Meet Sara Waterman | Photographer & Owner of Sara Waterman Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sara Waterman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sara, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Sara Waterman Photography was created out of pure passion and addiction, the good kind of addiction. After my first daughter was born, all I wanted to do was stay home and spend every moment I could soaking every second up, which I was lucky enough to do for a few years. My heart was so content and happy but my mind was lacking adult stimulation. So I took a Groupon coupon class (remember when Groupon was all the rage) that’s how my addiction commenced. I would spend hours and hours at night after the kids where asleep, watching Youtube tutorials, reading forums, posting my pictures for critique. I would chase my kids around all day with my camera – I was falling deeply in love with the magic of photography.

I would ask my friends if I could take pictures at their kids events, for free, or photograph their family at no charge – and of course since they knew me and liked me they gushed over my pictures, I wondered were they just being nice, or am I really getting good? I knew there was only one way to find out. I decided if people gave me money to create images for them, I would know for sure I had value. So I signed up for a GoDaddy personal website for $9 created a basic webpage – and nothing happened….. for 4 weeks. Then one day I got a call from a grandma asking me to take pictures of her kids, I thought it was a crank call at first… but I managed to set up my first session. I charged her $50.

I was fortunte enough to create my business out of pure passion and that’s how you know you found your calling. If you would do what you do for free you have hit the life lottery. However, I am now a single mom with 4 young kiddos, so I have grown Sara Waterman Photography into a thriving portrait and event studio and I have recently launched a division of my business SWP Event Photography that focuses on staffing larger corprate functions. 13 short years after that Groupon Coupon Class.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I will describe my photography in a single word. Dramatic. Photography, just like fashion goes thru “trends” some years it’s muted colors, some years it’s selective color (remember that when the entire picture was black and white and the roses were red) feels dated right? It is! I also went thru an evolution trying trendy photography, overdone editing, the muddy matte trend. Then I took another Groupon class on off camera flash – and that was another light bulb moment (pun intended) Here are my 4 take-aways on lighting.

1. When you create the light you can photograph in almost any lighting condition – this is really good if you are running a business.
2. Lighting can create dramatic images that can stop you in your tracks – people want wow!
3. If you know artifical lighting, it will make you infinitly better when using natural lighting.
4. Propery lit images are timeless. I want to create timeless art, as my goal is to have my art hang in your home.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
First I would torture them with a hike to Tom’s Thumb. It’s on the hard side, but oh so worth it! Then it’s a pampering day at the Camelback Spa, facial and massage should do the trick. Off to dinner at the Mission in Old Town scottsdale, amazing margs, table side guac, dark and cozy atmosphere, not fried cheesy Mexican, rather fresh and well prepared food. We may hit up the Rusy Spur for a little live music and a beer. The next day we wake up early and drive up to Flagstaff and ski all day. I cant get over how in Scottsdale we could golf in a t-shirt, drive 2 hours and go skiing! Arizona is so diverse!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’m now a single mom with 4 kiddos a huge shoutout goes to my sweet children. I have 4 amazing kiddos that I LOVE so much. Linnea, Oliver, Violet and Ethan – get it? My oldest Linnea will go out on shoots and help me hold my light and even make jokes making youngesters giggle. Oliver is amazing at holding down the fort down when I’m shooting and is so understanding when I have to miss games or not be there as much as I would like. My twins helped me launch Sara Waterman Photography when I moved to Arizona 8 years ago – I joined Paradise Valley Moms of Multiples to meet other twin moms, and to this day I still have clients that I get to see year after year.

Website: www.sarawatermanphotography.com

Instagram: sarawaterman_stagram

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarawatermanphotography/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sara-waterman-photography-scottsdale