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

Sasha , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned photography by simply putting a camera in my hand and shooting; every chance I got. I joined a group of black female photographers in SC, “The Queen Photographers'” and participated in different photo walks, and other educational workshops that would eventually help me along the way.

There was really no “education” when it came to learning photography. Trial and error is really what taught me. Youtube has helped a lot, and connecting with other photographers was my biggest help.

Knowing what I know now, I would say I could have invested in actual photography classes, or found a mentor that didn’t mind helping or allowing me to shadow.

Sasha , 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?

Hi! I’m Sasha, owner of Sasha Q. Photography. A natural light portrait (families, maternity, branding) photographer, based in Greenville, SC. When it comes to being a photographer, I’ve always had an interest in cameras and photos. The earliest memory that I have when it comes to having a camera in my hand, is when my uncle bought me my first ever digital camera back in Middle school. I remember carrying around that little Kodak camera everywhere. But it wasn’t until 2015 where the interest really came in and I remember sitting in a room with one other person, and I said “I want to buy a camera and learn photography”. Crazy thing is…I had absolutely no knowledge on where to even begin or what kind of camera to even look for. I remember talking to my mom about it later that afternoon, and I started going around to different tech shops to see what I could get (as I also had no idea on HOW much cameras cost). So, for my first camera, I ended up with a Nikon and well let’s just say I wasn’t a fan. It was doable in the beginning but I felt there was better, so I ended up switching to Canon. And from there, things just developed.

I offer portrait sessions for individuals, families, and brands. I love when I get the opportunity to help that individual, family, or branding client get the portraits that they need (especially if they’ve never had any taken), and capturing the real, raw, candid moments.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social Media! I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I would say that I’m more active on instagram than I am with any other social platform. When it comes to building an audience however, the only thing I did, was be authentic. Yes all of the pretty photos are fine, but if you can’t know me for me, then why are we even here? ya know! Being authentic has allowed me to connect with so many different people in state, out of state, out of the country. Just being relatable in a moment can bring about friendships and internetships that you never thought was possible.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

One thing that I think non-creatives struggle to understand is that being a creative is a blessing and a curse. Our brains have a hard time shutting down. One minute we may not feel inspired, the next minute we have all of these ideas that we want to try and test out. I’m the creative that will stay up super late just to figure something out. Or just to create something that pops into my head at 10pm – a time that I should be falling asleep. However, this also means that if something is asked of me, it may or may not, get done immediately. I have to see the vision in my head first in order to execute it, and sometimes this doesn’t happen instantly. Being a creative involves brainstorming, and in those moments where the vision or creativity isn’t there, activating a brainstorm becomes necessary.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sashaqphotography.com
• Instagram: sashaqphotography
• Facebook: Sasha Q. Photography

Image Credits
Wooten Photography