Corinne VanOstran is the Official Photographer of Detroit Bookfest 2021

Based in Metro Detroit, Corinne VanOstran, is a talented and well-traveled lifestyle photographer who especially loves action photography.

You can hire her for portraits, events, engagements, boudoir, school and other photography gigs.

You will see her at Detroit Bookfest taking photos. Please treat her courteously and respectfully.

Corinne VanOstran (Photo courtesy of Cori Kay Photography)

Interview with Corrine

What got you interested in photography and how long have you been shooting?

I’ve loved photography since I was a little kid. My aunts gave me their used Polaroid cameras and I basically never stopped taking photos. After that, I was snapping pictures everywhere I went. It wasn’t until high school that I got my first entry level DSLR and I was so excited. I cherished that thing and used it heavily until my senior year of college, when I finally needed to upgrade my camera. I still use it sometimes, along with the old film camera’s that I have from when I was a kid. So, I guess I’ve been shooting since I was 7, but I wasn’t paid or recognized for it until I was about 16.

I love documenting the world and its moments. I think that people forget how fleeting moments are. Photographs help us do that. Photographs also help us see moments in new ways. Photos are preserved slices of our lives and I’ve always thought that was awesome.

Hobbies? What do you do for fun?

Unsurprisingly, I love taking photos for fun. I actually take photos of miniature painted models for a game called Warhammer for my friends and fell in love with taking macro photos of miniatures!

I also love swimming and reading, so it isn’t especially rare to see me trying to protect my books from water while lakeside or poolside. I love new experiences and going new places, so chances are if someone ever asks me to go somewhere the answer is an emphatic “yes!”.

Favorite hangout spots, restaurants, bars, experiences, etc, in the Detroit area?

I love doing Haunted Tours of the Detroit 6th Precinct (McGraw Ave, Southwest Detroit) when those were going on. It’s a great way to support local history, legally explore a cool old building and do something off-beat. I actually try to frequent as many tours of historic old buildings in the area as possible, especially those that need the funding and try to take my family on them as well when they come into town.

The Standby (225 Gratiot Ave, Detroit) is probably my favorite cocktail bar, and the Two James Distillery (2445 Michigan Ave, Detroit) was super fun to tour! I found both of those places while trying to find a place to live in Detroit and they quickly became favorites.

Also, you also didn’t hear it from me, but if you visit the Pringles vending machine in the back of El Topo (113 Mill St, Fenton) after 5pm between Tuesday and Saturday, you might get more than just a trip for tacos.

Corinne VanOstran (Photo courtesy of Cori Kay Photography)

What do you like most about the Metro Detroit area?

It’s hard to pick one thing. Metro Detroit is such a unique experience. I think the overall experience of the city of Detroit is what I like best.

For instance, the first time I visited downtown Detroit was when I was on Spring Break and looking for a place to live after graduation. This random guy recognized my college (I went to Michigan Tech) from my sweatshirt and started talking to me about how he raps about Astrophysics and that I should check out his flows. Then we chatted about MTU’s physics department and some kids he tutors. On a side note, I checked out his BandCamp and he raps better about Astrophysics than any Bill Nye video ever could. I’ve been to so many other places and you literally don’t get that anywhere else.

I feel like Detroit has a community that is so uncommon for a city its size and people really want the metro area to thrive! I can do almost anything here and meet just about anyone (including someone who always says they know what happened to Jimmy Hoffa). This tangible feeling of community doesn’t exist everywhere. The metro area feels like a beautiful clashing of history and the modern day. The Detroit experience consists of unique events, people, and cultures that will leave an indelible impression on you.

Any upcoming projects, developments, new announcements?

I’m currently working on two pet projects:

Digitizing film (for family and archival reasons) and Southern Gothic novel-inspired photoshoots.

For the Southern Gothic Novel inspiration, I couldn’t get the images from the novels I was reading out of my head but I’m also a terrible drawer. So I started working on setting up photoshoots instead. Now that I’ve collected most of my props and found the appropriate locations, I’m trying to rope in my friends to pose for me. My challenge to myself will be recreating scenes from one book per month for 12 months straight. Hopefully, I don’t run out of willing participants by then!

Homepage

https://www.corikayphotography.com/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/corikayphotography/

Google Business Page 

https://g.page/cori-kay-photography?share

Corinne VanOstran (Photo courtesy of Cori Kay Photography)