We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Graham and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Sarah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought of starting my own photography business was honestly one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever made. I fell in love with photography at the age of 18 right before having my daughter. Having a little one so young was incredibly stressful and photography really helped me take my mind of the day to day stress, I absolutely fell in love with it. Photography was a hobby for a lot of years, but when 2020 rolled around and the pandemic caused me to lose my job as a server I knew I wanted to really take the time to invest in my business. I worked hard creating styled shoots, hiring models, and doing lots and lots of discounted sessions. I found my niche in capturing love stories and built my brand up from there. I’ve got two of the sweetest kids at home and an incredibly supportive husband so the thought of getting to create my own schedule and work for myself was a no brainer. It’s almost been 2 years now and I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the love, shares, nd support I’ve received that’s gotten me to where I am today.
Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The Colorado photography market is filled with so many amazing creatives it can be incredibly difficult to stand out. I think one thing that has played a huge part in my success is my ability to make my couples feel like they’re my long time BFFs. I really strive to make my sessions feel like they’re a fun date night. Bring your favorite beer, cocktail, soda, and a pizza and lets have FUN! It can be so stressful trying to find the perfect outfits, hair and make up styles, and posing can be so intimidating. I try to take that stress off my couple’s shoulders and make the experience feel one of a kind. You focus on having fun with your love, and let me worry about perfectly capturing your love story.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This is a tough one, because Colorado has so many beautiful spots! Breckenridge is hands down one of my favorite spots in Colorado. There are so many stunning alpine lake hikes, great food, and great people! If one of my friends was visiting I’d start the day off in Breck at Blue Moose Restaurant for brunch, their champagne margarita is delish! We’d have to head down for a quick hike to visit Isak the Breck troll. Lunch at Breckenridge Brewery, and follow it up with hike around Blue Lakes (my fav spot I actually eloped here with my husband!). The night life in Breck is a lot of fun with a group of friends, and the weather in the summer is perfect for adventuring!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am so fortunate to have a village of people that have supported me in my photography journey. I have to give a huge shoutout to my husband and my kids. My husband has been so supportive of my business from the second I mentioned wanting to start it. He financially supported our family while I got on my feet and found my niche. He’s supported all of the hour long trips to the mountains to location scout, waking up at the break of dawn to capture behind the scenes photos and videos for me, and all of the food he’s made me while I spend hours editing. My business wouldn’t be where it’s at without all of his support. Without my kids I don’t think I ever would have had the courage to take such a huge leap, they are my motivation for everything I do.
I also have to give a huge shoutout to my friends. Looking back at photos from 2016-2019 I cringe seeing some of the awful editing, but they still absolutely love all of them. They never once made me feel like I couldn’t succeed and I am so beyond thankful for that. They never turned down sessions or made me feel like my pictures weren’t good enough. I can’t thank them enough for letting me practice every single, new, crazy idea that I’ve had.
Website: https://www.sarahgrahamphoto.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahgrahamphoto/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahgrahamphoto