Meet Lisa Soroko | Photographer

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

Hi Lisa, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balancing work and life had been something I had struggled with during the early years of my business. I was so eager to photograph clients and events that I would book events back to back and stretch myself too thin. I was taking on any client that would reach out, rather then taking my time to get to know them and make sure we had great chemistry. I learned as the years went on that if there was not a kinship between myself and my client the photos suffered and as did I because I could see that there was no true connection in my image. During the early years of my business my children were very small, 4 & 7 years old. I initially began this business with the hopes that I could work a schedule allowing me to have more time with them, but as my business grew I found it impossible to have a weekend with my kids that was work free. As they have grown so has our schedules, with sports, schools and friends, my time with my family has become limited. During the pandemic I was forced to step away from my camera and spend nearly 24 hours a day with my family. For most people this may sound like pure misery, but this was a huge wake up call for me. I reveled in this newfound spare time with my now teenage children. Once I began scheduling clients again, I purposely made an effort to space my photo sessions out, giving me free weekends with my family. Over the past year, I have been more selective with my clients, making sure we have a connection prior to a photo session and scheduling weekends of “No Photos”. During my free weekends I also have made a conscious decision to not check my emails or etc. Having a free weekend has allowed me not only time with my family but time to refresh my creative mind. I feel that I am now just as excited as I was during in the early years of my photography business and no longer have moments of burn out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My business began by just being a mom who wanted to take “good ” photos of her children. I look back and am most proud of the fact that I completely jumped into photography head first without a care in the world. I am 100% self taught and did not know a thing about the mechanics of the camera when I first began. I learned about lighting, editing and posing simply by first hand experience. Within my 1st year of picking up my camera I was photographing my first wedding completely alone. I learned about the business side of photography quickly, drafting contracts , creating a business model and learning how to network within the industry. It was not always easy, there were and still are moments of frustration, moments where I look at other photographers and think “Wow, they are amazing! How can I be like them?”. But at those moments I have to remind myself of how much I have grown and how I should feel proud of what I have accomplished. I have learned many lessons along the way, the biggest lesson would be how to be confident in yourself and do what is best for your business. There may be times where I have to say “No” to a potential client for several different reasons but I know that I have to do what is right for me at the end of the day. I would want the world to know that I was not that girl taking photography in high school, I was just a mom with a camera and just took a leap of faith. With a lot of hard work, tears and laughs, 10 years later I am very confident and proud of my business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anywhere in Sedona, I absolutely love that a simple 2 hour drive and I feel like I am in a different state. Shopping at the Tlaquepaque is my absolute favorite thing to do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My husband for his utter and complete support , never complaining when asked to hold a camera or prop. Always being my right hand person during all events and session. My clients who have become friends, we have so much fun during out photo sessions that sometimes I forget that I am working!

Website: www.lisasorokophotography.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lisasorokophoto