Meet Sienna Lizotte

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sienna Lizotte a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sienna, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

Middle school history class marked a pivotal moment in my interest in photography. I can still remember the first time we watched films and read books about the Dust Bowl and the World Wars, experiencing photographs of people from that period. The photographers created portraits of people and places decades earlier, yet I could still feel something so palpable from those moments through the photos. My curiosity and awe for photography began then and around that time I bought my first point-and-shoot camera. Throughout high school, I convinced my friends to model for me whenever possible – at the beach, in a random field – and learned about the beginnings of light and composition. I knew I wanted to go to school to learn more with that age-old dream of becoming a photojournalist.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

Hi all! I’m Sienna, and I’m a wedding and family photographer based in Maine. I’d say the most special and exciting part of what I do is the people. As photographers, we are given permission to learn about couples and families and the most important people to them – an invitation to document human beings in moments in time, and to attempt to tell a little bit of their story. Most of my process is about getting to know my clients, as I take a more observational approach to photographing so I can give people records they can look back on and think, “Ah, that’s us, and that’s how it felt to be there.”

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, I think the three skills and qualities that have been most impactful for me are persistence, curiosity about people, and a touch of stubbornness. This business has grown more slowly over the last decade but something (the touch of stubbornness, most likely, haha!) has kept me continuing forward, slowly but surely learning and growing each year. As far as advice goes, I’d say keep your heart at the center of what you do. Hold onto the passion and pure joy you find in what you do and keep that at the forefront. When things get tough on the business side or doubt comes in, that has always been an anchor for me. Stay curious and have fun, too. We are artists, after all!

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Ooof! Being overwhelmed comes in different forms as a small business owner. There is always something to do, something to adjust, or grow in. But, making a schedule and sticking to it in both the busy and slow season has been a game changer for me. This slow season, I have alarms set so that I take breaks and don’t work past a certain time during the day. Beyond that, getting outside has been a huge help. Stepping away from the many-hat-wearing cycle gives me space to reset, especially when the overwhelm starts to feel paralyzing. Being present in this beautifully synchronized system that’s operating outside of my little office gives perspective and releases that heaviness and anxiety that comes with the overwhelm.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://siennarenee.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/siennareneephotography/

Image Credits

Sienna Renee Photography