Self Expression and Individualism

Today, self- expression is at the forefront of the fashion world. After a recent assignment in Los Angeles working on an editorial shoot, I learned that it is more prevalent than ever to show your individualism and become an advocate for your identity. The authenticity in the fashion items sent over from England was something of a dream with clothing showing a “London Street Style” meets Barbie in a dog park.

Photography expresses the freedom of capturing time in fashion and what is happening now around us. I became inspired by the first glance through the lens, the sense of excitement and ease allowed me to shoot away enraptured by the freedom of it all.

I discovered my passion for photography at the age of 10 when I enrolled in a school photography class. We began with grayscale images of an egg placed in different backgrounds and shooting only black and white images. I took it upon myself to draw faces on them and treat every picture as if it were a scene as if I was photographing a person. My little sister, parents, and friends became my muses and taking pictures of them at parties, or setting up scenes with flowers on them or in their hands became my staple.

Even though I felt this deep passion for photography my teacher felt otherwise and told me I wasn’t good enough, as a 10-year-old. However, her words stuck with me since I was so young, I remember I did not touch a camera until my first year of college and that is when my dreams exploded and the journey into photography was a life long commitment.

As a high school student, I began experimenting taking photographs of my friends on my iPhone 3. Through this, people started requesting me for shoots and events and I was confused, as I only had my iPhone and nothing else. My parents picked up on my passion and thought it would be a good hobby so that is when they helped me buy my first camera and history was made. I started divulging myself into photography and trying all different types from portrait to landscape, realizing portrait (later editorial) was my real drive. I love the way people express themselves when a camera is facing them, they put on a front of confidence and fall into themselves. I realized the self-expression could go more than just facial but also through style; emphasizing the necessity to connect the dress with the person and then I started building my own mini fashion shoots with friends in college.

This followed me throughout my four years at college and then I started to get recognized. I made a few connections after graduation and started doing little freelance jobs as well as personal projects.

A year out of college now I just finally found my truth and that I belong in editorial as I met two amazing women in the London fashion editorial world as we collaborated on a project in Los Angeles. Seeing the way people from one coast to the other and also “across the pond” express themselves through clothing is so inspiring it makes me look back at my teacher when I was 10 and remember no one else can define our fates and passions but ourselves. The passions I held when I was younger are embodied now as I am embarking on this journey, but the more work I collect and add to my deck the more fulfilled I feel in my expression of self through what my eye sees and my connection to people with similar desired impressions.

Katelyn Hegarty is a Photographer who specializes in editorial fashion; also dabbling in engagement, interior design, and brand influencer shoots. She has been passionate about photography since a ripe age of 10. Having done work in Boston, Los Angeles, Dublin, and London she has a bright eye for fashion around the world and what's in the now visually. You can follow her  @katehegphoto on Instagram or check out her website katelynhegarty.com to see more of her work. 

Katelyn’s photo is by Rachel O’Driscoll