Wedding Photography with Sarah Anne

In our ongoing series of showcasing and interviewing upcoming photographers we are presenting an interview with Sarah Anne Barlow. Sarah Anne Barlow is a wedding photographer from US, she has not been long in the wedding photography business however she has already made a mark in the photography industry. In the words of Sarah Anne Barlow herself:

My name is Sarah Anne Barlow, I’m 21 and have owned my own photography business for 4 years now! I grew up being homeschooled all my life which really provided such an atmosphere for studying whatever I was interested in! When I was little I would always put together shoots with my mom’s point and shoot camera! I would dress my sister in some sheets…aka…wedding dress and pose her outside under a tree…I would put nylons over the lens to get that “soft” effect that I thought was just so amazing at the time! In 8th grade I finally thought it would be cool to have a camera that you could “zoom in and focus on things” my dad bought me what I then learned was a SLR camera for graduation! I was in heaven! Shooting everything that came into my view! I NEVER considered being a photographer though…until a couple years later when I was pursuing architecture, my dad sat me down and we talked about what I really wanted to do with my life….after some soul searching and realizing that in pursuing architecture my life wouldn’t start for another 12 years or so….my dad chimed in that he thought I had such an eye for photography! After awhile things just started to fall into place in that direction! I got an internship at one of the top studios in Chicago working there for a year and a half and learning everything about cameras, lighting, working with people, and running a business! It was so valuable! During that time…I was helping a friend plan her wedding…I started looking at wedding photographers and came across a wedding photojournalist in Chicago that I just drooled over his photos for hours! I had NEVER seen anything like it before! I figured if THAT’S the type of photography people can have at weddings…then that would be fun to pursue! I then met my mentor in wedding photography, David Jay, who really helped me to accomplish that goal of becoming a wedding photojournalist! This was my junior year of highshcool at this time…we had a school teacher come in to homeschool all of us…I’m the oldest of 7….she ended up getting married and asking me to shoot her wedding! With 4 rolls of film and all! They turned out wonderful and one of her friends asked me for more info..I frantically got up a small site..which of course made things super official! After that my friend who I was earlier helping plan her wedding asked me to shoot her wedding! I had 3 weeks to prepare as it was a big wedding and I had NO clue how to do really anything! After studying for this 3 weeks and shooting the wedding I really knew this is what I wanted to do with at least these years of my life! I became soooo passionate about it! Which has brought me to where I am today!

CM: If you were to name 5 things which were essential to your success, things
which you would advise others to do essentially in the start, or you would advise others to focus upon, what would they be and why would you pick them.
SA: I would have to say ‘Faith’, my faith is really what has carried me through all the good times and bad…and I’m certain brought me to where I am today; Mentoring, the internship at the studio, and then finding a specific mentor in exactly what I was going into so I could always build off their success and failures; Personality, I really love people sooo sooo much! Being the oldest of 7, I love constantly being around people and I thrive off of that…people can tell if you truly want to be around them or not…whether it’s just for business or genuine; My Clients, I’ve had the best clients! I don’t do any advertising…so they are my marketers…and they do very well at it!; My friends; Networking has been awesome too…not really the traditional type of networking though…as I feel that is so self-centered, like what can you do for me! I specifically just want to be friends with all these different photographers I meet and find out what I can do for them! We send each other weddings all the time out of those relationships! It works out beautiful!

CM: How did you get into wedding photography and why wedding photography, why not sports or landscapes or editorial work?
SA: Like I said earlier, this kind of just dropped into my lap at the beginning as it was the first type of photography I really experienced! I eventually tried other kinds of photography…but still ended up liking weddings the best! The emotion tied in with it is like none other!

CM: Who has been your biggest influence in your photography work and
where do you look for inspiration for your work?
SA: David Jay my mentor, when I first started off I would copy all his work…but
eventually came into my own! Some of my favorite wedding photographers right now are The image is found and Amelia Lyon….they are phenomenal and I really feel catch emotion sooo well! Right now I’m on a very big Norman Jean Roy streak though! He is just unreal!

CM: Talking about influence, which photographer in general and wedding
photographer in particular has inspired you. How do you relate to him/ her and what elements of their work have you carried forward or developed upon in your style of shooting.
SA: Like I said…David Jay was who I modeled my style afteSA:..because it was the wedding photojournalism that I was just in awe of. I really like it when the bride and groom
are just interacting with each other and then I direct them a little…but more so it’s their thing.. just encouraging where needed..but letting them have that moment! I really love doing cool bridal party shots which is one of the things that first caught my eye about David’s work.

CM: Since having started out, have you changed much in terms of photography technique and in terms of how you work?
SA: In terms of how I work…not really…I always have tried to be as fast as I can be in everything yet…make people feel comfortable! People are always commenting about that…as the day is NOT a photoshoot… it’s a wedding! I have become more comfortable in directing people and working in different styles of shooting…but my main foundation really hasn’t changed much!

CM: In your opinion, for someone starting out what would be the best way to
get your name out there to attract the right sort of client. If you are just starting out, what are the key things marketing wise that you would think are essential to the success of a business and what worked for you?
SA: I would say…blogging has probably been one of the best ways to get my name out there and people more familiar with me and and my work. Shooting really everything
that came to me at first so that I could really see what I liked…and giving people something to talk about in the experience that you gave them which is YOU. Also, slideshows at weddings have been KEY….I just download the pictures from the day…grab my favorites and put it into a little slideshow on my laptop by the bar..people eat it up!! They rave all the time and that is probably THE way I get
clients! Also, to attract the client you want is all about the way you market yourself and your branding! Figuring out what sort of client will really help in deciding all that!

CM: Financial barriers is one of the major considerations for a wedding photography business. Certainly it is not limited to the cost of purchase and maintenance of the camera and related equipment. However many times those who are less experienced in the business side of things and are new in the market are not aware of what those other financial commitments are. What would your advice be as to how those looking to enter the market or those who have just entered the market, can properly identify their financial commitment and what can they do do to educate themselves about management of finance, planning for the
future and dealing with the daily ins and outs.
SA: It is a commitment for sure…and that’s why I ALWAYS tell people to not go into it for the money…only if they have a passion for it! It took me about 2 or 3 years to actually
make a little bit of money! Being organized going into it will help you leaps and bounds!! I had NO clue what I was doing so catching up years into it has been way harder than it would’ve been having everything together beforehand, pricing, accountant, etc…I went to a Business Bootcamp put on my Liana Lehman and that helped me soooo much understand more the financial area! I would highly
recommend it! Organization though I would say is key to make it work!

CM: How do you price your services? What things do you have to keep in mind when putting cost against a service that your provide?
SA: I charge per hour…for any products I look at cost of sales and then do a mark up to all that… I’ll combine all that together to build my packages.

CM: Equipment wise, when taking photos at a wedding what is your favourite
go to kit?
SA: I shoot with a Canon 5d, the Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L IS lens, the Canon 50mm f1.8 lens…SUPER cheap but sooo beautiful, I’ll sometimes shoot with the 17-40mm f4
and the 85mm f1.8 but the 50 and 70-200 are my favs! I usually shoot without flash unless I’m at the reception or have to do portraits in the dark…I use pocketwizards and the Canon 580EXMark2

CM: Regarding photography style, How would you describe yours? What are
the key elements that describe your shooting style, something that we can see in your photos?
SA: I am ALLLL about emotion! If my clients could be laughing in every picture I would be in heaven! I like bright colors but not too saturated… Really it’s just the life that I
try to capture in each one…I feel like that is what truly makes a picture!

CM:Some of the other wedding photographers whose work I have seen shoot
mainly with fast glass wide open, others use flash quite a lot, everyone has their own preferences on what works best for them. What is your preference, what helps you get that distinct look that is found in your photos and how did you go about developing that style?
SA: I am alllll about the fast glass and wide open too! ha…it just makes for beautiful, real, and natural photos! I started getting into a super artsy streak at one point….but I really
feel especially with wedding photography clean, bright, and crisp draws your attention to the actual photo…rather than the awesome photoshopping! I’m not a photoshoppeSA:..I’m a photographer:)

CM: Social Media, blogs, digg, delicious, forums. Are they of any help to those
who are starting out? For someone who is starting out, how important are these platforms and how can they be best utilized?
SA: YES and NO… they are incredible for networking, and letting clients and friends
know the real you….rather than just strictly a business front! It does take up A LOT of time…..if you can be highly disciplined with it…it can pay off…but if you can’t…it can do the opposite in stealing your time!

CM: Ok, I have to ask Mac or PC, and why?
SA: BOTH! haha! I own a PC desktop and a Mac laptop….I started out with PC first
because they were the cheaper way to go…but Mac is just beautiful! I really think it’s just aesthetic reasons more than anything!

CM: What is your approach when meeting your clients for the first time? Do you prefer an informal meeting with your clients over a cup of coffee as opposed to a proper business meeting where you would focus on business details? Or it is up to the client and each one is different?
SA: Totally informal! I am all about making it a meeting like I’m just meeting with a friend! I even try to avoid talking about business stuff for the first bit just to get to know them more and for them to feel more comfortable! I want them to truly know me which will set apart this business meeting from all the others, if they are interviewing many other photographers!

CM: Marketing, what works for you. For many photographers it is a costly
combination of on line advertising combined with word of mouth, trade shows and print advertising. What is your approach and from a pure return on investment point of view what has worked best for your business?
SA: I think I’ve probably spent a total of $20 on direct advertising in my whole career! And that was only in the first month of my business….other than that it’s completely been word of mouth, through blogs, slideshows at the wedding, and networking with other photographers!

CM: When taking photos at a wedding how do you convey to the couple the
idea for the shot that you have in mind? At the wedding do you take an active interest in directing or do you prefer to take a step back and document the events as they happen?
SA: I really try to blend into the wall as much as possible in the direction area unless it’s the formals time…otherwise I’m just observing and shooting…of course interacting
with them like a friend…but I rairly direct besides the “formal” time….even then though during the time with just the bride and groom…I do some directing and some observing.

CM: Everybody has high points and low points in their careers, what have been the high and the low points for you, and what helped you get through the lows?
SA: Oh boy…that’s a hard one! Some of the low points have been when hard drives
crashed or pictures are lost…thankfully nothing SO valuable has been lost but it’s still devasting to lose things that you thought you would always have! I have since learned to back up, back up, back up!! Just understanding that each low can be a learning season and I can turn it around that way! I’ve had many highs…heck my whole career has been a high! Some of the surreal moments have been shooting at the Emmy Awards Fox Network Party…and attending a Volunteers of America Fundraiser where 2000 people watched my slideshow that I made, everyone was crying, and they had more of a response in donations than they ever have had! That’s when I know what I’m doing is paying off!

CM: Growing in business, what do you think has helped you get where you are
today, what was ‘the’ thing that helped you grow your business and become one of the most sought after wedding photographers the world over?
SA: I would say attitude is key….how you respond to things that come at you! You have to deal with HARD clients and wonderful clients, dull long days, and perfect days…keeping your head up and seeing everything on the bright side has really pushed me forward I would say! I seriously try to love at least one thing about each “adventure” that I’m in!

CM: What do you think the future holds for you and other photographers,
what direction do you see the general wedding photography market heading in?
SA: It’s definitely a crazy market right now….where anyone can buy a nice camera and shooting..but the ones with the passion and who keep giving will be the ones that rise to the top. It is nice even with the economy that people will STILL be getting married no matter what! I feel like if they are going to cut back they’ll cut back in the details area…I feel like people are realizing more and more the value of an AMAZING photographer! It’s exciting!

CM: Any future projects lined up that you would like to share with our
readers?
SA: Well…I just moved down to Nashville from Chicago to pursue music photography more! I’m very excited to be down here as it’s more my culture and style than Chicago was…plus I just love music! I’m shooting so many destination weddings now that I realized I could really live wherever! Nashville is the place to be!

CM: If you had to pick one last piece of advice for those of our readers who
are looking to get into wedding photography, one thing that you consider has helped you the most and you would want to share with others, what would it be?
SA: Stay focused, stay passionate, stay inspired, stay organized, and through it all HAVE FUN!! Make a decision to do it!! It’s such a freeing business to be in that you just
have to enjoy it to the full!!!