Blogger Profile: Cat Watson

Over the years I have profiled bloggers from the Northwest Territories to the Fraser Valley, anyone that interests me and that I hope will interest you as well. A few years ago I started asking a standard set of questions and I’ve sent these out to a few local bloggers for this week’s series. Click, share, explore, and enjoy.

Photo source: CatWatson.com

Cat Watson

Blog: CatWatson.com
Twitter: CatWatson8
Facebook: Cat Watson Photography

How long has your blog been around?
My blog has been around almost 3 years now. I started blogging a few months after our first child, my daughter Evelyn, was born. We had recently moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, away from family and friends and everything familiar to me, and I was feeling incredibly lonely and to an extent, unfulfilled. I loved, and continue to love, being a mommy, but I wanted a project to work on that I could call my own. So I picked up my point and shoot and started taking pictures of everything, mainly plants and bugs and still life at first. I read and researched and forced myself to shoot in complete manual mode and just practiced a lot. I started asking friends if I could use them and their babies and families to practice on. And, along the way, I blogged it all, and Cat Watson Photography was born. In addition to the photos, I wrote as well about anything and everything. I found that writing and photography were both great outlets for me and something I really enjoyed, and just ran with it.

What is your role?
My role and involvement is…anything that needs to get done, I do it! That’s not entirely true, actually. My husband is an amazing designer, and has designed my logo, business cards etc. He also proofreads my posts for me and just gives his advice and input when I need it. He is a huge help!

What does your site do/what is it about
My blog is about my photography, but it’s also about my life. I love to write, and it’s a fun challenge for me to try and take ordinary days or experiences and turn them into creative stories that others will hopefully find interesting or captivating to read. My blog is a way for me to showcase my photos and work and to get business, but also an outlet for me personally as well as a means to let those who are interested get to know me a bit as well.

What can people see, read, and do when visiting your site?
People can see my most recent work, my portfolio, read about what to expect at their photo session and anything else related to getting their pictures done with me. Right now, I just want one site rather than a site and a blog. I think that, a lot of the time less is more and simple is the way to go, so instead of having a blog and a website I just combined the two so that potential clients only have one place to go. In addition to all that, visitors can also read more personal posts relating to my family and just what’s been going on in my life and how my kids are making me laugh and driving me crazy. I’ve started writing a lot more lately, and created a series called ‘8th&Ash’ which is simply about our transition and new life here in Vancouver.

Why do you blog?
I blog because I love it. Plain and simple. I love writing and I love taking photos and I love sharing it with anyone who is interested to have a look around.

What is the ultimate goal for your site, how would you like to see it grow?
The ultimate goal for my blog would be to firstly really nail down my style and vision as a photographer and writer. I still feel like I’m changing and evolving and that I am not quite “there” yet in terms of having a completely unique identity. It’s coming together, but I want to see it matured even more. Secondly, my goal is to grow a readership here in the Vancouver area and thus a steady client base. We’ve moved around a lot in the past 4 years, and I’m ready to settle a bit and get familiar with the area and hopefully make some lasting relationships. Thirdly, and this may sound cheesy, but my goal is to make people feel something when they read my words and look at my images. I want to make people feel inspired, encouraged and thoughtful. I want it to matter, even if on some small level.

Follow Cat: CatWatson.com, on Facebook, and Twitter

Read all entries in my Blogger Profile series and feel free to suggest a blogger for possible feature in the comments of this post.