WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER INTERVIEW: Sara Smith

PAST

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: In your early years of high school, were you involved in the yearbook ? What sparked your interest in photography?

SARAH  SMITH:  Actually, in high school the only involvement I had with photography was a class I took in the spring of my Junior year.  At the time I was involved with art and theater more so than photography, but the seed was definitely planted at the time, I just didn’t nurture it until about 10 years later. Since then it has blossomed into a career that I adore – I can’t imagine doing anything else.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Do you still have photos taken from the early years when it all started? What were your subjects? Are the digital photography pictures online to share with everyone to compare with your photography work today?

SARAH  SMITH: Oh goodness, I still have all the photos from when I started out.  The birth of my daughter is what really sparked my interest in photography back in 2005.  At the time, none of my friends were very interested in becoming my subjects to practice on, so I took self portraits and went on “photo safaris” to different towns and locations around my home to learn how to shoot.  The self portraits really taught me about my camera, finding good light, and posing to flatter your subject.  The photo safaris helped me learn about shooting in different lighting scenarios, and scouting interesting locations for shoots.  I am pretty sure my old Flickr site is still up here http://www.flickr.com/photos/rusticrelics/

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM:  What books did you read at the beginning of your wedding photography career that helped you prepare for today? Title of book, author and price of book please…just messing around, the title of the books should be fine thanks to google search. Do you recall any other resources that you referred to heavily to help you prepare for the wedding photography business? We want to know what the must have resources are to fully equip ourselves when and if we ever plan to take that leap of faith into wedding photography.

SARA H  SMITH: There were a few books that helped me prepare for shooting weddings:

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM:  What was your very first professional wedding photography job? Was this purely out of luck that you were at the right place at the right time?  How did you get your first wedding photography job? Once you had your first job under your belt was it difficult to get another wedding photography job? What did you do to acquire more work besides providing awesome images?

SARAH  SMITH:  My first professional wedding photography job was for an old high school friend that I found again on Facebook.  I swore that I would never shoot weddings because of the pressure involved, but when he asked if I would be interested in shooting their wedding, I decided to challenge myself, break out of my comfort zone and shoot their wedding.  I am so glad that I did!  After that I had images to put on my portfolio, I set up a blog for my business and at the same time word of mouth had begun to get my name out there.  I had also networked with a few local photographers and we would refer business to each other if we were already booked on a certain day.  My first year shooting weddings I booked seven weddings, my second I have booked 30 thus far.  I don’t pay for advertising or attend bridal fairs at this time, but I may in the future.  All of my bookings come from three sources: word of mouth, Google/internet portfolio and vendor referrals. I also like to think that my photos have something to do with it ϑ

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: After your first photography job, What was the next photography gig you obtained and how did you go about your execution? Did you apply all that you’ve learned in all the photography books you’ve read ? Did you buy more photography books or accessed any more photography resources to help you jump to your next big step in the game of photography? What tools do you recommend that are a must have that helped you get to where you are present day?

SARAH  SMITH: After my first wedding job, I ended up booking several other weddings and some portrait and family sessions.  I am CONSTANTLY in the process of researching and learning more things to enhance my work, hone my skills and become more productive and efficient with my workflow and business. I research photographs, search online forums for tips and tricks, network and share info with other photographers on sites like Photographymentor.com, where I am a moderator and featured member.

I would say that the tool that got me where I am today is my artistic background and drive to use my creativity in a way that is meaningful and profitable. I say profitable as I am also a stay at home mom during the week, so having a job where I can use my creative talents in a way that can allow me to stay home and raise my children is a huge motivation to push myself to create a successful business.

PRESENT

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What keeps the money rolling? Your brand and reputation in the wedding photography space is possibly a huge factor to your longevity? Am i right?  Do you have any recommendations on brand building for weekend photographers trying to get into professional wedding photography?

SARAH  SMITH: Be consistent.  Work with a logo or graphic designer to come up with a logo and/or branding plan that best reflects you and your business.  Find your style, YOUR style, not someone else’s and run with it.  Create a persona for yourself on your site, how do you want to be pericieved? – bubbly and fun, contemporary, traditional – how do you want the public coming to your site to view you and your work?  Not only are you selling your photographs to a potential client you are selling YOU.  Make sure that your brand is reflected in your photography, personality, print and presentation material and on your website/portfolio.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM:  What is currently in your photography bag? Please be as detailed as possible for those starting out photographers that want to be just like you. Are you mainly doing digital photography?  From your photography equipment arsenal, what do you bring for your photography engagement sessions? What do you bring for your wedding photography sessions?

SARAH  SMITH: I  shoot 100% all the time using Canon equipment. Here is a rundown of what is in my bag.  I’ll be posting about this soon on my blog as well, so stay tuned ϑ

Wish List: Canon TS 45mm, Canon 30 mm f/1.4 and Canon 85 f/1.8

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM:  What is your favorite image in your current photography portfolio and why? How did you approach the photographic execution? Give us a glimpse on how you construct an image from scratch.

SARAH  SMITH: I think that my favorite image is that of some groomsmen from a wedding last year I shot at the Saratoga Springs Polo Club.  The image is a casual shot of the groom and his guys in front of the bar, but what I like about the shot is the personality that shines through in each of the men.  When I shoot my group shots I aim for casual, and the mantra that runs through my head is “what would Abercrombie do?” Sounds a bit silly, but when I arrange my group shots I picture a relaxed, fashion style shoot – something with a little drama, flare and sass.  In regards to my photographic execution, whenever I am shooting I am always visualizing how the shot will look after being post processed, I shoot with a particular look in mind, and that changes with each couple, event and session.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM:  Do you have a photography studio? Is having your own photography studio space essential for a professional wedding photographer? Has any of your photography engagement sessions ever take place in a studio? If not, where do you mainly photograph the engagement sessions? Could you reveal to us 3 of your favorite locations  and why?

SARAH SMITH: I do not have a studio (yet).  All of my sessions take place on location – weddings, engagements, boudoir, portraits, etc.  If a session is local I usually get a feel for the type of session my client is looking for and scout a location based on their input.  If the session is out of town, I rely on my client to research locations, and coach them through what they should be looking for depending on the look and feel they would like for their finished product.  I am in the Saratoga Springs area of New York, and my three favorite local spots to shoot is downtown Saratoga – there are some great side streets and secret nooks that make for fun photographs, Empire State Plaza – dramatic architecture, colors and artistic interior should the weather not agree with me that day and downtown Troy – great streets, beautiful brownstones, the Approach, EMPAC…all unique and interesting locations that can either be used for a more “urban” shoot or more relaxed and romantic shoot.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What types of commercial gigs are you currently involved in now and how did they surface? What are your recommendations on how we photographers diversify our wedding photography offering to the marketplace?

SARAHSMITH: Currently I have no commercial gigs lines up, but I hope that changes soon.  I would love to shoot more commercial photography for wedding magazines and vendors both locally and nationally.  I think shooting outside of the typical wedding setting allows you to experiment a bit more and find new ways to keep your work fresh. Plus for a potential client, seeing your work published in local or national publication helps build confidence in your work and brand.

FUTURE

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: What are your immediate goals as a wedding photographer?  Are you planning on releasing any how-to books? What are your recommendations to people thinking about starting a photography book?

SARAH SMITH: My goals as a photographer in general is to come up with a signature style that is all my own and that will be recognized among clients and my peers alike. Being that I am still very new to the business, I am constantly learning and evolving while creating my own personal style.

I do have a book idea in my head, though I feel that before I take that road I need to have more weddings under my belt.  As much as I feel some of my ideas may be helpful, it is also important to have enough experience in order to have credibility for those ideas. I’ll keep you posted on this one!

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: A lot of professional wedding photographers are starting to run workshops. Will you start offering workshops in the future?

SARAH SMITH:  I would love to do a workshop if there was a demand for it, we’ll see what the future holds.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM:  I am sure you’ve read many articles discussing how in the future videography and photography will be one? What are your thoughts on that and how will you evolve to the new morphed medium?

SARAH SMITH: I feel that evolving as a photographer means learning what you can about the fast paced changes in our business and equipment. With the constant influx of new photographers, staying on top of trends is important in order to create or maintain a strong foothold in your market.   The release of the 5DMKII opened a new realm of possibilities for the still photographer, and I think knowing how to use and incorporate the video medium can be a potential avenue of profitability.  Take a workshop like the PhotoFusion Tour so you can learn how to , or if you want to, utilize this new technology to your advantage.

However, I feel strongly that one should really stick with their core compentancy…if you are a photographer, stick with what you know best and hone that talent.  If video is something you want to incorporate into your business, find someone who knows the video aspect and partner up with them, or hire someone into your business who focuses just on video.  Just my two cents ϑ

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Ok so thinking about the future and how it is very important in any endeavor especially the professional wedding photography business. What do you suggest wedding photographers do in the future to solidify their presence in the photography industry? What will you do to ensure that you remain on top, not taking into account your photography niche?

SARAH SMITH: I may start to sound like a broken record, but constantly research trends, technology, reach out to potential clients via social networking tools like Facebook, Blogs and Twitter, know your market and competition and find ways to truly differentiate yourself from the hundred other photographers in your area.

LAWRENCEATIENZA.COM: Thank you again for your time and giving back. What would you like to leave for us photographers to think about when moving forward with wedding photography for the future? If you have any words of wisdom will be appreciated.

SARAH SMITH: As a photographer I think it is important to focus on one particular genre of photography, learn what you can and become the best you can be at it.  A photographer who is great at photographing children and family’s should focus on that particular area of photography and market themselves as such – occasionally taking on a wedding or other type of session if something comes along and they are able to handle the task.  I am all about exploring different avenues, but I feel that having that core competency will not only make you a better photographer in your field, but will also be an element that helps build confidence in your work with potential clients.  Wedding photography is not something that should be stepped into lightly -you are responsible for being there (in sickness and in health) capturing and creating images for one of the most important day’s in someone’s life.

Please know that these answers are just my opinion based on my somewhat limited experiences in the field thus far.  I don’t claim to know everything about wedding photography, but have based these answers on my personal observations and what has worked for me and my business.  I hope that what I have shared here may help you in some way.  Thank you for taking the time to read my interview!