ABOUT KATE SKOGEN: I've been a professional photographer for 30 years. I started studying photography when I was 14 after my mom taught me how to use her Minolta X700 (film) camera on a trip to the San Francisco Zoo. She was wildly impressed with my penguin photos and encouraged me to continue taking photos of everything.

I got my first photography job as a photographer for the Strawberry Music Festival when I was 16 and I’m now the Photography Crew Leader! In high school I lead the Yearbook photo team and in college I was the photo editor of the Red & Black, a daily newspaper serving the The University of Georgia community.

I started JetKat shortly after graduation and remained in Athens for several additional years. Eventually my husband and I moved back to California to raise our kiddos and be closer to my parents. 

I have photographed many different things (from weddings to bugs to homes for The New York Times) in many different places (from Cuba to Yosemite), but my heart swells big time when I think of photographing kids in nature. Everything seems better when you’re outside. Not only is being outside good for our mental and emotional health, it also teaches us and our children to appreciate our place on this land and to take care of it.

Below are some photos of my family & other interests… drawing, bees, music, reading, architecture, and plants.