From Great Bend to Kansas City: The Story Behind Chelsea Mitchell Photography

I’m usually much more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, so being featured by VoyageKC in their Life & Work series felt a little unusual—and very meaningful.

The feature, Life & Work with Chelsea Morris of Kansas City, gave me an opportunity to reflect on the winding road that brought me to where I am today: a photographer based in Great Bend, Kansas, working with families, children, seniors, couples, and select wedding and editorial clients throughout Kansas City, Kansas, and beyond.

Read the full VoyageKC feature →

It Started With a Little Film Camera

I grew up in Great Bend carrying little point-and-shoot film cameras everywhere I went.

I loved the anticipation of finishing a roll of film and waiting to see what came back from the lab. I didn’t know much about aperture or composition yet, but I understood something that has stayed with me throughout my entire career:

Photographs matter.

They give us a way to hold onto people, places, and seasons of life that would otherwise disappear.

One of the people who recognized that in me early on was photographer Dale Riggs. Dale photographed my baby pictures, my family, and eventually my senior portraits. As I got older, he welcomed me into his studio, taught me how to use a camera, introduced me to the darkroom, and encouraged me to dream beyond what I thought was possible.

He was also the person who suggested I attend Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California.

So, just after high school, I packed everything I owned and moved across the country.

Building a Photography Career in California

Brooks Institute gave me a strong technical foundation, but some of my greatest education happened outside the classroom.

During my final year, I began interning with José Villa, whose work had inspired me long before we met. After graduating, I continued working in the industry and had the opportunity to learn from some incredibly talented photographers and artists, including Elizabeth Messina and Joel Serrato.

From 2011 through 2013, my days were a blend of everything that makes a photography business run—weddings, editorial projects, studio work, album design, client orders, and all of the details that happen behind the scenes.

That experience shaped much more than the way I photographed.

It taught me that creating beautiful photographs is only one part of serving a client well. The experience—from the first conversation to the finished artwork—is just as important.

Those lessons still influence the way I run Chelsea Mitchell Photography today.

Finding My Way Back to Kansas

Eventually, life brought me back to Great Bend.

Coming home wasn’t necessarily part of the original plan. I had spent years building a career in California, and returning to a much smaller community meant figuring out how to take everything I’d learned and build something different.

But over time, I realized I hadn’t lost the career I’d built.

I had gained the opportunity to build something that was truly my own.

In 2016, I purchased the historic Allen Building in downtown Great Bend. Restoring the building became a labor of love and a meaningful investment in the community that had shaped me.

Then, in 2021, another full-circle moment happened.

Dale was preparing to retire and sell his studio.

The same photographer who had photographed my childhood, encouraged my dreams, and first taught me how to see the world through a camera was ready to pass the torch.

I purchased his studio.

It remains one of the greatest honors of my career.

From Photography to Heirloom Artwork

Over the years, my approach to photography has changed.

The longer I’ve been in this industry, the less interested I’ve become in simply delivering a gallery of digital images.

Part of that comes from my own experience becoming a wife and mother. I know how quickly life changes.

Children grow. Parents age. Ordinary moments quietly become family history.

And I don’t want the photographs we create together to become another forgotten folder on a hard drive.

That’s why my photography has evolved into what I call an artwork-first approach.

I want photographs to become part of a family’s everyday life.

A portrait hanging in the hallway.

An album sitting on a coffee table.

A framed photograph that a child grows up seeing every day.

Something tangible that can eventually be passed down.

For me, that’s what heirloom photography is really about.

Kansas City, Great Bend & Beyond

Although my studio is in Great Bend, my work has never been limited to one place.

I photograph families and weddings throughout Kansas and periodically travel to Kansas City, Santa Barbara, and other destinations for select assignments.

Kansas City has become an especially meaningful part of my work because of its creative energy, historic architecture, artists, businesses, and opportunities for collaboration.

At the same time, Great Bend will always be home.

There is something special about building a photography business in a community where relationships matter. I’ve had the privilege of photographing generations of families, working with local businesses and organizations, and telling stories about the people and places that make this part of Kansas special.

I don’t think I have to choose between the two.

Great Bend gives me roots.

Kansas City gives me access to a larger creative community.

And photography gives me the opportunity to move between those worlds.

What Photography Means to Me Now

When I think back to that little girl carrying a film camera around Great Bend, I realize she was chasing the very same thing I am today.

Not perfect photographs.

Lasting memories.

That’s what I hope to create for every person who steps in front of my camera.

Beautiful photographs, certainly.

But more importantly, photographs that remind you what this particular season of your life felt like.

I’m incredibly grateful to VoyageKC for giving me the opportunity to reflect on that journey and share a little more about the person behind Chelsea Mitchell Photography.

Read the full Life & Work with Chelsea Morris feature on VoyageKC →

And if you’ve trusted me with your family’s photographs, your wedding, your business, or your story somewhere along the way—thank you. I’m grateful to be the person behind the camera.