ART PARTY: KATIE CHIMET
Art Party celebrates the art we create and the story behind it.
Each feature includes a curated list of questions to help you dig deeper into sessions you may see on Instagram and want to learn more about.
If you have a session, series, or collection you would like to celebrate, email me the details and a link to the gallery.
MEET KATIE..
The sound of my kids laughing, good coffee, music playing through the house, sunshine coming through the windows, slow Sunday mornings, little adventures with my family, a really good op shop find… and of course my cameras!
Motherhood we don't often see in ourselves…
What inspired me was my own motherhood journey and the joy I get from everyday moments with my kids. I love watching their faces light up when we play together, or even when they help me around the house (my 16-month-old currently loves vacuuming, haha). Kids find so much beauty in the everyday, and I wanted to capture those ordinary little moments that can so easily go unnoticed.
A reflection of your story…
Absolutely! The mum bun is definitely something I know very well myself! Throwing your hair up because there are a hundred other things to do and just getting on with the day. There are definitely parts of this story that felt a little like a self portrait. Not because they are literally my moments, but because I recognise that feeling of being completely wrapped up in your kids and finding so much joy in the really ordinary parts of the day.
Around the whole house…
For this session it was actually quite deliberate. I really wanted to try different types of light and see how different film stocks responded in different parts of the house, so we moved around quite a bit. But I also find kids get bored pretty quickly, so changing locations and giving them something new to do helps keep things interesting for them too.
Lessons film is teaching you…
So many. I’m definitely a perfectionist, and I used to naturally choose the more “perfect” or technically correct images. Film is teaching me to let go of that a bit and embrace the imperfect moments.
I’m learning to step back and really watch what’s happening rather than always looking for the “perfect” photo. It’s also teaching me so much about light. I have to get it right when I take the photo because I can’t just fix it later in post, which is definitely a challenge, but I’m really enjoying learning that side of it.
First thoughts…
Honestly, this is one of my favourite parts about film. The anticipation of getting the scans back is wild. I go from being so excited to suddenly being very nervous haha. When I first looked through these, I was actually a little disappointed that some were out of focus. But once I looked past that, I was so happy with the emotion, the light and the connection I’d captured. Those things ended up mattering so much more to me than whether every frame was technically perfect.
Hopes for using film…
I still have so much to learn, but I’d love to keep growing with film and for it to become a really natural part of the way I photograph. I love that it makes me slow down and pay more attention to the little moments, and I think that’s something I want to carry through into all of my work. I’d also love to see more families choose film for their sessions. I’ve really loved the response to it so far, and there’s something so special about clients getting their film photos back and seeing their family in a slightly different way.
