Hey Friends!
Welcome to my website, my business, my blog. I figured I would do a further introduction of myself, so you can get to know your photographer better!
My name is Kira Stetler. I was born and raised in Plymouth, Minnesota and have never once considered leaving the Midwest. I have two brothers - and we are triplets! It's my built in fun fact about myself. I grew up doing gymnastics, diving, drawing, painting, and most importantly, riding and photography. Each one of these pieces of my life shaped me into the person I am today.
Animals Galore
In my household, we have never been dog-less (or horseless), and currently have an American Bulldog named Oden, and a Frenchie named Colt. We also have 7 horses, 5 ducks, and 2 barn cats, all of which I'm obsessed with. I'm grateful to have been blessed with the animal-loving gene, because all the animals in my life, both past and present, have made such a profound impact on my soul. The deep peace that comes from spending time with the horses has healed me on many occasions. The companionship and joy that comes with the dogs is absolutely irreplaceable. Accumulating and caring for the ducks has largely been my doing over the past few years, and they are just the sprinkling of hilarity and amusement that I didn't know I needed to have in my life.
Horses, Of Course
Thanks to my mom, who has owned horses since she was 20 years old, I have loved, ridden, and shown horses since the time I could walk. Personally, I think that’s fairly impressive considering that for most of my childhood, our barn was an hour away, along with the fact that there were three of us babies to be taken care of all at once! I grew up showing half-Arabians with the Minnesota Pinto Horse Association. The memories and connections made in all those years are still ones that I hold so dearly today. I have spent countless hours in the barn, have had the chance to ride the most incredible horses, and have cleaned too many stalls to count.
My heart horse would be my old show horse, Jace. We have travelled far and wide and accumulated many titles for ourselves. He is the goofiest guy, and one of the most talented horses I've ever known. He is recently retired, but at the height of his career, we did hunt seat, equitation, western pleasure, show hack, showmanship, halter, and even sidesaddle together. He excelled at almost everything he did, and he has always had the most willing and joyful personality. I could gush about him forever. Now, we spend most of our days enjoying each other's company, appreciating the grass a little more, and finding peace in the little moments together. Jace, as well as so many other horses I've known, hold such special places in my heart.
Photography!
When I was 12, I was lucky enough to get an iPod Touch that had a camera on it, and that’s where my love of photography began. With my little iPod, and later on with an old Canon DSLR my dad gave to me, I took photos ALL. THE. TIME. I quickly found a passion for photographing animals, and horses especially (although my friends and I had numerous instances of “let’s hang out and take pictures!”). Instagram was fairly new and exciting at the time, so naturally, that’s where I shared everything. What started as a personal account where I posted all my blurry photos and funny videos, quickly turned into a “horse account” that had thousands of followers who knew me and all my animals. It was a fun and engaged community of horse lovers, and it was fuel for my drive to create art, grow my skills, and connect with others on the basis of our shared interests. I learned, through lots of practice, how to take better photos. I taught myself photoshop and how to edit my images. I experimented with light and filters and editing, and ultimately took way more pictures than I knew what to do with. I truly believe that all those years I spent invested in photography at a younger age have helped immensely to get me to where I am now.
Some of my photos from back in the day :)
To Psychology, Neuroscience and BAck
High school came and went, I attended college to pursue a degree in Psychology and Neuroscience, and I continued on that path after I graduated. There were lots of changes in my corner of the horse world, I was busy with school and other aspects of life, and aside from the occasional photo session or snapping some shots of nature or friends, photography had been put on the backburner for me. I love science and I love the brain and I love learning, but after some time, I realized the research gig wasn’t what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
In the beginning of 2024, I took a mentorship course taught by Shelley Paulson, and it was during that time, my love for photography was reignited. It reignited the spark inside me that loves to create, and loves to share beautiful and meaningful artwork and images with others. By the middle of 2024, I had left my 9 to 5 job, and started up my photography business full time.
In the past year and a half, I have gone all in on this journey. I am continually learning and always striving to produce and share work that is not only meaningful to myself, but to others as well. I photograph almost anything I have the chance to shoot, but I am forever drawn to dogs and horses. Creating images that embody the love and personality of our dogs, and photos that portray the beauty, the spirit, and the power of our horses, is my absolute favorite thing to do. The companionship and connection we have with our animals is so unique and so impactful on our lives, and it means the world to me to be able to capture that in the form of images to share with you.
