Most teenagers take a photo at least once a day, whether it’s a Snapchat to friends, a post on Instagram, or something they just want to capture in their everyday life. For Katelyn Lancaster, however, photography quickly became a driving passion.

Lancaster, the owner of Katelyn Rose Photography, has been a commercial photographer for 12 years now since graduating from Ohio University. She spoke to The Uproar  about the opportunities she has been given over the years.

“I’ve done many things in my career, from being a photographer for the Pittsburgh Penguins for six years to moving to New York City and managing a studio and shooting for brands like Ralph Lauren, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar,” Lancaster said.

She added, “I then moved to LA and shot for companies like Pinterest, Facebook, and Google and also really focused on shooting in film rather than digital. This was great in expanding my knowledge in photography. I then moved back to Pittsburgh in 2018, right before having my second daughter, and started shooting and styling for American Eagle and Aerie.

It took Lancaster a while before figuring out that something she enjoyed doing in her everyday life could be her career. In school, she was always artistic.

“Even though we didn’t have a program for photography, I always had a camera in my hand, shooting every social event and even just hanging with friends and making endless amounts of photo albums.,” she said. “When I went to OU, I was actually undecided and my parents made me realize that photography was the one thing that I’ve always been so passionate about. I applied for the Commercial Photography program, was accepted, and then minored in Business and Advertising so that I would be able to start my own business.”

Before figuring out her major, Lancaster had to look at schools for her future. Since she had a friend at Ohio University, she decided to visit.

“When I went to visit, I just fell in love with the campus,” she said. “Everyone was outside, playing games, sports, painting, or just hanging out in the grass and talking. I remember seeing on Main Street a graffiti wall that the university specifically had for students to paint on each week. I knew immediately that it was my school.”

From there, Lancaster’s story began. With the university’s abundant hands-on experiences, she quickly grew motivated to get out into the world and capture images.

Lancaster began her professional journey by moving to New York City after college. Her professors from OU were still able to offer their support.

“I was able to join an NYC Bobcat group and shot their event, which led to me meeting other fellow OU Bobcats and gaining clients I had for years. It felt incredibly supportive,.”

Through her experiences, Lancaster learned the importance of commitment to her craft.

“I always tried to say yes to any opportunity that was given to me,” she said. “When I first started out, I interned at a local magazine and would run all over the city to shoot something five events in one night.”

She added, “I would sometimes do jobs I wasn’t too excited about or maybe wasn’t as passionate about, but sometimes those jobs led to meeting someone who gave me another opportunity, which led to others. I learned to always say yes to opportunities that are given to you.”

Lancaster shared her advice to those struggling to find the courage to pursue the creative arts.

“I would say to work on it every day,” she said. “I once had an internship and my boss told me to shoot every single day. Doesn’t matter what it is, just shoot every single day. So I did, I would either walk out on campus and find beauty in the flowers blooming, go to the farmers market and get some fresh produce to style and shoot, or take my dog out and shoot some portraits of her or ask my roommates to model for me.”

Lancaster continued, “They might not all be portfolio shots, but they got me comfortable in front of the camera and gave me that experience that eventually led to me finding my ‘shooting style’ and knowing my settings like the back of my hand.”

photo by Katelyn LancasterMany students in high school worry about their future and want to know how they can succeed. Lancaster ended the interview by telling The Uproar what she wishes she could have told herself when she was in high school and what she hopes to inspire others to do.

“As long as you keep the passion and motivation to be great at what you want to do, then you’ll work hard to make it happen and it will be the absolute best thing to be able to do something you love as your career.”