About Faith Photography Owner & Photographer, Gretchen Krieger
Faith Photography has been a dream and a work in progress for me, photographer and owner, Gretchen Krieger, since my travels to Europe inspired me to heedlessly pursue photography. After returning from several trips to Europe, I transferred to Western Michigan University to major in photography, where I completed my college education and received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. I then moved back home to Hartland WI, where I’ve been fortunate enough to be working as a professional photographer ever since! Faith Photography is the culmination of my lifelong passion for and schooling in the arts and my unwavering ability to see beauty in, well… just about everything!
Where I see beauty the most is in people. Having worked with children for over a decade, my heart is completely sold out for them, no matter what age!! In college I was able to get my kid fix by working at several different portrait studios. There is no other way I’d rather spend my time than to be able to kick back and have some fun doing photography with kids - be they babies or teens - and their families!! To be doing what I love as a career brings me so much joy and gratitude, and I know you will feel that genuine enthusiasm from the moment we start taking pictures!
Weddings... where to begin! They have become my heartbeat- I cannot describe the joy I experience getting to be a part of and capture the most beautiful and joyous day in two people's lives. I actually never thought I would do weddings, because my perception of wedding photography was that it was cheesey, too posed, irritating to the clients and their guests, and not enough room for creativity or relationship-building. Boy was I wrong! When I realized right out of college how incredibly creative and fashion forward wedding photography has become, I immediately wanted to learn- I wanted to be good. Now, I want to be the best. Not just for myself, but because being chosen as someone's wedding photography is a tremendous HONOR, and I want nothing more to deliver an incredible, beautiful, complete, and cared after package of wedding photography to a young, modern bride and groom. I have also been blessed by the relationships I've been able to create with my young clientele, who are typically right around the same age as I am. There is nothing more priceless, I believe, than being able to trust implicitly the person who is in charge of your wedding memories, and I strive for that trust by building relationships and doing detailed planning sessions with my brides. Wedding photography has truly become my passion.
Having lived my entire 25 years in the Lake Country area, I have been observing and basking in this area's natural beauty for a long time. My history here lends itself greatly to my photography, as my motto is... "The world is my studio!" This photographer knows the perfect spots to go to get unique and meaningful portraiture. I also have a pretty good idea of the style of and things that are important to families, high school seniors, and brides (and mother-of-the-brides!) in Lake Country.
Things that I enjoy besides photography are spending as much time as possible outdoors; going for long nature hikes with my dog Paisley; spending quality time with family and close friends and hanging out with my 2-year-old nephew ; meeting new people; taking drives down back country roads, music up, windows down; cars; dancing or watching others dance (The Milwaukee Ballet, "So You Think You Can Dance"); and I still love anything pertaining to the arts- galleries, design, sketching, creating, and hopefully painting again someday soon!
My guiding star, my beacon of hope, my resting place, the reason I almost ALWAYS have a smile on my lips and in my heart... is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ! In this past year, the most important things I have learned are that God created me the way I am because it pleased him to do so... that the creator of the universe and everything in it that I find so beautiful loves me so much that he wants a relationship with me... and that no matter what happens around us in this thing called "Life," he is always good, and always in control... there is no greater sense of peace available out there!
So why the name Faith Photography? Because I have wanted to be doing this- owning my own business photographing people and creating art and relationship- for so long, and had no idea if it would ever become a reality!! I look back over my life, how I have always loved art, children, and have a unique personality that people and even myself couldn't understand at times... I look back at the trials and triumphs, and realize that most of the time, we as humans have no idea what is happening and certainly not WHY they are happening. My Faith in God and his plans for my life have carried me through much, and have in fact led me to where I am today. God gave me my brain and my artistic talent and my personality and said "Do something with these gifts." But I cannot take all of the credit for the success and joy I am experiencing through this business, and my hope is that the name will always point people back to the concept of Faith, and the One who is responsible for ALL good things in our lives!!!