A new photo studio has popped up in Umatilla.
Katie Skillman Photography opened Oct. 27 inside the EP Dodd Building at 505 Willamette Ave., Suite 105.
Owner Katie Skillman has her studio space decked out with lighting equipment including soft boxes, umbrellas and flash, 15 backdrops, a modern bedroom and living room setup for family shoots, and a makeup section for clients who need to touch up or swap outfits during the portrait sessions.
The studio offers a professional photography service for capturing family portraits, maternity sessions, newborns, engagements, senior portraits, weddings and more.
Skillman said the space is also available for rental to all photo creatives who want to use the studio for their own clients, or for beginners who need a place to practice and sharpen their skills.
“Photographers that rent this space have the ability to use anything that’s in here,” Skillman said.
Inside the studio, Skillman rummages through her gray backpack and pulls out her Canon R6 mirrorless camera and lenses. She walked to her Christmas-themed backdrop and mounted her camera on the tripod.
Skillman said got her start in photography by practicing with her friend who enjoyed being in front of the camera.
“I was one of those people that in college, my best friend and I used to go on backroad drives to kind of decompress from whatever we had going on,” Skillman said. “She liked to model and I am not one to be in front of a camera so I would take pictures with my phone and it turned out to be something that I really, really enjoyed.”
Apart from running her new studio, Skillman is mother of two and has been serving, for seven years, as an officer for the Umatilla Police Department.
“I like to say every picture has a story to tell and capturing that really means a lot for me,” Skillman said. “What I see at work, some of these families, they’re being torn apart and their whole world is coming to an end at the time I’m encountering them. And I feel for them. I feel things pretty deeply. And my thought is, I want to be able to capture moments while they’re happy for people.”
Skillman said she sets her studio hours outside of her police work schedule to accommodate her clients’ needs. She also negotiates with families who are unable to afford her prices and tries to work around their financial situation.
“This is just a safe, comfortable space,” Skillman said. “This place is somewhere where you can come and feel comfortable and feel safe and that is a huge thing for me.”
Skillman announced she is hosting a Santa Claus photoshoot Dec. 8, from noon to 3 p.m., at her studio. Family and friends can bring their children to take a photo with old St. Nicholas. Photos are $10 and she will be providing sugar cookies, hot chocolate and a bag of goodies for the children.
Katie Skillman Photography offers appointment bookings, pricing, studio hours and photo prints services online at www.katieskillmanphotography.com, where customers can shop for different packages and styles of sessions.
Katie Skillman Photography is available on Facebook and Instagram, for clients who want to keep up to date with holiday deals and services.
