Meet Katie Levine

Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Levine.

Hi Katie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Rockford, IL. A small town outside of Chicago. My dad was a hobby photographer and said I had a camera in my hand as young as 3. I started making money at 16 doing senior portraits for friends. I went on to get a degree in photography at Columbia College Chicago. During college, I took a semester off to do an internship at Vogue Magazine at their LA offices. After I graduated college, I moved to NYC for an internship with Annie Leibovitz. I stayed there for a year, assisting on shoots with Louis Vuitton, Vogue Covers, and Vanity Fair spreads. After that, I launched out on my own. In love with light and capturing people in their most authentic selves, I started photographing models all around the city.

My first major spread was with V-Magazine photographing model Lucky Blue Smith, That shoot got noticed by the creative director of Paper Magazine, Drew Elliott. This then leads to doing more celebrity work and being a guest photographer on America’s Next Top Model. Photographing everyone from Tan France from queer eye to Marisa Tomei to Chance the Rapper. I eventually transitioned to Los Angeles to do more portrait work and work for Kourtney Kardashian’s brand, Poosh. During the pandemic, I started doing “facetime headshots”. I now do them for entire companies remotely around the world. I made the move to Arizona in 2021 with my fiance to start our family. I’ve fallen in love with the community here and all the local businesses.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been paved with MANY rejections and lessons. But everything got me here. I was one of the first female assistants for Annie Leibovitz in almost a decade and this one assistant use to mess with me a lot to try to get me to slip up, or prove I couldn’t carry as much as him.

It only made me wanna work harder and prove him wrong. I also definitely never set out a proper business plan in the beginning which led to missing opportunities due to a lack of organization. I also got turned down for jobs and had to not take them personally.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a photographer that specializes in lighting. I studied lighting for almost a full year during my time with Annie Leibovitz. I love figuring out and creating light to bring out people’s personalities.

I am most proud of the frequency I receive, which is that I take everyone’s favorite photo of themselves. What sets me apart from others is my ability to elevate people’s brands with high-quality images that help them feel confident and authentic.

What matters most to you?
My family. My parents + brother have done nothing but help support and encourage me over the years.

I wouldn’t have had a chance without them being my foundation. As well as my future husband, Dillon. He’s my rock, my cheerleader, and my biggest fan. He makes me a better person every day.

Pricing:

• $100 facetime headshots
• Hour portrait $500
• Weddings Start at $2500

Contact Info:

• Website: www.katielevinephoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katielevinephoto/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-levine-b4222166/

Image Credits
Katie Levine Photography @KatieLevinePhoto