What are the opening hours?

Monday 2pm - 8pm Tuesday 2pm - 8pm Wednesday 2pm - 8pm Thursday 2pm - 5pm Friday 4pm - 7pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 2pm - 5pm

Karra Kostya Photo & Co. - Wichita KS

Home
United States
Wichita, KS
Karra Kostya Photo & Co. - Wichita KS

Karra Kostya Photography works with businesses to make engaging marketing images to sell their products

07/10/2025

As a business owner, it is up to you to show up social media. But how I hear you say? I know I have to be there but how do I do that? You use visual imagery to create connection and attraction to your business. Need help creating visual content to tell the story of your business? Soothing Aesthetics LLC

07/06/2025

What makes you use a service provider again and again? Even when times are tough financially, sometimes just that little bit extra changes your mind.

Case in point. It’s been a bit of a week and I needed to grab a quick lunch to run back to the office. I just wanted something close and quick. I checked the website of my chose destination - it was a 5 minute walk and opened at 11am.

Perfect, or so I thought.

I walked over to the lunch place - the outdoor placard was out but the Open sign was off. No biggie, it’s totally usual that people forget to flick the sign on. I try the door, it’s locked - 30 minutes after their socials say they should be open.

Well, sorry man you lost my money today.

I go to the next best place who has amazing breakfasts. Not really a breakfast person but I’m a sucker for avocado toast.

I walk in and before I can even say I’m here for a to go order, the young guy (like early 20s) at the counter looks at me and says avocado toast right? Now, I haven’t been over here in 3+ months and they serve a lot of people. He just won my business.

What am I saying? It pays to go that extra mile, whether it be making sure your Google My Business page is accurate, whether it’s answering the phone even when you are waking your cat on a sunny day (done this and got a gig out of it) or just listened when someone needs an ear after they’ve tried 6 different service providers.

Truly, it doesn’t take much to make someone’s day.

This is Maxwell, a Shiba Inu mix, whose parents (previous clients) came back to get he and his sister Penny photographed together, after he got adopted from KHS. This photo was taken steps from the restaurant I just paid double my lunch budget at for my coveted avocado toast.

Will I go back to the other place? Sure when I’m not pressed for time. I know where I can get the service I need, even it costs more.

07/01/2025

When you first start your business, it may be a hobby or at the very least something you love with all your heart. You are so proud of your little fledgling business so you do whatever you can to water it, grow it and keep it going.

Slowly, people start to notice your little business. You are so proud of it and show it off whenever possible.

Some people will be super excited for you, some people will drag you down and others will try to copy you.

Instead of focusing on those who are there to support you, you just can't help but try to convince those around you, those who are the scoffers and maybe the copiers to like you.

You go so far to twist yourself into shapes and structures that just aren't you -- Do you know what happens then?

Nothing. No matter how much you twist and turn, you can't change some people's minds and it flat out sucks. There are ample reasons why those people feel that way and you just have to channel your inner Elsa and let that stuff go.

Move on and serve those who want you for you, not for what you will never be. Read that again.

06/15/2025

It's hard still to think of the last time I saw my Dad alive, which ironically was Father's Day. He passed on the 4th of July.

We did a photo session with my parents the year previous to his passing when we were home visiting them on the farm back in Canada.

To this day, I struggle to look at those photos. It was a time of change and of wonderful memories but if I'm being honest, I can see the pain in his face. He thought was his heart but in reality was the lung cancer that would claim him far too early, that was starting to make itself known. He played with my kids like he somehow knew it was the last time. He was struggling, but he wanted to make the most of what little time we had in Canada, while he could. He was so proud to share his home and all his farm meant to him, with his grand kids.

My parents had quietly made the decision that it was time to sell the farm and move to town.

We always had a bit of a funeral home sense of humor. We actually joked, at the time of we had captured photos, we could use for either parent's funeral photos. When my brother passed, my parents struggled to find a family photo they could use for the funeral. In hindsight, that probably underscored so much of what I do - photographs remind the world we existed.

In the days that followed his funeral, I busied myself with my kids/my mom and just documenting what I could of his life before it was packed up, given away or just tossed into a garbage skip.

Hug your parents, if you still have them and remember the memories you had with them, if they have stepped to the other side of the veil. Those who have left us will always live on in our hearts.

As KungFu Panda taught us - yesterday is gone, tomorrow is not promised - all we have is today - that's why it's called the present.

It always amazes me of the simple and yet so prophetic lessons that are weaved into stories created for children and so easily forgotten by adults.

06/13/2025

So fitting … borrowed from a page that wouldn’t let me share …

"Do you love Me?" Alice asked.
"No, I don't love you!" replied the White Rabbit.
Alice frowned and clasped her hands together as she did whenever she felt hurt.
"See?" replied the White Rabbit. "Now you're going to start asking yourself what makes you so imperfect and what did you do wrong so that I can't love you at least a little.
You know, that's why I can't love you. You will not always be loved Alice, there will be days when others will be tired and bored with life, will have their heads in the clouds, and will hurt you.
Because people are like that, they somehow always end up hurting each other's feelings, whether through carelessness, misunderstanding, or conflicts with themselves.
If you don't love yourself, at least a little, if you don't create an armor of self-love and happiness around your heart, the feeble annoyances caused by others will become lethal and will destroy you.
The first time I saw you I made a pact with myself: 'I will avoid loving you until you learn to love yourself.' "

Credit :
- Lewis Carrol, Alice in Wonderland

06/10/2025

Remember when you were dating and you meet someone who just knocks you off your feet? Maybe it’s simply when they smile, whatever, there's something grabs your attention. It is only when you spend time with them that the bloom comes off the rose and whammo, there is no connection - they only look good 'on paper'.

Insert sad face emoji here.

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately shouting the need for connection over chemistry. And I can tell you, it’s not just for interpersonal relationships - It’s for service providers too.

For me, to know that a potential client and I are going to be a good match, is to know that I need to connect with you before the session to know what your goals are and what you need help with. This way we can work together as a team to create what you need to reach your goal.

That said, I think a better word instead of connection would be vibe.

And sometimes you just vibe better with other people. Believe me, it took me a time to find a photographer I vibed with to get my personal branding photos done.

Truth be told, this is hardest part of doing a mini session. There isn’t time to actually connect with the clients.

Sadly, often the same people who hate having their photo taken, also struggle to invest in a full session out of fear they will hate the results, so they opt for a mini session. And guess what? They aren't happy because they were just too rushed to feel comfortable.

If you struggle to get your photo taken for any number of reasons, wait until you find your photographer - you will know it in your gut, you will have all the expertise provided to you in a pretty package of patience and knowledge. The right photographer will be part therapist and part photographer - they will just get you.

The recipe for a good photo session is preparation, personal connection/vibe and a consultation prior to your session. You and your photographer have to vibe.

Trust me, you can see it in the photos and worse, you can feel it in your gut.

06/04/2025

Just a heads up!

06/02/2025

Have you ever actually looked at your social media stats? Have you actually looked at what are your images - be they stock images or custom - showing potential customers? Are they telling your business story? Do you need to switch up that headshot from 3 haircuts ago or do you need to refresh your visual brand story?

Are your social media images showing your customer what to expect when interacting with your business? How could they tell the story more effectively? What would you change if you could redo your images?

Are they showing your potential who you and how you interact with your customers? If you answered no, how would you change them? Is it an easy fix or do you need another set of eyes to help realign your visual brand?

Did you answer no to any of those questions?

Maybe it's time to up your image game. I’m here to help because I know from countless conversations, sessions and clients that entrepreneurship thing is not for the faint of heart or something to be tackled alone.

05/27/2025

I love finding that setup, at any location. Sometimes that means me sitting on the floor with my client, while they casually sip a martini.

Wanna try it? Open your mind to the world around you.

You may have to train yourself to observe the leaves blowing in the breeze, while they are backlit by the sunlight peeking through the clouds, while the grass is kissed with water drops from the morning dew. It is not just the weeping willow in the backyard on a windy day while the grass is wet.

Think visual poetry. I love listening to spoken word reels on my socials (The Wandering Patty is a favorite). That’s what you are aiming for but with your eyes.

If you open your mind, you can find setups that are magic. Sometimes it’s a still life image for a blog post or sometimes, it is a wry smile that only those who know you best recognize. And it could be an alley that you walk past daily and just can’t get out of your head.

Some of the best advice I have ever received was to steal like an artist. Now before you start all caps yelling at me about artists’ rights and all things Napster, let me explain. But first, remember plagiarism is illegal. Never ever copy someone else’s work and claim it as your own - ever. Besides, karma will get you and if you are smart, you don’t want bad karma.

We are all camera users these days for whatever purposes we need to use our images for. Some people use images to remember moments, some people use them as bifocals while others, use it to store ideas that would otherwise be forgotten.

Get inspired by screen capping that set up that looks interesting, that color scheme of your favorite restaurant that you want to decorate your office like, or that hidden gem near where you park your car every day because you think you want your head shots taken there next month.

Not sure about the angle, tilt your phone. Think it might look better in black and white, copy it and play with filters. Can’t quite get the vision you have in your head? But always keep an unedited original and make a copy before you start ‘being creative’.

05/20/2025

People are far much more interesting when they are authentic, not perfect. Showing up authentically is key.

Need an example? Think Lord of the Rings - the Elves are living breathing perceived perfection - well groomed, always dressed to the nines and nary a hair out of place.

Compare that image with that of Aragorn (Strider), the Ranger from the North.

Personally, I find Strider far more interesting to look at, he makes me curious about his adventures and far more likely to interact with him because I know I can be my imperfect self. He is authentically himself. He does not put on airs and you would never know he was royalty.

I truly be same goes for business owners. Perfection is boring.

Showing who you are authentically in your social media and your marketing is key to connecting with your potential client.

05/16/2025

Falling forward. That sounds like one of those bad motivational posters from 30 years ago ... but it still holds water.

That is the goal for this year. Stepping back is no an option, I need to keep building on the steps I have made thus far. It’s going to be a bit wobbly and sometimes I’m sure I’m going to fall off the questionable foundation that I am standing on. A mentor once told me that you need to jump out of the plane and plan on the way down.

This feels so foreign to me but maybe that’s what I need to do. P!nk calls it a trustfall. Van Halen said to just jump. The juxtaposition of P!nk and David Lee Roth is quite the visual. Both are mildly flamboyant but the message is the same.

Being an entrepreneur is a journey unlike any other. You are a pioneer of sorts - one who has to use all the options available to you. You try one option, see if it works, evaluate the results then tweak as needed. The goal is not perfection but a constant modification, re-energizing of effort and then implementation etc. Round and round the cycle you go.

I’m not sure why perfection is always the goal. In any given session, the digital reality is that you take a photo, chimp the back of the camera and re-adjust. You have an idea in your mind as to the end goal is but you also know what you can do in camera and what will need to be done in Photoshop.

Such is the job of the photographer. Know your craft, know your tools, know your clients goals.

And some times, you have to reevaluate your own. Some times, we have to plant ourselves for a while to figure out where we need to grow next. I try to remind myself that lotus flowers grow first in the mud before they bloom.

That is how you plan a successful session and business - Plan, execute, evaluate and realign. If today didn't work, evaluate what worked and what didn't, rest and reset for a better tomorrow.

Address

Wichita, KS

Opening Hours

Monday	2pm - 8pm
Tuesday	2pm - 8pm
Wednesday	2pm - 8pm
Thursday	2pm - 5pm
Friday	4pm - 7pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	2pm - 5pm

Telephone

+13162909857

Website

https://karrakostya.com/#contact

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Karra Kostya Photo & Co. - Wichita KS posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Karra Kostya Photo & Co. - Wichita KS:

Shortcuts

Karra Kostya Photo & Co. Hounds, Hashtags & Headshots - Wichita, KS

You probably know 6 other photographers in town and nope I'm not a wedding photographer. Now that we have that taken care of - Hi! I'm Karra of Karra Kostya Photography, it's a pleasure to meet you. I specialize in Hounds, Hashtags & Headshots.

Sorry, what? Yes Karra Kostya Photography is probably the most eclectic, non traditional photography studio you will find in Wichita and we love it that way. We work with you to create crafted photographic stories of of your pet, your business and you! Photographs tell the stories you want to share of your best four legged friend, to your business's customers and to the world about you!

Whether you are having your pet photographed, your business or product photographed or if you are getting fresh headshots - you are telling a story. Photographs are silent unless you give them a voice. The voice give them is your location, your wardrobe, your expressions, and even your props you use communicate a message to those who see your story. Photographs tells a story that your written words cannot in our fast paced world of sound bites, memes and swipes. www.karrakostya.com