Meet Karen Vargas Letkemann | Full-Time Couples Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Vargas Letkemann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, why did you pursue a creative career?
Some of my earliest childhood memories include playing with makeup, playing dress up and being excited to perform. I always, always thought I would grow up to be a singer, poet, actress, dancer- you name it. If it was creative and artistic, I wanted it. Any opportunity that I came across where I could feature something creative was an opportunity I took growing up; even if I now cringe at the memory of some of my veryyy cheesy performances.

As I later found myself navigating my 20’s, fresh out of college, and with a 40 hour job that, to my surprise was nothing near what I had always envisioned, I sought out my photography hobby as an outlet to feel like myself, even if it was after work hours. I would ask friends to model for me, and those friends had friends who would occasionally reach out for a 20 minute paid shoot. Those short occasional shoots later became occasional weddings, making that hobby an exciting new “side hustle”. A few months later, with the arrival of Covid, my life changed 180 degrees, all for the good. Although the pandemic felt like a pressure cooker for most, myself included, it was the pressure I needed to see I was not experiencing any of that professional satisfaction I was promised as a first generation college graduate. Sure, I had the good paying job, the 401k, & job security in a time people were loosing their jobs, but I was miserable. I was experiencing more and more frequent anxiety attacks by forcing myself to stay in a position that might be someone else’s perfect job, but wasn’t mine. So I made the change that needed to happen and I quit my job to turn my creative side hustle into something more stable.

It seems crazy to now look back on WHEN I chose to make this career change, but sometimes crazy is exactly the recipe for success- that and a lot of vision, paired hand in hand with hard work. Now, I am happily celebrating 2 full years as a full time business owner and growing. I say this again and again, but photography gave me more than an income, it gave me the joy I needed to get through a difficult time, and when I see my clients experiencing that same joy through my work I know I’m doing something that matters.

What should our readers know about your business?
I come from a part of Mexico where a dream of being a female business owner is no more than that- a dream. My journey to my now growing business is as unlikely as it gets, I was no more than a kid raised by immigrant parents, disadvantaged for years in school for not knowing the language, and getting by with the help of all the after school tutoring programs in the books.

If someone had told me I would make a living as a business owner, and not have to worry about how I will pay the bills at the end of the month, I would have gotten anxious just thinking about it. For me, once I came to this country the furthest I could reach for was an hourly pay job in a non- profit and that was more than enough, because once my childhood years elapsed that’s what I was conditioned to believe I could ask out of life.

Getting to this place, where I decide which clients I work with, when and where I work, and get to guide couples into experiencing a fun photo session is the product of so much risk, faith and hard work. I mean, I sold my first car to buy my first professional camera and lens. Once I traded those 4 wheels for an opportunity to become a photographer, I I worked for very little pay to get my name out there, I worked through burn out to grow in my craft, my customer service, my business model, my marketing, etc.

People believe being a photographer is about getting a little camera and editing, but to grow in this industry I gave everything in me that I could, and when that wasn’t enough, I researched and rerouted to keep growing. I learned to become my business’s’ editor, planner, photographer, sales rep, customer service, bookkeeper, site searcher, social media creator, you name it. But it is absolutely worth it. I love it. I love this busy, quick-paced career and wouldn’t change it because while in the past I would count down the months before I was in a job long enough to quit and do something more exciting, here I get to make lists of what I want to create next.

I know not everyone gets to experience this type of satisfaction out of their job, so for as much more responsibility and overtime, as it is to own a business, I carry this on with pride and gratefulness. I’ll never forget the sacrifices my mom made to help me get here, nor the little kid who once dreamed of doing something big and exciting.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Favorite local spots to visit: Lost Lake
Riverpark shopping center on a Tuesday evening for their farmers market or a Friday night to go on a date as the community gathers in the common areas
Woodward Park walking trails in the evening to enjoy the sunset
Yosemite National Park and visit glacier point and Yosemite valley
Oakhurst to stargaze
Shaver Lake

Favorite local spots to eat:
Senor Aji for the best Peruvian food
Thai country for the best Yellow Curry
Whoolys for great fish tacos and evening ambiance
Yardhouse
Heirloom for their tri tip and fried rice

Coffee Shops:
Kuppa Joy
Cafecito Bar in Hanford for their mazapan coffee

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shutout to my mom and husband. My mom single handledly got me through college which gave me the platform I needed to be where I’m at today as a business owner, something I never thought I could be, & my husband for believing in me and my work long before I fully dared to believe in myself.

Website: karenvargasphotography.com

Instagram: @karenvargasphotography

Facebook: Karen Vargas Photography

Yelp: Karen Vargas Photography