We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Sara Maida. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Sara below.

Alright, Sara thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

Being a photographer, a solopreneur you wear many, many hats. From marketing, to stylist, to booking agent, to photographer, and occasional therapist and so many others, there are times it can be overwhelming. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having a “regular job” that you can leave at the door is appealing when I am laying in bed at 2am wondering if my client for the next day has found the right shoes, or up at 4am editing a session because I just LOVE how the light was shining and cannot wait to get my clients that sneak peek. But the benefits FAR outweigh any of the aspects that make being a creative a challenge.

Sara, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started in the photography industry on accident, truthfully. When we adopted my oldest son, my father bought me a DSLR camera as a baby gift! That’s when I started my photography journey and never looked back. From there I have become known for my lifestyle approach which has been the keystone in my family, senior and sports photography.

I am the mother to two boys, both of whom are very active in sports and have become very discouraged with what I have seen in the arena of sports portraits. The traditional (and often completely unrealistic) portraits that simply don’t match the energy of an athlete forced me to want to explore a different approach. When I looked around the Boston market in sports photography, I didn’t find much of what I was looking for so decided I needed to start a focus on athletes in natural, dynamic poses they would genuinely be in playing their sports. There came my newest photography love; dynamic sports photography, which is focused on the athlete and the movement of sport.

I take the same approach with my senior photography, focusing on the senior moving them through the scene rather than sitting them in a stagnant pose. I love to see a senior come into their element, moving, smiling and having a great time. There is no greater compliement from a senior (especially those senior boys!) than, “wow, that was really fun!”

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Building & maintaining a client experience is what sets me apart. From pre-booking through gallery delivery and print order, I like to be there to help my clients every step of the way. Providing insight into what works and what doesnt in terms of styling, helping select locations and even helping with what types of snack to bring, clients appreciate the hand holding I provide! These clients refer me to their friends and family — the best way to know that my reputation is working. I love when I first introduce myself to someone in my community and I hear “oh my friend used you for their photos and loved you!” Nothing better! My client retention rate for Boston family photography is over 75% from year to year, so its working!

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

If I knew earlier in my career how important creating a website and working on your SEO was, I think that would have propelled my business ahead much further. I was lucky in that when I started my journey as a professional, Facebook was much bigger and families would simply tag my business and I got almost all my referrals through FB and word of mouth. Turthfully, I didnt even have a website for the first several years in business. But marketing has changed dramatically since then and if I had known then what I know now, I would go back and create the website and learn about SEO!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.saramaida.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sara.maida
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saramaidaphotography