We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sarah Kathleen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Photography has forever been about capturing “the perfect moment”, which usually entails being still, posing to look as skinny as possible, and smiling toward the camera. I have always been after the REAL moment. The stolen glances between a couple, kids being kids, genuine emotions and bodies presenting in genuine ways. I believe a photograph can serve as a portal back to that moment, so why not be transported to a real, fluid moment versus a stale, forced moment?

This has shown up a lot in my work photographing women. I took the classic “boudoir photography” (traditionally indoors with lingerie and bridal-esque hair and makeup) and transformed it into my “Bare Sessions” — an empowering outdoor portrait session where a woman can explore and be curious about herself and all her pieces. It is an invitation to try on different versions of oneself, to see if they fit.

Sarah, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I fell headfirst into photography as a child of eight when my parents got me a hot pink 35mm film camera for my birthday. I’ve spent my life teaching myself the art form of photography and storytelling. At 16 years old, I entered the world of wedding photography, as an assistant to a local wedding photographer. I fell in love with documenting people and their stories. By 19 years old, I had started my own photography business and booked my first wedding, which rapidly became 22 bookings in my first year.

In my 16-year career behind the camera, I’ve photographed it all — weddings led to pregnancies which led to newborns which led to full-blown families. Weddings also opened the door to boudoir photography, as many brides love gifting their husband-to-be with a sexy little photo book before their wedding day. Enter the pandemic, which pivoted my business to food & beverage photography, helping hospitality business owners curate magnetic imagery for their online menus and social media channels.

In 2020, I launched a new endeavor called “Persephone Unleashed” — an intimate women’s wellness retreat, with a heart for nourishing and empowering the weary woman. These retreats are 4-5 days long, and include a luxurious stay, meals by a private chef, morning yoga practices, guided meditations, creativity workshops, energy work with a shamanic healer, a badass photo shoot with yours truly, sisters for life, and so much more than could ever be put into words. One would think starting something like this mid-pandemic would lead to a giant flop, but it turns out that women are more in need than ever for a safe place to practice taking up space and being wholly seen and loved for who they are. Who knew?

I don’t have just one photography niche. And I’m okay with that. I’m passionate about holding space for people and documenting their story as it evolves. I’ve come to find that I see things differently than anyone else, I’m drawn to both light & shadow, the beautiful and the messy bits — all the things that make us human. And that shows up in my work every time.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Over 16 years of photographing people, I’ve found Trust and Authenticity to be the pillars of my business. Whenever I work with someone, I show up 100% my true, neurodivergent self. I’m quirky, swear sometimes, quote movies more than the average human, and talk in accents and strange voices a lot. I don’t fear vulnerability or talking about hard things. I figure, if I show you that it’s okay to be weird and awkward sometimes, you’ll trust me with your weird and awkward pieces, too.

Humans are unique, messy, and complicated creatures. And I want every single one who steps in front of my camera to feel seen, heard and loved for who they are.

The clients who have stuck with me over all these years know this about me and come back to me because of it. They know I’ll get down on the ground with their kids, hold space for their toddlers when they’re overwhelmed, and deliver a gallery full of beautiful and real moments. Women come back for 2nd and 3rd bare sessions because they walk away feeling like a million bucks, with an inner knowing they maybe didn’t have before their session, and wonder what new levels they might unlock with another photo shoot experience.

Like calls to like. And I am a magnet for the outcasts just trying to find their place in the world.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When the pandemic hit, and events came to a screeching halt, I had no idea how I was going to provide for my family. Then the calls started coming in — restaurants and wineries looking for imagery to build an online presence, because that was the only lifeline we had that year. People were starting Instagram accounts and online menus for their businesses and needed photos. I had some experience with food and beverage styling/photography, so I said “What the heck! Let’s do it!” And before I knew it, I was the county’s leading food photographer! I even had a client who flew me out to NY to do photos for her meal-delivery business (her own pandemic pivot).

I never thought I would enjoy photographing still life as much as this. I thought people would be my bread and butter until I died. But here I found a whole new creative realm to explore. Styling food and drinks around a restaurant space, with and without a human element because my new favorite thing in the world. It lacks the stress of a wedding day, which allows for more time and space for play and creativity.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sarahkathleen.com
• Instagram: @sarahkathleenphoto & @persephoneunleashed
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahkathleenphoto
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sarah-kathleen-photography-san-luis-obispo
• Other: Retreat Website: www.persephoneunleashed.com

Image Credits
Bio image (of me shooting) by “Hemlock House Photography” All other photos are mine (Sarah Kathleen)