Cheatwood Photography

Weddings • Events • Portraits — Photography by Kristin Cheatwood

I am a full time wedding/portrait photographer who splits her time between Atlanta, GA and Sun Valley, ID. I am also available in Charlotte, NC, Gulf Shores, AL, the Florida Panhandle and beyond! I love writing, but not when it comes to writing about or describing myself. Here’s my attempt to describe what I do, why I do it, and what you may (or may not) want to know about me.

Photography Background: I have been in love with photography my entire life. I was the kid at school who always had her camera with her for every event, field trip, party, etc. When I wasn’t at school I flew to stadiums and around the country every weekend with my father, who worked for American Honda Motorcycle Division. I took photos of all the racers and eventually was allowed to photograph the action from the floor of the stadiums. By 2003 my photographs were printed in national and international supercross/motocross publications. Somehow I was able to fit a college education in between my travel schedule and graduated with a Marketing Degree from the University of Georgia. I also somehow learned to speak Italian fluent enough that in 2006 I was asked to leave my hometown of Lilburn, Georgia to move to Sun Valley, Idaho, where I worked for Acerbis as their Marketing Manager. When I moved to Sun Valley I only knew the man who had hired me and didn’t know how to ski. In June of 2008 I photographed my first wedding. I had never photographed a wedding before and was nervous and scared and happy all at the same time. I loved the experience so much that I reached out to Hillary Maybery to apprentice under her and learn more about photographing weddings. In 2009 I started photographing more and more weddings on my own and by 2011 I made the decision to leave the motocross industry and work full time for myself as a wedding/portrait photographer.

Photography Today: I still LOVE to photograph weddings. I love showing brides/bridesmaids/families/guests how beautiful and important they are. I love photographing grooms and their entourage. I love to tell the story of each wedding by capturing intricate details, candid moments and the emotion that fills the day. I approach “formal” and “posed” shots with a refined sense of composition with every detail taken into consideration. I also love photographing families. When I photograph a family, in addition to providing them with beautiful photos, I am able to feel the love and connection that exists within each family, which fills my heart.

About Me, Kristin Cheatwood: I decided to name my business as my last name only, simply because throughout my entire life everyone has always called me by my last name, and they still do. I used to photograph in jpeg, but now I photograph in Raw and my hard drives hate me for it. I do not drink coffee, and never have. When I am in Atlanta I enjoy walking the city and exploring new places to photograph! In Sun Valley I love playing in the billiards tournament at the Casino Bar, hiking and and of course skiing! My favorite place to be, however, is on a beach. Whether in Gulf Shores, Florida or Redfish Lake, I LIVE to be by or in water!  And I play the Banjo. I also love Jimmy Fallon, my abnormally small Maltese dog named Sofie and falling asleep to classic Cheers episodes. I edit all of my own photos that I capture, and many times I will edit until 3:00am. I used to race mini motorcycles in front of sold out crowds in Las Vegas, and still love riding dirt bikes. I am funny and love to tell jokes. I am passionate about what I do in every aspect of my life. Want to learn more? Email, call or text me (except during Fallon 10:30pm – 11:30pm MST;) ).