ABOUT KATIE JETT WALLS
Washington DC Family & Children’s Photographer
Katie Jett Walls is a Washington, DC–based family and children’s photographer specializing in documentary and fine art storytelling for families in the DC Metro area.
Her work blends honest, everyday moments with a fine art approach, creating photographs that feel both personal and timeless.
With over 20 years of experience, Katie brings the perspective of both a professional family photographer and an exhibiting visual artist to her work.
A Documentary Approach to Family Photography
Katie creates story-driven family photographs that honor real life, meaningful connection, and the quiet beauty of everyday moments. Her work often lives at the intersection of family photography and fine art, elevating ordinary moments into visual stories that reflect the depth and individuality of each family she photographs. And if you need a traditional portraits, Katie excels at creating a family portrait so quick and easy you’ll hardly believe it.
This documentary approach allows families to be fully present—free from stiff posing or performance—resulting in images that feel authentic, emotional, and enduring.
Experience, Exhibitions & Recognition
In 2018, Katie was selected to exhibit her family documentary work in a three-person show at Glen Echo Photoworks and was awarded third place in the International Art Through the Lens exhibition.
Her personal documentary projects have also been exhibited in juried group shows in Washington, DC, Maryland, and beyond, reflecting a long-standing commitment to both professional family photography and fine art practice.
Katie is the official photographer for the annual Takoma Park Children’s Business Fair, and collaborates each year with multiple area elementary schools, including Shepherd Elementary, Maury Elementary, Takoma Elementary, and more, to help raise funds for school-parent associations. She is also the school photographer for Breaththrough Montessori Public Charter School.
Artist Background
In addition to her photography work, Katie is a visual artist and painter exhibiting throughout the Washington DC metro region. This fine art background informs her photographic style, shaping how she works with light, color, composition, and visual storytelling.
Her images are created with the intention of being lived with—photographs that feel at home on the walls of a family’s life.
How It Began
Katie’s photography journey began in her mid-twenties when she inherited her grandfather’s Minolta SRT201 film camera. That experience led her to formal photography training and her first professional clients soon after.
She has never looked back.
Today, Katie balances her work as a photographer and artist with life as a mother, continuing to create thoughtful, documentary-style images that reflect both lived experience and artistic vision.
Serving families throughout Washington, DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.
CV
2021 “Artist Profile: Águeda Sanfiz”, article contributed to Photo Cereal Magazine
2020 “What I See: What taking care of each other looks like in a pandemic”, written and photo edited by me, published on evoke.org by Melinda Gates
2020 “Picture (Im)Perfect” group exhibit; Curator: Merieke van der Krabben, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts
2020 “Picture (Im)Perfect” exhibition companion book, “Forward” written by me
2019 Panelist, “Crafting Meaningful Personal Projects”, Focus on the Story Festival, Washington DC
2019 “Capturing light: Current Photographic Processes”, group exhibit, Juror: Nate Larson, BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, MD
2019 “Audacity of Hope”, group exhibit, Juror: Paula Tognarelli, Garner Center at the New England School of Photography, Waltham, MA
2019 Artist in Residence at Expose Art House, Montgomery, AL
2019 “WHAT I SEE: 9 PHOTOGRAPHERS ON WHAT FORWARD PROGRESS LOOKS LIKE” published on evoke.org by Melinda Gates
2018 “The Miraculous in the Mundane”, exhibit at Glen Echo Photoworks, Glen Echo, MD
2018 Group exhibition, Art Through the Lens, Yeiser Art Center, Paducah KY
2018 3rd Place Winner, 2018 Art Through the Lens International Competition
2017 Main Street Takoma Art Hop participant, “District in the Time of Choleric”, Takoma Park, MD
2017 Group Exhibition at Hera Hub Co-working Space, Washington DC
Education:
2019 Missouri Photo Workshop 71
2019 Year-long one-on-one mentorship with photographer Lesly Deschler Canossi, faculty International Center for Photography, NYC
2018 Year-long group mentorship/workshop with photographer Kirsten Lewis
2017 “Finding Your Photographic Voice”, NYC workshop with Eric Kim
2004 Oklahoma School of Photography, certificate of completion with merit
Activities:
2019 Storytellers Photoconference, Master of Ceremonies, Miami Beach, FL
2018 – present Member of Board of Directors for Focus on the Story, www.focusonthestory.org
2018 – present Editor/Founder of Confluence Magazine, www.confluencemag.com
2004 – present owner of Katie Jett Walls Photography, commercial and family photography in Washington DC