We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Head recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

My hope is that with each picture taken, I am able to capture the memories of my client. I feel it is very important to be able to look back at photos through the years and have the emotions come through. Photography makes everything stand still and if I can capture that, then my legacy actually becomes YOUR legacy. I am excited to share these very important moments that will carry on for generations.

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?

For me, being a photographer was never anything I planned on. I was gifted a Nikon D3200 for Christmas one year in my early 20’s and I jammed it up the first time I tried to use it. You know… where the picture turns out black and it wont “click” anymore…. It was the type of jam that turning it off and back on again couldn’t fix. Which is all i knew to do. I mean, a typical person probably would have studied the instruction book that came with it but lets face it, that’s not really my style. Plus… I got to use the dorky joke and blame my subject for breaking my camera! (which happened to be an adorable 4 year old getting very impatient with me)

Disappointed and yet amazed at myself, exactly how did I manage to demolish this really nice gift in under 2 minutes?!?! Frantically pushing buttons, I could feel the death stare coming from Miss Prissy Pants herself. I look up to see a frozen half smile that looks more like pain and eyes that were screaming “hurry up!” Needing to be quick to catch what’s left of her temporarily paralyzed face, I grabbed my trusty “point and click.” The kind where you don’t need to be a photographer to use it. The kind that just does what it is supposed to do and captures all the blackmail photos of your friends mid bite. Yep, I am talking about the kind you wind up, click and toss the whole camera in a bag at Walgreens to develop.

Needless to say, the Nikon D3200 only made a short debut before going back into the basic, black camera bag it came in. My intentions were to tuck it away and come back to it when I had time to “unjam” it. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into Months… and well, you get the point. It stayed out of sight and out of mind for over 7 years until I transitioned into a job where I was working for an influencer. Doing the typical mundane assistant work, managing websites, social media, running errands and overseeing budgets. Always looking for ways to make life easier on my client and keeping the budgets down. Well, as we all know, Influencers need a lot of photos. The good kind of photos. The ones taken with a professional camera and not some throw away. The ones that also tend to inflate budgets.

Contemplating several days on how I could fix this problem, while running 90 to nothing, everything became quiet. As if my brain came to a screeching halt and quit working…… I hear his voice. “USE WHAT YOU HAVE.”

I did not know what it meant at the time but I kept playing it over and over in my head, “use what I have.” I didn’t have much so I really struggled trying to figure out the answer to this game God likes to play sometimes. I mean, can i just get a burning bush to tell me what you want? Again, figuring things out is not my style. However, little did i know that i was going to be pushed into figuring out how to work that little camera I had tucked away many years ago. This was the answer to my riddle!

I went to classes and used the people in my life as my homework… Daily! If you ever need pictures of annoyed people giving authentic, disgruntled facial expressions, this is the way to do it! Perhaps, I will get them printed to use at their wedding rehearsal one day while reminding them, “Hey, it was for research!” Through all the blurry pictures, the blackmail pictures and the ones that actually turned out… I developed such a love for photography!

I found that I can capture that laugh, the tears or that big bear hug from a loved one and make time stand still. Creating tangible memories to cherish while still maintaining my first goal….. keeping the budget down and “Using What I Have” to give back.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I would say the mission that is driving this journey is being able to help others. I honestly feel like pictures are so important and it’s the only way we can hold on to memories once they are forgotten. When a loved one has passed away, when the kids are all grown up or when we have the celebrations in life, we can always hold the memory in a photo.

I believe photos tell a story and it also offers myself a creative outlet to get away from the motions of everyday life. A place to get creative and stop thinking about our never-ending to do list. It grounds me and brings me back to a level of peace by seeing through a new set of eyes.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I like to have fun with what I do!! Let’s play some music, dance and laugh through our session!! I consider you family and I never see this as a Photographer/client situation. Photography does not need to be stuffy and scary! I try my best to make it an experience you enjoy and leave feeling accomplished. The best compliment I receive is when I hear “this was so much fun, and I cannot wait to do this again!”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sarahhead.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellosarahkay/
• Facebook: facebook.com/sarahkphotographyinfo

Image Credits
@jasminevielcbsla @sherriezell_music @tyeler_michelle @mariasjsanchez @mrs_bella_maria