We were lucky to catch up with Sara Sniderman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I believe that pictures have the unique ability to freeze time, allowing us to stop and appreciate the special moments in our lives. My goal is that my pictures allow you to look back for years to come and, even for a moment, remember what it feels like to be in this season of your family’s life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

If you told me a few years ago that I would have a photography business, I would not have believed you. I double majored in psychology and economics in college, went on to get my masters in education, and started working as a board certified behavior analyst. When I went back to work after having my second daughter, I decided to leave my job to be home with my kids more. After a few weeks of being home, I started taking online photography classes. I have always loved photographing children. Even before having my own, I would photograph family and friend’s children. Children change so quickly and I love how looking at photos can bring us back to that season of life for a moment.
My husband encouraged me to take the leap and start my own business. Five years later and I still have to pinch myself that I am a business owner and that I get to do something that brings me so much joy.

Photography has pushed me out of my introverted comfort zone and allowed me to meet so many amazing families that I would have never met otherwise. I feel so incredibly fortunate that I got a second chance on picking a career and am absolutely head over heels in love with it.

Something that I am very proud of is my NICU Experience blog series. I started a NICU/Special Care Nursery blog series almost four years ago with my own story. In this series, parents share about their experiences in the NICU or Special Care. I felt very alone and unprepared for our Special Care Nursery stay. I started this blog series hoping to help other parents experiencing the NICU/Special Care Nursery not feel so alone. All the parents who contributed so far have said that writing their blog has been a cathartic experience. I am so thankful that I have found a way to use my photography to help others experiencing the NICU/Special Care Nursery.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Like with many other businesses, the pandemic created a push for me to pivot. Prior to the pandemic, my newborn sessions were all in home sessions. Sometimes we would step outside to get a few photos on the porch or yard, but the main focus of the session was inside the home. Once things started to open back up with the pandemic, many families with newborns were not comfortable with someone coming into their home. Because of this, I started offering outdoor newborn photo sessions. I have said many times that outdoor newborn sessions are my silver lining of the pandemic. They are now one of my favorite types of sessions. There is something so beautiful about a family snuggling a new baby surrounded by tall grass or wild flowers. I did many outdoor newborn sessions this spring through fall and plan to continue offering them moving forward.

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

I think the most effective strategy for growing my clientele is giving my current clients the best experience I can. From booking sessions to receiving final galleries, I want my client’s experience to be as stress free as possible. I send a questionnaire to get to know families as well as a welcome guide that answers frequently asked questions. I love helping clients find outfits for their families. My goal is for the session to be a fun and relaxed experience. I genuinely want to get to know the families that I work with. I have many families that come back to me every year and I always say that it feels more like catching up with friends than working. I think being genuine and giving families a great experience leads them to want to tell their friends and families about me. Word of mouth is so important to my business and I am so thankful for my clients that share their experience about their session!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://sarasnidermanphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarasnidermanphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sarasnidermanphotography/
• Other: My NICU experience blog series https://sarasnidermanphotography.com/category/nicu-experience/

Image Credits
Image of me is by https://corinneisabellephotography.com The rest are by me :)