BubbleLife Forward: Katrice Howell is a popular photographer who has a loyal following with many families in the University Park and Highland Park neighborhoods. She has watched many of the Park Cities children grow in front of her own eyes and camera lens during her years of capturing the memories of many who vacation in Destin, Florida, and the surrounding beaches.
To visit her online gallery or to make an appointment, go to www.katricehowellphotography.com, or you can call (850) 694-8695. You can email the photographer directly at katriceh@earthlink.net.
By Debbie McChesney (Reprinted with Permission)
Katrice Howell grew up in Atlanta, Georgia but her family took frequent trips to the Gulf Coast for vacation where she remembers being enthralled with the clear water and white sandy beaches at a very young age. Perhaps that's why she chose to go to college at Florida State University, which put her just around the corner from those shores and crystal clear water. She stayed in Tallahassee after obtaining a degree from FSU in international business.
Following her personal mantra of "bloom where you are planted", Katrice found a job as a business manager for a local photographer. Her natural curiosity caused her to learn all about the business. She slowly discovered that she loved the artistic side of photography perhaps more than the business part. Pursuing her new love, she enrolled in photography school.
While choosing to be a stay-at-home-mom with her two children, Graham and Carson, Howell found her calling: photographing children and families. She had always known she had a knack for making kids relax and play, and always preferred to photograph them in a natural state rather than in stiff, contrived, portrait positions. Now she continues to bring this talent to life in her photographs. Howell points out, "I'll bet when you look back at photographs of your children it's the ones of them laughing or making a face that you treasure, not the ones from the photography studio."
She is right, of course.
Her children are now grown: Graham is 22 years old and Carson is 18. She is an empty nester and eager to pursue the dream of living and working on 30-A. After years perfecting her skills as a photographer, Katrice's love of the beach, easy personality, and great rapport with kids of all ages is still the most important ingredient that brings out the best in all of her photographs. "The beautiful backdrop of the white sand and turquoise water makes my job a bit easier," she says, "but its getting everyone to relax and have fun and show their true selves that's most important, even if that means giving the dads a pre-shoot beer." Howell only does one shoot per evening, choosing to devote time to getting to know her clients and bonding with the kids. This allows her to really capture the emotions of her clients and grab the spontaneity of the moment.
"Everyone wants a great portrait and that can create a lot of stress and tension- not exactly conducive to a great photo. I am all about having fun!" she says.
Katrice and her husband own a beach cottage in Blue Mountain Beach and are working hard to become an integral and permanent part of 30-A. Howell is not only creating a very sought after photography business, she is also giving back to the community as the president of the Cultural Arts Alliance (CAA). The CAA is responsible for putting on numerous events, most recently the 30-A Singer Songwriter Festival, and coming in May, Arts Quest.
Her husband, Scott Carruthers, a lawyer, has opened a second office, the Carruthers Law Group, right behind V Restaurant and has been busy with the numerous BP claims in our area. He still maintains his office in Tallahassee and was recently cited as the go to guy by the Tallahassee Democrat.
Together, Katrice and Scott continue to own and run a working horse farm outside of Tallahassee, which also serves as a favorite venue for weddings, baby showers, wine tastings, and corporate retreats. The Space at Feather Oaks was born out of their mutual creativity and love of "anything fun". They recently renovated a fifty-year old barn, which is home to 13 horses and also serves as the venue's party spot. The restored barn creates a rustic yet beautiful setting for any gathering. The Space at Feather Oaks is the winner of the 2012 Tally Award/People's Choice for best rental venue. This keeps them both busy traveling back and forth on Interstate 10 but they feel it is worth it. "We both love our work, the farm and the beach." Howell also mentions that "having essential employees that we can't live without" both at the farm and in the law firm is helping it all work out; and it's all about reaching for the dream of living and working on 30-A.