From Lawyer to Professional Photographer: Orange County Native Wins International Photography Contest

YORBA LINDA, CALIFORNIA — Several years ago, K.C. Crow gave up her high-paying job as an attorney to become a lifestyle photographer. Instead of trying cases, she now captures the special moments of adorable toddlers— and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“My background was working for auto finance companies, so when I went into private practice I represented consumers in personal bankruptcy,” stated Crow. “Some people find it fascinating that I am choosing my photography career over going back to law.”

In private practice for about ten years, Crow eventually put her legal career on pause to direct her full attention to raising her two young kids. While taking a maternity leave during the birth of her first son, Crow began taking pictures of him daily and sharing them in an online journal with family — little did she know that it would allow her to discover her new passion: photography.

“The more photographs I took, the more addicted I became and from the shares I had posted on Facebook, I started getting friends and family asking me to take pictures for them,” she stated.

She then decided to get serious about the technical aspect of photography by taking classes and building her portfolio. It wasn’t until a close friend of hers cried after seeing some images she produced for her that she decided to officially "make the switch" from lawyer to photographer.

“I love how a photograph can extend and preserve a memory, particularly of the everyday details of our lives that we so often take for granted,” stated Crow. “Our children grow and change so rapidly that small moments often get lost in the shuffle and it is those moments that I want to capture with my camera.”

Her talent for taking pictures continues to draw praise. On June 27, 2017 she was voted the “Best New Emerging Child Photographer” by the National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP). She beat out hundreds of other photographers from all over the world — not bad for a stay-at-home mom who’s only been taking photos professionally for just two years now.

“Having won this contest feels almost like a validation that I have made the right choice,” stated Crow. “When I found out the judging panel had selected me as one of six finalists I couldn’t believe it. I never thought I had a chance in the public vote because so many of the other finalists had much larger social media followings than me so I was seriously shocked (and still am) that the public voted for my win.”

As winner of the competition, Crow received an all-expense paid trip to Atlanta, Georgia in August where she was interviewed for a feature in the September issue of Inspired magazine. While there, she also received invaluable mentoring sessions with some of the top leading photographers in the county and even got to take part in her very own photo shoot.

“The mentoring was invaluable to my business and the headshots taken for me were more than I could have ever asked for,” stated Crow.

Now back in sunny in California, this recent honor has given her the momentum to keep pushing forward with her photography business. In a few weeks, Crow will kick off her Christmas Tree Magic photography sessions.

“These are in-home holiday sessions where the only light in the image comes from the lights on the tree,” explained Crow. “Last year these were incredibly popular and images from these sessions were featured on some major Instagram hubs including ‘Camera_Mama,’ ‘pixel.kids’ and ‘magicofchildhood.’”

According to Crow, she also plans to host an in-person workshop for local Orange County parents to help them with how to use their DSLR cameras and take better pictures of their children in January 2018. To view some of her work and learn more about her, visit www.kccrow.com.