HI, I AM EKATERINA SVOBODINA (I GO BY KATIE).

Don't worry about pronouncing my full name, just call me Katie.

I am a photographer, content creator and a problem solver, and a total computer geek. Unique combination of people skills from experience of working with people in different industries, creative skills from studding art, technical skills from degree in computer science and 5 years in technical support, makes me a solution to your visual needs. Simply put I am here to listen to what you want and need.

Today you can't go a day without seeing beautiful photos on social media, or even take photos with our cell phone. The cell phones give us amazing quality cameras, to me that's mind blowing, when I was growing up you'd be lucky to have 1 camera in the family. My dad was our family photographer, I remember him developing photos in the bathroom, I cherish those memories so much. But LIFE is what it is, and I lost my dad when I was only 10 years old, those memories that I cherish so much are so few, I don't know if it is because I left my home town, and even the country I was born 4 years later, but I barely remember my dad. But those photos he took has been my most cherished possession sense the day he was gone, I made sure to collect them and keep them safe during the move.

You know what happened after moving to a different country? I went 20 years without seeing 2 of my brother. 20 years is a life time, and I only wish I had more photos of their lives during that time. If you want to know what photography means to me and why it is that important is because I want to cherish the moment, because moments are fleeting and life is unpredictable.

Me becoming a photographer has nothing to do with my dad being a photographer, but more to what photography means to me. I remember my 1st camera, and then my 1st digital camera, which was mind blowing, and today a camera in everyone's hand on their cell phone. But with all these camera we forget few things, to PRINT YOUR PHOTOTS, when was the last time you printed a single photos? And we forget to actually be in photos, meaning unless it's a life changing event then you are the phone taking photos of everything around you with you phone but you are not in them, unless they are selfies. I think this is a critical time when any personal photography has even more meaning (personal meaning Family, Individual, or Couples).

That would be my personal story of why photography is important to me. Photography is a gift in everyone's life and it brings me so much joy to capture families and kids and couple who will look at the photos I took years later and remember their good old days.

My work has been published in Poppn Mag and Dreamy Magazine. I was the house photographer with Shades and Shapes Events and, as photographer for Photo Club PDX , I have scheduled and organized many successful photography events.