My journey into photography began when I was sixteen, on a cross-country road trip with my dad. Somewhere between the highways and heartlands, I picked up a camera — and something just clicked. When we returned home, I started photographing athletics and quickly fell in love with capturing fast-paced moments and raw emotion. My sister played soccer and softball in college, and I tagged along, camera in hand, documenting every game I could.

That passion carried me to Hilbert College, where I pursued a degree in Digital Media and Communications, and then to the University at Buffalo, where I worked in their athletics department after graduating in 2016. But I wasn’t done learning — I packed up and drove west to Washington to earn my Master’s from Washington State University (Go Cougs!), balancing grad school with a job in their athletics program. Over the years, I worked in college athletics across the country — a whirlwind of fields, courts, and camera lenses — before a work trip back to Buffalo changed everything. That’s where I met my husband.

When COVID hit, like so many, my world shifted. I lost my job in athletics, moved in with my (then very new) partner, and started a new chapter. I took a job at a local college, had my first son, and realized just how precious time really is. The demands of athletics didn’t align with the life I was building — one centered around family. After another job change and the birth of my second son, I was let go again due to downsizing. But this time, it felt different. It felt like a sign.

With the unwavering support of my husband, Kait Gallardo Photography was born. Becoming a mom showed me how quickly life moves — how fleeting the little milestones are. I wanted to be there for my boys, to freeze time for our family… and for yours. That’s the heart behind my work: capturing the beauty in the everyday, the joy in a single second, and the stories that deserve to be remembered.

My journey into photography began when I was sixteen, on a cross-country road trip with my dad. Somewhere between the highways and heartlands, I picked up a camera — and something just clicked. When we returned home, I started photographing athletics and quickly fell in love with capturing fast-paced moments and raw emotion. My sister played soccer and softball in college, and I tagged along, camera in hand, documenting every game I could.

That passion carried me to Hilbert College, where I pursued a degree in Digital Media and Communications, and then to the University at Buffalo, where I worked in their athletics department after graduating in 2016. But I wasn’t done learning — I packed up and drove west to Washington to earn my Master’s from Washington State University (Go Cougs!), balancing grad school with a job in their athletics program. Over the years, I worked in college athletics across the country — a whirlwind of fields, courts, and camera lenses — before a work trip back to Buffalo in November of 2019 changed everything. That’s where I met my husband, at JP Fitzgerald's Hamburg.

And then COVID hit, and like so many, my world shifted. I lost my job in athletics, moved in with my (then very new) partner, and started a new chapter. I took a job at a local college, had my first son in July 2022, and realized just how precious time really is. The demands of athletics didn’t align with the life I was building — one centered around family. After another job change and finding myself pregnant with my second son, I was let go due to downsizing. But this time, it felt different. It felt like a sign.

With the unwavering support of my husband, Kait Gallardo Photography was born. Becoming a mom showed me how quickly life moves — how fleeting the little milestones are. I wanted to be there for my boys, to freeze time for our family… and for yours. That’s the heart behind my work: capturing the beauty in the everyday, the joy in a single second, and the stories that deserve to be remembered.

How it all began...

How it all began...