Sarah Rypma of Sarah Rypma Photography was the winner of our 'fresh' challenge last week. Please read on to find out more about her, and of course to see some more of her beautiful work!
1. Please tell us about yourself...
I am a former teacher and stay at home mom to three children: 2,
3 and 6. We live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After leaving the professional world,
photography has become my creative outlet. I want my photography to be as true
to everyday life as it can be. I love lifestyle photography using natural
light. Although I always seek out new locations for photo shoots, I believe
there is so much beauty right in people’s backyards too – because location is
just one piece of the puzzle. It’s the moments I am looking for, the
interconnectedness of family, the relationships, the every day.
2. Can you describe your style in 3
words? Why those words?
Natural,
vibrant, playful
Natural
- I shoot lifestyle photography using natural light
Vibrant
- I love pops of color, patterns and
dramatic lighting
Playful
– I want my clients to have fun while I capture the moments that
tell
their story. I also want my photography to show that the photographer herself is
enjoying the experience.
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
I read that photography pauses the passage of time - It captures a moment that otherwise is lost forever. I have always enjoyed photography but my real passion started after I had my first child in 2008. I found that my new days as a mom became longer while ironically, the years began to fly by. I was in this new paradoxical time warp of sleepless nights, long days and moments I didn’t want to forget and moments that I did want to forget. I began to realize that all we really have is the moment and that our lives are a collection of moments. Photography became my tool to slow down these fleeting years and document those every day moments (good or bad). After three kids, photography became an obsession and now it’s something I do for other people.
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
A
Canon 5D Mark iii
Canon
Rebel T2i
Canon
EF 24-105mm f/4L
Canon
EF 50mm f/1.4
A
bright green toy recycling truck (for a boy who loves trucks!), a large wire
letter “E”, knitted hats, blankets, a reflector, my iphone, memory cards, USB
cords, 2 hard drives, lens cleaning kit, composition book, extra batteries, 5D
manual.
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
On
my bed stand, I have a copy of the book A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel by Annie
Griffiths. Although admittedly, I have not read the book yet, I have flipped through
it. It’s a real story about a mom who works for National Geographic and who
travels with her family and photographs international destinations. I love
Annie Griffith’s documentary work. She uses bright and vivid images to tell
stories from other cultures and several of her images stay with me. Working for
as a freelancer for National Geographic would be dreamy. I also enjoy looking
at photo essays. There was an essay in Time Magazine called How the World
Celebrates New Year’s Eve. This essay shows how different cultures celebrate
the holiday and one picture that grabbed me was of a woman in Srilanka flying a
kite on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps different cultures intrigue me because I spent
my teaching career as an ESL teacher (English as a Second Language). My role as
an ESL teacher allowed me to interact with hundreds of kids from all different
cultures who were all learning English. I fell in love with the different
cultures and languages and finding similarities and differences among our human
race. Everybody has a story and my students had some of the most resilient
stories at such a young age. My dream would be to travel with my camera and use
it to document other people’s real life stories that need to be heard and
compile these images into a published book like Griffiths.
6. What are some of
the misconceptions you had about photography and photographers at the beginning
of your photography journey? Have they changed, and how?
I think one
misconception we have all had at one point about photography is that the
photographer must have an awesome camera and that camera takes great shots!
And, while this in some cases is true, I have learned that the camera is just
the tip of the iceberg. Most great photos don’t come out of any camera looking
like they do. Great photos take work, skill and knowledge of the fundamentals
of photography. I recently read a quote, “a camera didn’t make a great picture
anymore than a type writer wrote a great novel.” (I
know…what’s a typewriter, right?). I have learned this to be true – that
misconception over simplifies a complicated field. If good photography were a
recipe, then there would be several essential ingredients, including camera
& lens, fundamentals/settings, lighting, exposure, composition, editing,
client relationships and business sense (if you are doing photography for
profit). Every ingredient is essential to the outcome of the photograph. The
more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know and the more you have to
learn to balance the different aspects that go into photography. It’s not easy
work, that is for sure.
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
Having a
mentor in the business has been a tremendous help for me. When I started my
photography business, I worked (and still do work) closely with a mentor, Tom
Kachadurian from Traverse City, Michigan. He is crazy talented and actually
shot my wedding photos. Tom has been in the business for a long time and has
fielded my questions since the beginning (thanks for continuing to pick up the
phone, Tom). I can’t pay him back enough for his help and support (or buy him
enough coffees) so go check out his work! If you are looking for a photographer
in Northern Michigan, he is your guy! Besides a mentor, I read a lot of online
blogs, Facebook feeds and believe it or not, watch Youtube when I have a
question. These tools have all helped me learn.
I was
fortunate to receive great advice in the beginning from Tom. “Stay objective”
and “add equipment slowly.” These words are scribbled on the inside of a
composition book I carry around. While both statements are great pieces of
advice, staying objective is something that photographers have to do to thrive.
We live in a day and age where our work is seen by the masses via social media.
It’s a funny thing. While it has it’s advantages, it also has it’s
disadvantages and we can’t equate the number of likes or the popularity of an
image to our worth as a photographer. Sometimes, a client won’t choose your
favorite photo and it’s okay - it doesn’t mean that it’s a bad photo (or worse,
that you are a bad photographer), it’s just not their style or preference.
Expressions and moods resonate differently with different people. It’s
important to be confident in your own style and shoot what you love. I agree
with Tom that we have to stay objective for so many reasons but mainly because
it frees us to continue to do what we love and to find the beauty in the
everyday.
Find more of Sarah's work here:
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