Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Guarino. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Sarah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

As I transition more of my focus on being a photographer rather than modeling, I wanted a long term project that resonated with me that helped fill slower periods in my craft. Being part of a collective as well, The Hub Agency, it can be easy to get lost in that work and not focus on your own. I looked deep into myself for something I could turn into an ongoing project that meant something to me. Growing up in a mixed family, my mom being born and raised in Pakistan and my dad being Sicilian, I thought about how as beautiful it was to grow up mixed, it was also really confusing for me. From that, Growing Up Mixed was born, a project open to anyone who is mixed ethnicity or race who wants to be photographed and interviewed on their experience of growing up mixed. I figured sharing other people’s experiences and advice might help those who struggle with their mixed identities, but also remind them to celebrate it.

Sarah, 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?

For fifteen years I have been a Type 1 Diabetic, one of the most common chronic illnesses. It comes with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. In 2020 I really hit a rut due to never seeing anybody that looked like me but knowing they were out there. I realized the reason I never “saw” people like me was because a lot of people try to hide all of the infusion sites and medical tech wear, including myself. I thought, why are we hiding these amazing inventions that make life manageable? So I started modeling and in that work I really did my best to fight for my infusion sites to be included in the projects, not covered up. I gained a lot of recognition when one of these medical companies, Dexcom, featured me on their instagram in 2022 after I did a project titled “The stages of living with chronic illness” shot by Ana Rodriguez modeled off the stages of grief. It was crazy seeing something we shot in our small university studio gaining so much attention and even getting published in Mob Magazine. I had tried to get signed to an agency that year but it just wasn’t in the cards. However I also started falling in love with being behind the camera the more I worked in front of it. I had dabbled in the past but never took it seriously. Flash forward to now and I’m in New York at least once a week working on different photography projects. I am part of a Brooklyn Based collective, The Hub Agency, who works to highlight different POC artists, brands, etc. I still model but mainly for brands or photographers I already established a relationship with. Most recently however I actually got the opportunity to model for Dexcom, open the NASDAQ with them on world diabetes day, and have my photo in Times Square because of the creative work I have done with T1D, which was kind of a full circle moment for me.
I am definitely more focused on my photography, which much of it has turned into event photography, but also am trying to break more into the editorial scene. I think something that really sets me apart is having model experience really gives me a good eye in terms of what people want to see of themselves. A lot of people also have said to me recently that they can kind of know it’s a @Jpeg.Sar shot before they even scroll to see who took the photo, which is definitely pretty neat.
I think one of the things I am proud of is just how I managed it all. I actually am about to start my career as a neurologist/stroke nurse in December, which I am so excited for. I went to school for that while pursuing photography and modeling and somehow made it all work. It’s truly a testament of if you really want something (or three things) you can do it all if you lock in. I truly think my creative passions help balance my calling for nursing. They were such stress relievers throughout my college career and I know they will continue to be in my professional career.
Something I want potential clients to know is that if you work with me, I will always make you feel comfortable in front of the camera. A lot of photographers say it, however even I have felt uncomfortable by the very people who said they would never let that happen. Especially, if you have a medical condition that you aren’t super comfortable sharing about all the time, I really have been able to talk to clients about that as I have been there, I know that feeling. It’s always super cool seeing people who don’t talk about their condition online much posting photos that highlight said condition and being so excited to do so. I think the root of my work on both sides of the camera is truly in bringing awareness to things that are not very surface level, which gives me such a big purpose.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Yeah so I definitely feel like my whole life is one big story of resilience. Like I previously mentioned, I have had diabetes for 15 years now. And if I wasn’t resilient, I might not be here. I think that aspect of my life has just melded into how I look at everything. If you aren’t resilient and push past problems in a field like photography that’s pretty saturated, there’s definitely not going to be a spot for you. When I first started I had someone try and take credit for my reason to move into the photography space and they really made me question for a second my choice. I realized if I let that one person get to me from the jump there was no way I was going to be able to continue in this field. Getting past that first hump, created a huge sense of confidence and I have never looked back.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Telling people’s story, highlighting amazing creatives that often go overlooked for one reason or another, and being able to talk about issues important to me using a lens is all so rewarding. To me creating isn’t about the money, of course I love when I get for profit jobs however I really rather keep the integrity of my work intact. For example, the Growing up Mixed project I started this summer highlighting mixed individuals stories, that isn’t done for profit. I wouldn’t really expect people to pay me for a project I started and am asking them to be a part of. But if it was solely about the profit, the project wouldn’t exist. I also am fresh out of college, and a lot of people I have worked with are creatives still in college, a lot of dancers for example, and not all of them have the means to pay a photographer right now, but definitely need good work of what they do to keep going in their field. While I know a lot of people can’t do work for free, it feels good knowing I can feel comfortable doing collaboration work and integrating that into my schedule with paid opportunities as well. I see a lot of amazing photographers who are so against collaboration and I don’t know, I feel like setting aside one or two projects a month to just be creative is important to just have fun and create something beautiful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.jpegsar.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jpeg.sar/ AND https://www.instagram.com/runawaywithsar/

Image Credits
Ana Rodriguez Fernando Sippel Sarah Guarino