We recently connected with Sarah Lines and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

I can remember back in 2020 when my sister volunteered me to taker her family pictures. Of course I doubted myself because I was so used to landscape photography. The session actually didn’t turn out half bad, so with her encouragement I started a Facebook page. I was so confused on that because I was definitely not social media educated so I was just hoping that my page went active okay and I left it at that. Shortly after my page was up and running, I ran an advertisement for my services and I got a message through Facebook messenger asking me to do a family session. It was fall season too and I couldn’t believe it. My first actual client and first session that wasn’t family. I didn’t think that anyone would find my work good enough to book a session with me. I remember being so nervous about poses and what to do, but the second I got there the family was so nice and easy to get along with and they were so patient with me. Everything just came natural and that is when I realized okay I can do this. I don’t think I ever really truly expressed to that family how grateful I am that their session really started to launch things for me.

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

Growing up I was always the one with the camera and taking tons of pictures. When cell phones came out with cameras it excited me because now I didn’t have to develop photos. I alway enjoyed being behind the lens. However, I didn’t really start getting into the photography industry until 2018 when I bought my first professional camera. I really loved nature and I wanted to capture it. It was my therapy at the time. In 2020, my sister encouraged me to start doing lifestyle photography and that is when the WonderBug brand started. I offer lifestyle sessions ( family, newborn, couples, themed), senior sessions, and elopements. In 2023, I decided to start sharing my landscape pieces with the world and those are now for sale on my website also. I thought that it would be an unique experience for customers to experience the best of both worlds with my work.

When it comes to my clients I like them to be able to feel like we’ve known each other for a long time. I have a laid back attitude which has helped people be less nervous in front of the camera. I have had sessions where someone is nervous about how they are going to look and when they get their photos back they can’t believe how good they have looked. My goal at the end of the day is to make people feel their best during and after the session.

What I am most proud of with WonderBug is that it has been able to put many smiles on client’s faces. What sets me apart from others is that I like to expose the natural elements of a portrait. I make each picture look as real and natural as possible , while still adding the beauty of it. I am also adventure seeking, so when a client wants to do something crazy and fun outdoors or go somewhere awesome I am fully on board. I am always up for discovering new places. With that being said, new places brings the opportunity to showcase the beauty of nature as well. One of the things I enjoy most about being a photographer is getting to know new people, make new friends, and capture priceless moments with people and in landscapes. Being able to offer both portrait photography and landscape photography is truly a blessing. I hope that in some way each picture makes someone happy.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy so far in growing my clientele has been referrals and Facebook. I would like to engage further in social media and learn more strategies to be able to put myself out there to a larger audience, which is something I am currently doing with my business.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to feel the sense of accomplishment when an edit is done and the clientele as well as other peers give positive feedback. A lot of hard work goes into taking a picture and editing. It isn’t just snap and go, so when people recognize that work it is very rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wonderbugphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: @wonderbugphotography
• Facebook: facebook.com/wonderbug14
• Other: TikTok: @wonderbug87 https://wonderbugphotography.pixieset.com/landscapes/