Meet Sierra Beltran | Wedding + Couples Photographer

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

Hi Sierra, why did you pursue a creative career?
Oddly enough, this career was not originally what I planned for. During my school years (mostly middle and high school), I always thought I would be a pastry chef and go to culinary school. Ironically, I have still found myself in a creative career with a different genre. If I allow myself to really ponder the “why”, it goes back to being able to have a creative outlet and to serve people.

There is a multitude of ways you can serve someone. When it comes to my photography, I get to serve my couples with beautiful images to treasure and by creating an experience that they hold onto. I get to serve them by documenting fleeting moments. While they are sometimes large and grand and take many months to plan an execute, weddings are still fleeting moments. As a married woman, I see just how true this is. After the wedding is long gone and you’re in your every day life, the photos of your wedding are what you have to look back. While your kids are growing up and life is moving, the photos are what you pull out to reminisce.

Even though I never imagined owning my own business as a wedding photographer, I would never trade it for the world.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets me apart from others is my own life experience. I think this drastically affects how we view weddings and couples and how to serve/approach them. I am most proud of the journey, truthfully. To be able to look back to where I started is crazy. I was a girl with a camera and eager to learn it all and had no idea what it would transform into.

It is a very scary thing to put yourself and your work out to the world to either be praised or critiqued and you have to be able to take the losses with the wins. As like everybody else, there are times when I have failed or messed up or had to take full responsibility for things that went wrong. These times have made my foundation stronger and have taught me to take accountability, learn, and keep going.

I could not have gotten where I am today without all the trust and the faith in the people who have taught me and the couples who have trusted me. There is something beautiful and humbling about working alongside those who have been established and are willing to teach you and help you succeed. There is also something beautiful about couples who see the beauty you create and see the same vision that you see for photographing one of the biggest days in their lives.

I want the world to know that my brand stands firm on serving clients. Through and through. After all, I am in a service industry. My couples come first always. This is their wedding day and they are gifting me the ability the come document it. Anything I can do to help that process for them along the way (and on the day of) is priority.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This question made me realize how much more I want to explore before I have someone visit LOL.

I can be terrible at itineraries, as I am more of a go with the flow kind of person, but these are places that would be a MUST on our life:

1. Boyer Bakery (best bakery items ever)
2. Bonfire Craft Kitchen & Taphouse (super yummy food)
3. El Nuevo Taquito (staple when we are in phoenix. such good burritos).
4. Westgate Entertainment District (drinks and fun)
5. Park West (cute shops and ice cream)
6. South Mountain (beautiful views)
7. Hole in the Rock + Desert Botanical Garden (beautiful views)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My family and friends have been a huge part of my journey and my success, but I have to shoutout my husband. There is nothing he doesn’t do to see my achieve my goals and dreams. He is the one who pushed me to buy my very first camera, the one who sees all the behind the scenes of running a business, the one that is constantly uplifting and encouraging. He is my partner when I am away at sessions or weddings and is the best husband and dad to our girls. I could not do what I do and serve my couples with my best foot forward without him.

Website: https://www.sierrabeltranphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sierrabeltranphotography

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

Image Credits
The images that I shared are all images that I took for my clients.

First image names: Ashlee + Jacob
Second image names: Madison + Joe
Third image names: Elise + Zachary
Fourth image names: Julia + Micah