We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ayaka Sano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ayaka, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

Something I am very passionate about as a photographer is being able to accommodate clients of all skin tones. I think as a professional in this industry (whether you are a photographer, makeup artist, or hair stylist) it is extremely important to 1) care about how to make each client look their best and 2) learn and practice methods to be able to achieve this. I have had many clients of color tell me their previous experiences having photos taken where their skin tones were muddy, gray, orange, or some other unflattering shade. Editing is a big part of photography and I truly believe that skin tones should be prioritized to give our clients the best results.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Many people do not know that my educational background is in classical music and I played the violin for 15 years. I did my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music, so I have always been creative, just in a different field. I actually tried having a desk job (typical 9-5) and realized it wasn’t a good fit for me. After going through a few different jobs, I picked up my dusty canon rebel camera I had bought a few years prior and practiced by photographing friends and learning how to shoot manual. Fast forward about 6 years, I now offer a luxury photography service with a focus in portraiture and fashion/editorial photography. I shoot for brands as well as people (single portraits, families, couples, etc) who want a luxury experience and photographs that are elevated and timeless. As I previously mentioned, one of my primary focuses is on clients’ skin tones. I strive to make every person of every skin tone look beautiful and at their best. Something else that sets me apart is my work ethic and turnaround time. I try to deliver my images as quickly as I can without sacrificing quality. I am proud of the brand I have built in the past several years, and am so grateful for the many returning clients as well as client referrals I’ve had. I would like for potential clients to know that I will work hard to make sure they have a seamless experience from beginning to end, from the initial email to the final delivery – to me, that is what a luxury service should be.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Some of the most important aspects of building your creative portfolio comes from doing photoshoots with a team – models, makeup artists, hair stylists, and wardrobe stylists. This can really elevate your end results and make the creative process so enjoyable. It’s imperative to have high quality work in your portfolio that clients can look at before deciding to hire you. I’ve also met so many wonderful creatives this way and believe creating with others is so rewarding.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’m definitely not a social media guru, but one thing I learned is the quality of your audience rather than the quantity. You could have 100k followers without having much business, but you could have 1000 solid followers where those followers turn to leads and those leads turn to clients. I think it’s important to keep sharing your best and recent work to show clients that you have consistent work as well as a consistent level of work and aesthetic. I have a website as well, but I think many of my clients turn to my instagram to keep up with my latest work. The numbers should not discourage you from posting your work, all it takes is one client who really loves that post for them to email you to inquire about a session.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ayakasano.co
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/ayakasano.co
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayakasano.co
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayaka-sano-47415187/
• Other: Google https://g.page/r/CZmDsBZBSz5LEB0/