Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Sekaly.
Hi Sarah, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My story, like all great stories, began while I was pregnant. Okay, no it didn’t it actually started in the high school yearbook but I feel like that is just a little too far back. Photography was always a hobby that I enjoyed. Never in my life did I think someone would pay me for it. When I got pregnant with our daughter, there were several life changes happening all at once, one of them being I was planning to be a stay-at-home mom.
I wanted to get into something I knew I loved for a long time but also maybe make a little money on the side as well. Nothing was supposed to come from it. I thought, “maybe someone will pay me $20 to do some photos for them a few times a month”. In a matter of months, I was asked to do my first wedding. It was in someone’s backyard and I got paid $80 to take pictures of the ceremony and family photos. Looking back, it was kind of a mess. Me, not the wedding! I had no idea what to do.
However, they must’ve liked the results because they recommended me to their friend, who told their friend, who told their friend. Suddenly I was being called a wedding photographer. I pushed back against the title at first, not wanting to be labeled something I most definitely was not. Now, almost 7 years and 300+ weddings later, I almost exclusively shoot weddings as a full-time job!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Looking back, there are SO many things I would’ve done differently. As we all know, starting a business is expensive. There is a popular quote in photography, “if you are not paying yourself, it’s just an expensive hobby”. I made some major purchasing mistakes that I wish I could undo.
I wish I knew what I wanted to do from the beginning. Meaning, what kind of photography I wanted to specialize in. Figuring out things like my editing style and just the overall branding of the company was something that took a few years to establish in the beginning. Asking for help also would’ve made a major difference.
I took on clients that never should’ve hired me, and I said yes to projects that I know I should’ve politely declined. Experience is the ultimate teacher though. I am more firm in my foundation because of the trials and tribulations that were endured.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, I am known as a Wedding and Lifestyle Family photographer. Weddings are self-explanatory. I photograph some of the most crucial and emotion-filled moments of a person’s life (no pressure). My photos are warm, natural, and timeless. I also specialize in “night shots”, which are photographs done at nighttime using speed lights.
I am at my peak creativeness during night shots because whatever the picture turns out to be, it was your placement of the couple and lighting that made the photos what it is. We all know the sun is an unpaid actor in all those pretty sunset photos you see. But at night, it’s your chance to literally create the magic in the photo instead of just capturing it as it happens.
Have you ever seen a movie or read a book and thought “yep, that is exactly how it was supposed to be”. Like, think of your favorite couple, fictional or otherwise. You can’t imagine a reality that they don’t find each other and be together. That is how I want my clients to feel after the wedding day is over. Even before a single picture is ever seen, they feel that they made the right decision in hiring me. They feel no one else could capture this day.
Not because of the photographs. There are so many amazing photographers, and anyone can take a good photo with practice. For me though, I am your ultimate hype man, your honorary wedding coordinator, your bodyguard against all things negative, and a person to lean on for 8-10 hours when your feet are blistered from dancing too much.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I went into the photography world so very backward.
I did the actual work first and didn’t do any networking until much, much later. My advice would be to put yourself out there and just ask questions. I am not a gatekeeper of photography secrets because almost nothing any of us do is original.
Ask your family photographer questions, or email a few of your favorite photographers to see if you can shadow them. Most of us are willing and eager for more help!
Contact Info:
- Email: sarah@sarahsekalyphotography.com
- Website: www.sarahsekalyphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahsekalyphotography/
Image Credits
Sarah Sekaly Photography
