What is your name and occupation?
My name is Katie Bourgeois, and I am the photographer and filmmaker behind Newborn Documentaries.
How long have you been a Boston Business Women’s Member?
Less than a year
What is your Instagram handle?
@newborndocumentaries
Were you born and raised in Boston? If not, what brought you here?
I was born in Concord at Emerson Hospital and grew up in Acton.
Tell us more about your job or company and what led you to your career?
I had been doing photography for a long time and worked for three years on a documentary film. Then my nephew was born, and I fell in love with newborn photography. I loved documenting his early life and realized that not many photographers were using video or a documentary approach to their work. So I decided to fill that gap and start doing it professionally — it’s something that makes me very, very happy.
What would your clients say about you and your company?
All of my clients are extremely grateful that I’ve helped freeze these precious moments in time. They gush about being able to give these images to their kids once they are grown. More than anything, they tell me how priceless it is to have their newborn documented — it’s never a regretful investment.
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Probably to not take other people’s advice! I try not to give people advice even when they ask for it because I know my answer isn’t necessarily right for them. I think we all work in different ways. There is so much advice out there about how to be more productive or this or that — I find it much more helpful to pick up little tidbits that work for me and leave the rest. When someone is giving unsolicited advice, it’s more about them than it is about you, and it usually isn’t going to work.
What is your favorite book?
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
What is your secret weapon?
My Sony camera. I am obsessed with it. I love that it’s so small but shoots in 4K and slow motion. I still feel giddy about my camera, and I’ve had it for months now.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Don’t get involved in any drama. Focus on kindness.
How do you enjoy your free time?
I’m a huge gardener and hiker. I’m passionate about nature conservancy and restoration. I’m currently removing invasive plants (burning bush) by hand from the woods behind my house and replacing them with native species. I’m also creating a massive prairie-style planting of wildflowers and grasses inspired by Piet Oudolf.
What is something that not many people know about you?
As a kid, I went to a summer camp called Pony Farm!