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We are incredibly excited to feature Karin Doolin on the blog today! You are all going to LOVE Karin & I know you will walk away from The Reset Conference completely inspired by this woman. She & her husband run TenSixteen Photography and are based out of Carlinville, Illinois. I’m always amazed by their gorgeous lighting, rich color & their way of capturing real moments from their couples. She & Roger are also the face behind The Big Picture Project which you’ll get to learn more about their trip to Managua, Nicaragua at the conference. They leave this upcoming Monday & I can’t wait to hear the stories & see the images that are captured.
When did you launch your photography business?
Officially 2006, but I mark when Roger and I both became full time together as a team as the real beginning and that was 2008.
Are you Nikon or Canon? Mac or PC?
Canon & Mac
What’s your Favorite Lens?
My “go to” lens that is on my camera most is the 24-70mm, but my heart belongs to the 135mm!! Roger’s favorite and “go to” lens is the 70-200mm. It’s a beast, but it’s smooth and creamy like butter!!!
Who inspires you? (personally or professionally?)
I feel like my inspiration is constantly changing and evolving. I’ve had a few core people along my career that are always a staple inspiration – Jasmine Star for her style and business sense, Bobbi and Mike for being a successful husband and wife team that always stay true to themselves, Chris + Lynn for their mind blowing images… but the past couple years I’ve found more inspiration in photojournalism. Roger and I both are huge fans of Pete Souza who is “The President’s Photographer”, Esther Havens who is an incredible humanitarian photographer, Steve McMurry a famous photographer for National Geographic… I feel like my inspiration grows and evolves along with my photography.
Guilty Pleasure?
Breaking Bad. Absolutely obsessed with that show!
Favorite movie or book?
Shawshank Redemption is my all time favorite movie, and The Hunger Games Trilogy my favorite books!
Most embarrassing moment?
Oh dear. There has been SO many I don’t know if I can narrow it down to one so to be fair I would have to say ages 10-13. The entire span. (Ok…after I read this from Karin, I begged her if I could PLEASE share this photo that she posted on Facebook one day. #yourewelcome hahaha!!!)
Did you ever think photography would be your career?
Never. There were so many things looking back that were telling me that’s what I was meant to do, but it wasn’t until that light bulb moment that it actually all made sense!
Favorite quote?
If you look at my Pinterest boards you know that quotes are my favorite things! It’s tough to narrow it down to one because there are so many quotes that pertain to different things – but I think if I had to choose one it would be “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” by Kalu Ndukwe Kalu
Favorite junk food?
Chocolate chip cookies (but chips, crackers, and popcorn get an honorable mention)
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Relaxing – Bora Bora, Adventure – Australia
If you could have any super power, which would you choose?
time travel (hahaha – I don’t even know if that is a super power)
Any areas in your life that could use a “Reset?”
In my photography life – just getting the camera out for fun like I used to. Roger and I used to go on drives with the camera and take photos of everything. Becoming more technical sometimes makes the magic go away, and sometimes – it just feels like work. I need to reset my expectations and just start taking photos again for the adventure! Personally – making it less about me and more about others. From my choice of Facebook posts to what I chose to talk about with others. I’m trying to shift the focus from “what am I doing?” to “what am I doing for others?”
Favorite photograph you’ve taken?
This is a really hard question because like with favorite quotes I have favorites that pertain to different things. But, this image below is very recent and probably my favorite image I’ve taken. The subject is a model, and we were in a beautiful environment in California so it seems obvious that I’d lucked out to have a such a chance for a great image – but to use Roger’s favorite quote “Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet”. I had always wanted to shoot for a magazine, and when you are in that situation that you’ve dreamed of it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I had this shot in my head and I absolutely felt it when I clicked the shutter. I didn’t even have to look at the back of m camera, I knew it was the shot I’d waited my career to take.
What moves you?
Small, everyday acts of kindness. The little selfless acts that people do for absolutely no reward. Love. Have there been moments where you are photographing and you realize that this is bigger than yourself? Absolutely!! Never so much though as of recently amidst the worst poverty I have ever seen in a village in Nicaragua. It was a moment I will never forget and a time where I feel I truly found myself. What words of advice would you give to someone just starting out? Don’t be ashamed to be novice. Learning experiences are where the magic happens! Make mistakes. Celebrate even the smallest victories!! Never put more importance on being the best photographer before being the best person you can be. When you do the latter first, the rest will follow.
What’s your typical day usually look like?
Honestly – I just wrote this answer out and it was far too boring. The cliffnotes version… coffee, edit photos, answer emails, repeat.
Favorite hot drink?
As noted above – coffee!!
What three words best describe your photography?
Genuine, Vibrant, Crisp
Best secret for working smarter not harder?
Stop worrying about what everyone else is doing, and just focus on what you are doing.
Wish you had more of…?
Time with my son when he was young. To all the mommies, make more time for your kids when they are little. You’ll regret the time spent working but you’ll never regret the time spent being a mother.
Wish you had less of….?
Hours spent behind a computer yet never feeling caught up!
Ideal day?
No commitments, no responsibilities, someplace warm with the ones I love.
Annual goals?
Every year it’s the same goal – balance.
Any successes or failures in business that have shaped the way you run your business now?
Every success, every failure shapes the way we do business. It’s a constant ebb and flow of missteps and victories and both make us stronger.
Do you feel like attending workshops/conferences are valuable?
I had someone say to me recently that they felt it was so admirable that even where I am in my photography career that I still attend workshops. I’d never thought of it that way, because I guess I don’t find that you get to a point in your photography career EVER that there isn’t something more you can learn or need work on!! Anyone who thinks they have nothing left to learn is fooling themselves. I assure you – someone out there is doing the same thing you do much better. I have never attended a workshop in which I walked away empty handed. Even if the least I got out of it was some new photographer friends, thats a huge success.
Favorite Software:
Blogstomp! I used to spend far too much time putting together our blog images. Now I can get them done in 5 minutes max!
Favorite Photo Find:
Hands down Miller’s Professional Imaging. We’ve used Miller’s from the start and they’ve never given us a reason to stray. We know that we can upload an album and send it to the client sight unseen and it will be perfect. Their customer service, their turn around time, and their commitment to quality are unmatched. We absolutely love them!
What do you hope to share with attendees of the reset conference?
I hope to share that personally and professionally we are all in this together. That when we eliminate the egos and the desire to outdo one another that we all win. When we are the best we can be as people, the rest has a way of falling into place.
There is enough competition in our lives, the only person you should trying to outdo… is yourself.
Pretty amazing, right?!?! We’d love to have you join us at The Reset Conference & learn more from Karin & our fabulous team of speakers while you’re here! Use coupon code KARIN50 at registration & you’ll receive $50 off of your registration fee!
Karin, we are beyond excited for you & Roger and are praying for amazing things while you’re in Nicaragua next week. You inspire us daily & we are blessed to call you our friend. Go & Shine! ~Kellie & Bex