Alpha Gamma Delta member Kate Clifford shares how photography and videography became both a creative outlet and a growing business.

Greek Life is a meaningful part of the Auburn experience, but our students are far more than the letters they wear. Beyond chapter meetings, social events, and traditions, Auburn Greek students are leading organizations, conducting research, launching businesses, creating art, serving their communities, and making an impact across campus and beyond.

Beyond the Letters is a new series highlighting the passions, achievements, and experiences that shape who Auburn Greek students are outside of their organizations. Our first spotlight features Kate Clifford, a senior from Pleasanton, California, majoring in Interior Design and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. Outside the classroom, Kate has built two creative ventures, Kate Cliff Captures and Sinclair Films, through which she documents everything from weddings and graduations to adventures around the world. What started as a desire to explore a new creative outlet has grown into a passion for storytelling through photography and videography.

To learn more about Kate's creative journey, we asked her how she got started, where she finds inspiration, and what advice she has for others looking to pursue their passions.

 

What made you get into photography and videography?

"I’ve always had a million little creative hobbies, and the summer after my freshman year, fresh off a change in my major from Civil Engineering to Interior Design, I decided it was finally time to become proficient at every Adobe software in the world and every creative hobby I had ever touched. Two weeks in, I had already been humbled by my own limitations (turns out learning everything in 10 weeks is not a realistic goal), so I decided to buy a camera and stick to learning photography for the rest of the summer.

Of all the creative skills I could learn, it seemed like the one that would be the easiest to use to serve others, which helped me choose it from the million things I wanted to learn. I spent the summer traveling around my favorite places in Northern California with my friends as my models, screenshotting countless Instagram carousels from my favorite photographers to get prompt and composition ideas.

A month after I created my photography account, I got asked to film the wedding of a church friend for the following summer, and I soon fell in love with creating wedding films as well. Since then, I’ve gotten to travel around the country and the world filming weddings, bachelorette trips, and many adventures with the people I love the most.

I get to witness and capture so many of the sweetest moments of people’s lives, from engagements to graduations to weddings and so much more. It’s been the greatest gift ever, and I’m excited to keep creating for the rest of my life!”

What are your favorite places to create content? What's the coolest place you've traveled?

"Honestly, one of my main goals when I travel is to find as many beautiful green hills as I possibly can. The most epic I’ve found so far are in Iceland, and Northern California is a close second. The more green hills, flower fields, blue water, and sunsets, the better.

My favorite green hill is one that I visited last summer. It was a steep green slope on the side of a volcanic archipelago off the coast of Iceland. The grass was greener than I had ever seen, and it was speckled with sheep everywhere.

In Auburn, I love Kiesel Park and the acres of green fields, especially during golden hour and blue hour (the time right after the sun sets, aka dusk). Plus, the back room of Side Track if I ever want a space that’s more studio-like.”

What are your favorite things to document?

"I love documenting pretty much everything. Weddings are definitely up there because of the amount of joy that is overflowing everywhere you look. Weddings are so special, and it's such a gift to be trusted to document them.

Filming life with my best friends is the other one that stands out. Anything from dinners to spontaneous nights together to the most insane trips around the world. Both the mundane and the adventure.

Every video is a little gift to give back to my friends. Each video is so special to look back on now, and I can’t imagine the joy that it will bring many years down the line.”

What advice would you give to someone who wants to try something new or branch out with a new hobby or art form?

"When you’re trying to learn something new, rip off the training wheels! For me, this looked like forcing myself to switch from auto to full manual on my camera two weeks after my first photoshoot. It also looked like switching from editing my first wedding on CapCut to my second wedding on Premiere Pro with no real clue how to use it.

It can feel painful and inefficient in the moment, but it forces you to step out of your comfort zone, grow creatively, and stop using what you currently know and are comfortable with as a crutch.

Create what brings you joy and what fuels your passion, not what you think others want to see. Creating to please others’ expectations is the quickest way to burn out.

Comparison is the thief of joy. There will always be someone better than you, more creative than you, and more successful than you. Producing what they produce can never be the point. Focus on your creative process, why you love it, and how you’re learning and growing based on your own past work.”

 

From California coastlines to Icelandic hillsides, Kate has transformed her passion for creativity into thriving photography and videography businesses while balancing life as an Auburn student. Her story reflects the spirit of Beyond the Letters: Auburn Greek students are pursuing their passions, developing their talents, and making an impact in ways that extend far beyond their organizations.

To see more of Kate’s work, visit her website and follow her creative accounts:

https://www.sinclairstudioss.com/sinclairfilms
@katecliffcaptures
@sinclair.filmss