FilmingLifer PRO | Katrina Williams
Katrina Williams is a family filmmaker & photographer based in Durham, North Carolina and also one of our valued FilmingLifers here at the FilmingLife® Academy + Network
Tell us a bit about yourself…
My work and art is shaped so much by my experience of living in a hospital for nearly two years as my son journeyed through a bone marrow transplant.
The heartache, the suffering, the grief, the nights spent wondering if he would survive- this is why I make Films. I make Films so I can hold onto the good, hold onto the details, hold onto the love. I create Films to give myself and others a tangible reminder of the hope and the joy that exists in the midst of the pain.
I want to celebrate and treasure this precious life, especially as a way to honor the friends I’ve lost along the way.
Making Family Films is the best way I know how to do that.
Tell us about the kind of photography & films you create…
My intention is to help those I create with feel loved and seen. To me this is even more important than the finished product. My hope is with this intention, I can create authentic and honest Photo + Films which capture the Essence of a family.
I also want my time with the families I work with to be about more than just nice photos and videos. I want to create space for families to slow down and treasure what they have. If I can impart some of the wisdom I’ve learned from going through such heartache, then it heals a part of me. It turns my pain into something meaningful and beautiful.
How did you first get started in photography?
What made you decide to learn video?
What was your motivation?
I started my photography business three years ago when my son was in the hospital. I remember going through the material in the FilmingLife® Academy by the blue-green glow of the hospital machines keeping my son alive. Creating Art during such a dark time really saved me and I’ll always be endlessly grateful for the FilmingLife® Academy, for the knowledge and the support I’ve received here.
Prior to this heartbreaking and life-altering chapter in my journey, I worked as a Family Medicine PA for ten years, practicing medicine in the Samoa islands and in marginalized communities in the US. When my son was really sick something in me cracked wide open, and the layers of conditioning that covered my creativity were ripped away. Now I feel quite open, creating from a source much bigger than me.
I still love practicing medicine, but I feel that creating Films and Photos is exactly where I need to be in this season of life. And while I love filmmaking, to me this is just the method for how I can show people they are loved, they are valued, they are worthy.
What was your biggest challenge when you first started learning video and how did you overcome it?
I think the biggest challenge for me over the last year is learning how to still connect with the families I’m creating with while I’m shooting video. It took me so long to learn the technical skills, that in the beginning I would be immersed in my gear and not as present in the moment as I would like to be.
I’m now much more comfortable with the gear (though I still have a lot to learn). Now I’m able to just be present, attentive, and create from my heart without too much thought about the tools in my hand.
Did you find it a challenge to educate clients on the value of films, how were they first received by clients?
I started making Films in 2019, so I’m still in the process of sharing the good news of The Modern Family Film :-)
In my area, like in many other areas too, it’s still a pretty new idea. I think what we do as family filmmakers is such important and valuable work and I see the impact and ripple effects.
Tell us about your favourite film and why it's special to you…
One Film which is really special to me is the first one I made. I had this feeling of wanting to create this for a long time. When I showed up at this family's house I really hadn’t done much filming before, I just had a song in my heart I needed to sing. It felt like such an accomplishment to make this!
Katrina’s favourite film
What is your best piece of advice for those just getting started with films?
I remember Courtney saying, “shoot what it feels like” and I keep this in mind when I’m filming. Filming can be such a lesson in presence and being fully immersed in a moment. To do this we need to leave our stuff at the door and fully enter their world. Your job is to fall in love with the family in front of you. To see all the best there is. To shine a light on the absolute most beautiful parts of who they are as humans. I believe giving our full presence to the families in front of us is a true gift. To really be there, seeing them, loving them.
These cameras in our hands are just a small part of what we are doing for these families. This art form is the method to something much greater that we can offer. We can offer them love, complete acceptance, deep compassion. The families will remember this feeling long after we leave and every time they view their Film.
I would encourage filmmakers to think about how we’re making people feel throughout the entire process of working with us. Is our work leaving them better? We are given this opportunity to enter intimate spaces within a family, treat that as sacred and see how you and your work transform.
See more of Katrina’s work via her website - www.fiftytwohundredphoto.com - and social media - IG: @fiftytwohundredphoto
