Meet Kara Warren of Kara Warren Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Warren. 

Hi Kara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Put succinctly, I am a Christ-follower, made photographer by the calling of God. 

I grew up in sweet home Alabama for my childhood, and I made the move to Waco, Texas when I was completing my undergraduate degree at Baylor University. It was there where I began to unearth who the Lord created me to be as I experienced life on many different avenues– as a student-athlete on the Baylor Acrobatics and Tumbling team, camp summers spent at Pine Cove- which is actually where I held my first position in the photography realm as a media content creator-, and eventually the regular student life. Believe it or not, my major was Biochemistry and my minor was Biology– and I had every intention of entering the medical field either as an MD or a Physician Assistant. But the Lord had other plans for me in this season of life. 

When COVID-19 hit this past year, I was heading into my last year at Baylor and was completing my applications and interviews for Physician Assistant school. With the pandemic, I had more time on my hands and decided to start reading a book that had been sitting on my shelf for a while- “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper. As I started this book, I began to consider if the path I was headed on was one where I was living in the fullness of everything that I had been created to be and if it was one that allowed me to live a purposeful life. The conclusion I came to was my career in the medical field was serving as a means to an end: I was going to work so that once I was off of work, I could have the capability to pursue things I was passionate about. In essence, there was no delight in the work of my hands, which would make completing my purpose here on this earth much harder. I was living a life wasted as a diminished version of myself. 

Once I came to this realization, I sought out to understand what it looked like to delight in the Lord on a daily basis, and Psalm 37:4 became the anthem of my heart: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined doing photography as a career, but as I began to delight in the Lord, His desires became my desires, and this burden, passion, and gift for photography began to emerge. More than anything, my passion is for loving people, and while there are many capacities in which this can be fulfilled, I had to learn to delight in the Lord so that I could understand the way He was calling me to love and serve people. And right now— that is by listening to peoples’ stories, encouraging others, and speaking truth and life into those I encounter while capturing raw beauty in the fullness of its glory. Little did I know my journey in life had been preparing me for this calling. And even less did I know that Nashville was the place I was being called to do it. But here I am, having just moved to Nashville— choosing to follow where the Lord has called. 

Will I ever go back to the medical field? Will I go into ministry? Missions? Write a book? Your guess is as good as mine. Short answer— where the Lord calls, there I will go. Praise the Lord that I do not know because the unknown is where we experience the fullness of faith. But there remains one thing I do know— we were not called to just work the land, but subdue the land and REIGN with God. So, I’m dreaming BIG, for no dream is too big for the King of the Universe. Work is our worship and is a way to enjoy God. So why settle for anything less than all the Lord has created us for? 

Perhaps you and I were made for a moment like this. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Choosing this path was definitely not for the purpose of comfort and ease- and I knew that. If anything, I knew I was picking the narrow, less-traveled path that would be full of hurdles to overcome and things to learn. An undergraduate degree in Biochemistry never prepares you to jump into a career in photography, and it definitely comes nowhere close to preparing you to create and run your business. Perhaps the largest roadblock I have come to so far is the task of building a client base in an entirely new state and part of the country. As a photographer, your livelihood is built on the clients you can book, and when you do not know anyone, it becomes a pretty impossible feat to accomplish. But I knew that if I was being faithful to walk where I had been called, I was going to be equipped in each step with exactly what I needed— and let me be the first to testify of this truth. I began to message local photographers and natives of the city, offering my services in any and every way possible. I started building my knowledge of marketing and advertising. I sought to build a brand that existed to glorify the Lord and stay true to my vision, as opposed to conforming to the ways notoriety was being gained by other hot names because, at the end of the day, I knew that once I fell prey to serving the approval of man, the delight and joy that comes with pursuing this calling would disappear. So here I am, by no means having arrived at the end of my road, running fast the race that has been set before me in hopes that I have been made worthy of the call. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Kara Warren Photography. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
My photography business exists to capture raw beauty in the fullness of its glory, for, after all, we are created in the image of God and all of creation proclaims His glory. 

An image is not about the image itself— it is about what is in front of the lens that is being captured: the raw beauty that already exists, the intimacy of the moment, and the building of a joyful memory. What makes my brand unique is my passion for people, not just photography. My desire is to be able to speak truth and life into my clients as I build relationships with them through my work; I want to remind them that they are beautifully, wonderfully, and uniquely made so that they step into all that they have been created to be with confidence in front of the camera; I want to hear the stories that lead to the crossing of our paths; I want to be able to capture some of the largest and smallest moments of our finite lives that can be cherished for all the years to come and can serve as a pillar of stones in remembrance of the work by the hand of the Lord. 

The main focus of my business is currently in wedding, elopement, and couples’ photography; however, my passion is for all photography and people, so I take on all types of sessions! 

What do you like and dislike about the city?
My favorite attribute of Nashville is the homey-ness of the city, which I get might sound weird when taking into consideration the massive size of the city, but there is an unexplainable sense of care and effort that has been put into the creation of this place, and it invokes a feeling of belonging and love. We have all heard the saying that home is not a place, but a feeling and the feeling of home here in Nashville has been created by people who seek to know, love, celebrate, and encourage others in the fullness of everything they have been created to be. Nashville is now my home. 

My least favorite aspect of Nashville would likely be the cancel culture that has been cultivated with the influx of many celebrities and influencers that hold much sway in the opinions of the population. When there is something hard or unpopular, they are faced with, as opposed to facing it head-on and wrestling with the issue, they are quick to shut down others who may hold other beliefs or values, which has a ten-fold effect on the masses. Many meet opposition and disapproval simply by not conforming to the patterns of the world and catering to what an audience may want to see. But one must always remember— there is a difference between being liked and being loved. Being liked requires you to maintain an appearance that is what your audience wants to see: it leads to exhaustion because it rests on the approval of man. being loved requires you to be fully known, and it allows you to live in the fullness of everything you have been created to be. 

Contact Info:

• Email: karawarren.photography@gmail.com
• Website: https://karawarrenphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kara_warren_photography/

Image Credits:
Kara Warren Photography