Cummings

First of all if you were to introduce yourself to someone who's never met you, how would you describe yourself as a person and what you do creatively?

Hey! My name is Kate, and I am a creative photographer based out of NYC. I recently moved to the city to continue to grow my career, specializing in concert photography and creative portraits. I am always super eager to learn and am always down to experiment with lighting, color, and perspective. I also love meeting and connecting with people as passionate about their work as me

How did you get into photography?

My mom gave me my first little digital camera when I was about 7 years old, and I've had a camera in my hands ever since! My real understanding of photography began my freshman year of high school in my journalism class, where I learned the basics. I took online courses throughout high school and watched just about every youtube video I could find, teaching myself how cameras work and learning how to improve. I started by shooting high school basketball games, portrait sessions of my family and friends, and even tons of self-portraits. Eventually, people began inquiring about my work, and before I knew it, I was running my own photography business!

What's your current photography setup? Do you think gear matters?

My current setup is a Canon R8 paired with either a Sigma 24-70mm, Sigma 70-200mm, or a Canon 8-15mm fisheye! I just upgraded to mirrorless this past year and I absolutely love it! Personally, I don't think gear matters all that much. As long as you have a creative eye and a solid understanding of how to use the equipment you have, you're all set.

You're an incredibly talented but also young photographer. Have you noticed any barriers/challenges because of your age? And do you have any advice for young creatives?

Being 18, I've definitely faced some challenges in the industry. Concert photography specifically, I've been mistaken for a fan multiple times and have even been booted out of the venue for it. There's also a stereotype, being a young female in a male-dominated field, that I might not be mature or experienced enough for the job. I've had job offers revoked because people found out my age, and even in portrait photography, some clients ghost me or drop out when they realize how young I am. It can be frustrating because it feels like they automatically jump to the conclusion that I'm irresponsible or not good enough without giving me a chance to prove myself. But honestly, these experiences have just motivated me to work even harder and show that age doesn't define talent or professionalism.

My advice to other young photographers is to believe in yourself and your work! Don't let doubts hold you back and if anything, use them as motivation. Take every opportunity that you can to learn and grow whether it's watching youtube videos or experimenting with your camera. Shoot anything you can because everything is a chance to improve and build your portfolio. Lastly, be patient with yourself! Building a career takes time and you'll face setbacks along the way. As long as you stay passionate and don't give up, you'll make it.

Let's talk about the AJR tour! How did it come about and what was the experience like?

Touring with AJR was such a crazy cool experience! Honestly, I owe so much to Austin Roa (@austinroa), AJR's main photographer/videographer. He is a family friend, and he gave me the opportunity to shoot AJR's Kansas City show to help build my portfolio. After that, I attended a couple more of their shows and learned so much about concert photography and professionalism within the industry. Their set and the performance they put on was incredible! Everything about it was so creative and detail-oriented, which made it so fun to photograph and watch. It gave me so much room to experiment with different perspectives and editing styles! I got a call from Austin and he said that they wanted me to join them for the rest of the tour. Immediately, I started freaking out - from pure happiness of course. Landing my first (partial) tour was truly a dream come true. Getting to combine my two favorite things, concerts and photography, and do them every single day was absolutely surreal. AJR and their team are honestly some of the most genuine and kindest people I've ever met and I'm so grateful to be able to have worked with them!

On that note, are there any dream artists for you to work with?

Dream artists... that's a good question. Harry Styles.

Where/what/who do you draw inspiration from?

For concerts, most of my inspiration comes from the music itself. I love finding the right colors, angles, and subjects that really capture the emotion and energy of a song. As for photography in general, I draw a lot of inspiration from some of my favorite photographers, like Marina Williams (@marinawphoto), Amanda Laferriere (@ajphphoto), Lloyd Wakefield (@lloyddddddddddddddddd), Preston Luke (@iamprestonluke), and Fernando Briceno (@fxxbv). There are so many talented photographers out there, but these are some of my current favorites. I love pulling inspiration from their use of color, perspective, lighting, and editing techniques.

This may sound odd, but when I'm brainstorming for photo concepts or deciding on how to edit a photo, I have to be severely overstimulated. I mean, TV on, Spotify blasting, people talking - basically all the noise around me meshes into one and I start to spark ideas. Also, gotta love Pinterest.

What's one of your 2025 goals and why?

One of my 2025 goals is to document more of my journey! I'm thinking about starting a YouTube channel to share how I balance my work life with my personal life. I'm not sure how many people would watch, but I think it would be really cool to capture this chapter of my life. I feel like I'm at a very pivotal point right now, and having documentation to look back on in the future would be super cool!

Do you have a piece of photography advice that you think is underrated?

As a very impatient person, I think slowing down and being patient with your work is super important. I think it's so easy to just rush through a shoot, but sometimes you just need to take a step back and observe. Whether it's waiting for the right light to hit, waiting for the subject to move just right, or even just taking a step back and taking in the moment.

Lastly, who are some "cool creators" who you're inspired by?

Listed above :) + Austin Roa (@austinroa) and Quinlyn Tosh (@quinlyntoshphoto)

You can check out Kate's work on instagram @katemphotog!