Hi.
My name is Sarah, obviously. Those close to me call me Sare.
You are here because you know I am a professional photographer, so let me tell you a little about how I got to this point.:
I started photography in 2008 with a piddly little Panasonic point and shoot camera, taking pictures of my cats, flowers, and my husband's old '56 Pontiac. Eventually I levelled up to my first DSLR in 2009. I bought it and had zero clue how to actually use it properly. I had insisted on buying a toy lens that could only be used on manual mode, and there's a running joke that everyone is a photographer until you turn your camera to manual. That was me. I had spent all this money on a camera I had no clue how to use.
Clueless as to how to use the equipment in my own hands, I still thought the images I was taking were pure gold (insert laugh at younger self here). I honestly cringe looking at the pictures I took and edited on Picnik (if you don't know what Picnik is, consider yourself lucky. There were a lot of vignettes.).
The thing about being at that point was I thought I was great at what I did, and I was determined to figure out how to be the best.
The next decade was an awfully humbling experience. I grew older and matured, and my style grew up and matured. I took workshops, online courses, enrolled myself in groups, met with many many industry professionals - many of whom are still great acquaintances, and a few who have become friends, and one who has become my ride or die.
As the years moved on, I went from taking pictures of landscapes and my sister and close friends to having people ask me to photograph their families. The number of times I said I would never shoot weddings/newborns/cars/etc. genre was nuts. Yet here we are, 2022, and I have almost shot it all. Live musical performances, an album cover, drag races, grads upon grads upon grads, dozens of weddings, and yes, even a newborn session.
Thankfully, for both you and I, I do now know how to use my camera - thank goodness!
I look forward to writing more here. Make sure to tune in for Part II when it comes.
Many thanks for being here, and much love being sent your way.
Sare
