Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Soliz.
Hi Sarah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My first introduction to photography was in high school working on the yearbook. This was just before digital cameras became widely available so I was lucky enough to learn how to develop photos from film. It gave me a fantastic foundation for understanding the medium of photography as a whole. I was strictly a hobbyist for many, many years. After graduating from college, I worked full-time in marketing related copywriting. In 2015, life threw some major challenges my way. I was pregnant with my second (and last) child when I was laid-off from my job. The timing couldn’t have been worse. I went on several interviews but no one was willing to offer a brand new employee maternity leave.
As I was scrambling, trying to figure something out, stressing to the max, I had my baby five weeks early. After spending a few scary days in the NICU, we got home and I started planning. I decided to take this moment in my life and do something I always wanted to do. I started my own business. I had little to no money to invest so it had to be something that wasn’t going to ruin me or my family if it failed. I landed on t-shirt design. While I was building that business, I invested in a prosumer camera. I needed it for marketing, social media, and my website. I took that business as far as I could without having to then do some major investing. While I was photographing my lookbooks for the website and models wearing the shirts for social media, I remembered just how much I really love photography. I was at a crossroads. Do I invest tens of thousands of dollars into a business that I’m not entirely passionate about or do I pursue photography much more seriously than I ever have before? I chose photography. I took some classes at Austin School of Photography, which I cannot recommend highly enough, and from then on, it’s been all-consuming and I love it.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no. The struggle leading up to going full-time with photography was beyond intense. Nothing really compares to that year of 2015. Once I was fully committed to photography though, the struggles were more artistic in nature. Trying to decide what to specialize in was a little challenging. Finding my style sometimes felt absolutely impossible. The more I shot, the more I was able to confidently narrow my focus in terms of genre and style. Of course, the pandemic stopped just about all photographers from working for quite some time. The silver lining there was having the time to just experiment with photographic techniques and being able to refine my style even more. The learning process never stops. Having an idea in mind and then trying to execute it doesn’t always work out and can be an exercise in frustration, but I do believe you learn so much more from your failures than your successes. So, yeah, the struggle is real!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in portraiture; creative fine art portraits and headshots. I love faces! Finding the best angles and lighting for my clients is what I’m known for. I only shoot in studio with studio lights and backdrops. The only exception is if we’re doing a creative shoot in water. I’ve won several awards, I’ve been published in online magazines but what I’m most proud of is how I’m capturing images in camera and where my skin editing is at right now. Having dialed in my lighting and knowing which modifiers work best for different skin types has dramatically improved my images. Editing and lighting can really make or break an image. I keep my editing as unnoticeable as possible. I want all of the skin texture to be there, I just want it cleaned up and perfected. Good lighting provides the best foundation for that. Even my super colorful and textured images are created in camera using different lighting and photographic techniques. Those effects are not added in Photoshop. What sets me apart is my perspective. All of my life experiences, everything I’ve studied, everything I’ve seen contributes to my perspective and feeds into my creativity. I light and pose my clients in the most flattering ways that truly capture who they are or who they want to be. And that’s important.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
My shoots are always a blast! Most of my images look a bit serious, I’m not a fan of a forced smile, but my clients are always laughing at their shoots. I provide an incredible experience that’s fun and full of music, dancing, and lots of laughter.
Pricing:
- Session fee – $650 includes pro hair & makeup and $450 image credit
- Folio box packages start at $1650
- Wall art – print, mount, & frame – starts at $1050
- Headshot day (once a month) – $475 for 2 images
Contact Info:
- Email: sarahsolizphoto@gmail.com
- Website: www.sarahsolizphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahsolizphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahsolizphotography/
