Meet Kate sZatmari | Beauty & Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kate sZatmari and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kate, what role has risk played in your life or career?
People associate the word “risk” with huge, life changing decisions but at the end of the day, most decisions you make are a version of “risk.” Do I get out of bed today? Do I voice my honest opinion about something? Do I tell someone how I feel about them? Do I talk to a stranger at the grocery store? It’s worth taking a risk wether big or small as you always gain something even if you fail or succeed.

I’m an immigrant and consider myself fortunate to be living in the US which has allowed me to achieve my dreams on a wider scale. However, the road to getting here was not exactly straight. My parents took one of the biggest risks by leaving communist Romania in the late 80’s to seek asylum in Hungary. This move changed our lives for the better. They didn’t stop there though. My dad received a job offer and we moved again, this time to Toronto, Canada. By their early
30’s my parents rebuilt their lives from scratch, twice. My risk taking didn’t start till I was 18 when I had to decide between journalism or photography as my career path. Photography won and off I went to one of the best schools in the country. Toronto though, never felt like home and New York and L.A were always tugging at my heart. I knew the opportunities along with the financial rewards were exponentially greater in those cities. After graduating I setup my business, did every photo job that came my way and saved my money. When I was 25 I moved to LA just in time to catch the second biggest economic crash in US history. I didn’t know anyone and honestly had no clue how I was going to pay the rent let alone make this career work. Either way it was my best decision and I have reaped a tremendous amount of personal and professional benefits from it since. My birthday just passed and though I won’t share which number, I will share this. If you don’t take risks, you’re going to miss out on life. Cliché? Perhaps. True? Absolutely!

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?

One of the things I pride myself on is always trying to be authentic. At this point the market is heavily saturated with “beauty photographers.” Everyones work looks the same. Beautiful, but completely commercial and lacking art. There’s no reinventing the wheel at this point but I try to bring energy, movement and lately a form of romance to my images I don’t believe there’s a single artist who can say it was easy to get to where they are in their career. We hear more “no’s” in one year than other people in their entire life. The way I succeeded is through hard work, perseverance and reaching out to brands over and over, every
single month, showing new work and asking to meet them. Someone eventually gave me a chance and hired me to shoot their print campaign. I chipped away at gaining more and more clients. You succeed by never giving up.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh shit, this is not the question for me. I don’t know the hottest spots or the trendiest restaurants. When someone comes to visit me I do the typical sight seeing tour. Beverly Hills, Santa Monica Peer, the Hollywood sign, Rodeo Dr. and all the beaches we can make it to!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I love this! Would definitely like to give a “Shoutout” to my friend and makeup artist Stephanie Navarro. She’s incredibly talented, a complete hustler with a big heart. She also has an incredibly positive and radiant energy.

My awesome friend Irina Kelly who’s a UX/UI designer in New York. She keeps me grounded and listens to my crazy 20 minute long voice messages as we talk about our children and everything under the sun. I admire her wisdom, drive and love her endless curiosity.

Last but certainly not least my mom. I would not be a photographer without her support. She literally pushed me to spread my wings and fly even when I didn’t want to.

Website: www.kateszatmari.com

Instagram: @kateszatmari

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateszatmari/ro-ro

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kszphotos/