Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sophie Serrano. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sophie , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I only now know what my purpose is in my late-thirties … it takes time to figure it out. To find something you’re good at, that you enjoy, that you’re passionate about, that can earn you a living. My purpose is a merge of things, but at the center of it is creativity. I must be creative to feel fulfilled and happy.
I always took photos as a child and teen, my father had a professional camera and took photos and so did my grandfather. I studied Photography as my Undergraduate degree but went into arts marketing to stay connected to the arts as I doubted I could use my photography to make any money. I worked within visual and performing arts centers in this field for many years, and it brought me a vast amount of experience and joy. I adored working in a busy, creative world and found that my organizational skills, love for the arts and ability to juggle many tasks at once was the perfect fit for being productive and realizing those creative visions in a constantly changing environment. I went on to do a Masters degree in Promotional Media to continue excelling in that area.
However, once I started a family, I needed more flexible hours. I started working for a tech start-up as a Digital Marketer. The work was mainly from home and it paid well. The job fitted around my family which was wonderful and i’m so grateful to it for supporting me during that time but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled from the work. I missed being around people everyday and being creative, instead I had Zoom meetings and tonnes of data filled spreadsheets. I learnt a great deal about starting a business and finding a very specific audience for a high return on investment and it inspired me to be an entrepreneur and start something for myself. I decided to pivot again and began working on my photography, using my marketing to find the right audience for my style and created a brand to match. It felt creative, exciting and free-ing! Within one year, I was matching my job earnings from my own business earnings… I put in my notice at the tech company and took a leap into my own business!
Now I am earning a living as a photographer, the exact thing I thought wasn’t possible at the beginning. It’s not easy, it’s a constant work-in-progress and I’m ever-evolving, learning and growing to try to not take it for granted. But i’m doing it, i’m running my own business, being creative everyday, being my own boss, working my business around my family and it feels fantastic! I hope I can do it for many years to come, but plan to stay flexible and open to change as it was change that brought me here in the first place.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a Lifestyle Family Photographer based in the beautiful Pacific NorthWest in Seattle, Washington. I specialize in family, maternity and newborn work. It’s my goal to make photo sessions easy and fun for families and my approach is to make them feel like a stroll in the park. We go out in the park or mountains together and play and chat and have fun, I guide my families as they spend time together so we can capture them beautifully as they have fun and generally love on each-other. My portraits are happy and relaxed and show real heart-warming moments. My in-home sessions have the same relaxed approach, capturing soothing, feeding and cuddles on the sofa. I want people to look back on these photos and feel how their children felt in their arms, remember how good that baby head smells or for the children to see their childhood home then, or realize how young and beautiful their parents were! It brings me great pleasure to be able to archive these moments for so many families.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Ask questions! – early on I felt shy to ask, thinking people would think less of me, but the truth is, everyone knows you are young and starting out when you are young and starting out, so not saying or asking only hurts you!
Volunteer! Take time to work in a few different areas that are of interest to you, people are always looking for extra hands, especially in non-profits. It’s a priceless learning experience to try new roles, experience new environments, be around jobs you didn’t know existed and think outside of the box, you may just discover a position perfect for you that you hadn’t even considered!
Keep learning! Keep reading, keep doing courses, keep researching, stay current and fresh and know whats going on in your field.
How would you describe your ideal client?
Families who want natural photos, aren’t shy to show affection, and want to come out and have a good time tend to be my ideal clients. In a lifestyle outdoor session you can’t control everything, so families who are willing to go with the flow suit this kind of session best, children might need to stop for a snack, they might fall down in the grass or get dirt on their clothes, the weather might change from sunny to cloudy or their might be a big group setup in your favorite spot in the park, all those variables I take pride in managing and working into the session, families just need to worry about showing up and getting kids fired up to be there! The rest is up to me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sophieserrano.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sophieserranophotography
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophieserrano/
Image Credits
Sophie Serrano Photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
