Kristin Steike

In 2009 I found photography and it gave me an outlet and way to heal from the harshness of wearing combat boots for 20 years. I needed both an escape to pivot my career into something that felt more like fuel for my soul than a drain of my humanity.

The people who have crossed my path have been more influential and interesting than the path itself. Hearing the stories of others and giving them a visual representation of how I interpret them fills me with joy.

I earned my Masters in Fine Arts in Portraiture Photography after retiring from the Air Force and have enjoyed my artistic journey. Since graduating, I traveled to India to photograph incredibly amazing women and children in an effort to learn and help NGOs who support those in need. After India, I took my camera to Europe to shoot eight countries in 11 months and took in the people who inhabit each culture. I spent 48 hours in Paris with a young German woman who lived 50 miles from the French border but never before ventured across. My current projects include photographing My Tribe, other military spouses with tattoos and intimate stories, and Emma, the journey of a young woman who survived emotional hell and is slowly healing and becoming whole again. Now, my family is settled in Bend, Oregon where the air is fresh and puffy jackets are the dress of choice. My goal for my current projects is to exceed all expectations and bring these out women from the shadows and share their stories.

I would consider myself a success if I enriched lives through my images.

Response to creative prompt: "When I look in the mirror, I see..."

When I read about this submission, I connected immediately with the narrative, "when I look in the mirror, I see..." because I have not only suffered from depression, but I've loved others who have and still suffer. I met my subject, Emma, a few months ago and connected with her as she shared her story with me. She is a beautiful, young woman who has had a distorted view of the person in the mirror. I asked her if I could capture the woman she sees by asking her to paint that woman for me as I photograph her process. She gave me everything. She wants to share these images with everyone and anyone who can relate and feel less alone.