Meet Kim Belverud

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Belverud.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have always had a creative soul. Growing up, I loved dancing, painting, and calligraphy, but photography is what brought me the greatest joy. Although I took photography classes in high school and college, it still remained a hobby. After graduating college, I started working as a software quality assurance analyst. It was supposed to be a temporary position until I paid off student loans. The temporary position turned into 17 years, with the majority of those years working remotely for a company based in the D.C. area. It was never the plan for me to turn photography into something professionally. It was a series of events that led me to this path, starting two weeks before Christmas of 2015.

My father passed away and I struggled with my grief. I started doing more creative activities as an outlet for the pain, and at the same time, I grew restless with my job. The team I worked for was very supportive and I tried a couple different jobs within our organization, but ultimately the loss of my father made me realize I was missing connection that I could not achieve by working remotely. After quitting that position and actively searching for a local job, I started shooting more and ultimately concluded that photography is what I wanted to pursue. It was a huge leap of faith, but I became fully committed in my pursuit of this new career path.

Please tell us about your art.
The majority of my work comes from family photography, but I have also started shooting landscape and nature macro images. Authenticity and connection are the two values that drive everything I shoot. I strive to capture authentic, timeless moments that move and inspire people. The connection I look for is, not only between the people I’m capturing, but in how the final image is viewed. I want people to feel connected to my images on an emotional level.

Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
My advice would be to avoid the trap of comparison. People often get into a trap of judgment or jealousy when they start comparing their work to that of others. Everyone is on a different path and their artistic journey starts at different times in their lives. The work of an artist is just a result of a journey that most cannot be a witness to, so any comparison of that result to your own will be unfair. I think comparison can be good if it’s used as fuel to motivate or drive you to work harder, but it should never be used to feel bad about yourself or the work you’re creating.

With the combination of advanced technology in phone cameras and the huge variety of affordable DSLR cameras on the market, anyone can be considered a photographer these days. With a healthy competition in our market, it’s important to be confident in the work you’re doing and who you are as an artist. I’m a firm believer there is a huge difference between a snapshot taken with a good camera, and an image created by an artist. If someone is merely looking to freeze what a moment in time looked like, a camera can do that, but a photographic artist can capture what that moment felt like. Photography is not just about picking up a camera and hitting a button to automatically capture a moment. It’s about finding the right perspective, composing subjects, manipulating light, selecting a focal point, shooting with intention, and editing with a specific voice and style. A true artist has the ability to create an emotional image that moves or inspires a viewer. We are inundated with photos on a daily basis from social media, which can dilute the art of photography, but if we can appreciate the work involved in creating an image that moves people, it will help photographic artists thrive.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have a few projects that I’m currently working on and would love to get more people in our local community to participate in. One is a personal project to help tackle the stigma around depression and mental illness. I’m looking to show how often it can be hidden in people’s lives, but that if we can be vulnerable and open with one another, then we can better connect and get the necessary support. I have two other projects in the works that will be rolled out this fall. I’ll be working with Emily Hockstra from Souls Adventures on The Inner Goddess Project, which is a project to empower women to embrace their inner goddess and celebrate their beauty and strength. Emily will be providing coaching and I will be providing the photography. The other project is in collaboration with Charlene Siliezar from Studio Luniste, and we will be providing teaching workshops to help people who want to learn how to shoot manually and compose better photographs.

If you’d like to participate in any of these projects, you can reach out to me through email info@andoraphotography.com.

People can view my work on my website, Instagram, or Facebook. They can contact me through any of those platforms to schedule a session. Additionally, I have a couple of regularly-rotated images exhibited in the Liberty Public Market.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.andoraphotography.com
• Phone: (619) 736-0579
• Email: info@andoraphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andoraphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andoraphotography

Image Credit:
(all taken by me, including the self portrait).

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