We were lucky to catch up with Sabrina Roden recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sabrina , appreciate you joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.
In the genre of family photography, it has been very popular for a while to create an ideal photo that is curated with perfect smiles, outfits, and setting. I myself have never felt comfortable getting my photo taken in a field with a dress on and trying to get my grumpy children to smile when they are swatting at mosquitos. I think social media has made it very hard for some documentary/lifestyle family photographers to break that mold and capture the family for who they are. We see so many families with these curated photos and some of us who don’t look the “ideal” way may lack the confidence to take these kinds of photos. I want families to feel comfortable in front of the camera (which is already VERY hard to do). I don’t want parents to have to bribe their kids to smile, matter of fact, there is no smile expectation. I want to come to a client’s home, where everyone feels the most comfortable, and capture images of them enjoying each other as they would normally. Saturday morning breakfasts, bubbles in the backyards, painting with watercolors, etc. I don’t want them to wear matching clothes, I want them to wear their favorite outfit, so if it’s jeans for mom and superhero capes for kids, let’s do it!
The thing I find most important about these photos is that it tells their story… and they or I don’t even have to share it on social media. I offer a model release after they see their photos, but if they don’t feel comfortable sharing images of themselves for whatever reason… they don’t have to. Photos are fun to share, but are intimate fragments of our lives that can also be treasured just for ourselves.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Growing up, I used to take my parents cameras and pretend I didn’t know where they were because I wanted them for myself. I was always obsessed with the old family photos and would organize them in photo boxes that were covered in sunflowers.. I still have those boxes organized just the way I had them growing up. Art and photography has always been inside me, so one day I bought my first DSLR from Best Buy and the rest is history.
My main style is documentary and true to life images. I think what sets me apart from others is I truly don’t want to curate photos of people, I want to tell their story. If their story doesn’t take place in a field during golden hour, but instead takes place making cookies on a rainy day while their kiddos watch Bluey, then let’s tell that story. I do the same for my branding clients, we tell their story.
I’m most proud of using my storytelling for non-profit work. I am a volunteer for the Gold Hope Project where I have the privilege of photographing children (& their families) who are fighting cancer. I also have photographed for Girls on the Run (Union County) where I’ve got to experience the joy, sweat, and tears of girls and their families finishing 5K’s together.
What are the main things I want people to know about me? I care. I care deeply. I think everyone is important. I don’t care your weight, your skin color, your sexuality, your gender, you whatever you place judgment on yourself is… I think you deserve to be in the photo and remembered. Life is simply way too short for you not to be the main character in your own life and you should be seen and remembered.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The mission that drives my creative journey is therapy. Creativity is therapy for me. It helps me not only relax and stay focused, but also helps me see the bigger picture of my life. I have the privilege of seeing how other families and people work together while I photograph them and am able to learn from them. I also get to be a creative outlet for others as well. They may play more than they usually do during a photo session and realize it’s something they should do more. In many cases, my clients and I end up talking so much, it becomes an outlet for us all.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Honesty. I am honest with anyone who reaches out to me. If I do not think we are a good match, I will give recommendations of photographers who may be a better match. I let them know that I am not perfectly curated myself. For every potential client that reaches out to me, I answer with video messages. I let them see who I am, I go over all of my pricing, and what a session with me looks like. When I am with clients or at events that I am photographing, I am myself, which is perfectly imperfect, awkward, somewhat shy, and I say things I sometimes regret because I can overshare when I don’t mean to. I think being my awkward self helps people relate to me, and we all are able to embrace all of our awkwardness with a camera around. It is hard to be in front of a camera, especially when you’re trying to look natural, so I think being relatable and honest about how not natural it feels, helps. :)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sabrinajillphotography.com
- Instagram: @sabrinajillphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SabrinaJillPhotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-roden-36b838a1/
Image Credits
They’re all my photos – Sabrina Jill Photography