The winner of last week's 'bright' challenge, Sarah Villarreal Photography, has shared a little about her journey as a photographer and how she describes her style <3
1. Please tell us about yourself...
I am a wife, mama, and cat enthusiast. We have a two year old little boy, a four month old little girl, two giant cats and I’m married to my favorite person in the whole world. He’s in the Air Force and has to be away from us quite a bit, so photographing our daily lives helps keeps us all connected. I also just started a little photography business of my own and I’m excited to see where it goes.
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
Bright, Colorful and Emotional. I love a clean scene with pops of color and I also love to capture the heart of my subjects. My two year old can be an emotional roller coaster throughout the day, so I get a kick out of catching his moods. Even in a tantrum, he’s quick to laugh and pull and funny face, so I love that about him.
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
Right after my son was born, my husband deployed to the middle east. I wanted him to see what we were up to every day and I didn’t want him to miss any milestones. I also typically try to find a project every time he leaves for a long period, and this time I was bound and determined to figure out our DSLR! After a few weeks of practicing in manual mode and tearing up the internet for every tutorial I could find, I took an online class and then started snapping away. My son was too little to run from me at that point, so I was still able to get quite a few pictures of his face. These days, not so much. He’s on to me and I get a LOT of shots of the back of his head!
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
I only started my photography journey 2 years ago, so currently shoot with my starter camera, a Canon Rebel T3i, but I am dreaming of the day I can upgrade to full frame! For my lenses, I shoot primarily with a Canon 35mm F/2.0 but also use my 85mm F/1.8 and “nifty-fifty” when I feel like mixing it up.
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
We used to live out west and traveled to see as many national parks as we could while we were stationed there. That was long before I knew how to operate our Canon, so I would LOVE to go back now and really explore and play. I have dreams of chasing my son through Bryce Canyon in Utah and framing him with the giant hoodoos like we’re in a Dr. Seuss book. Some day!
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?
My husband still teases me about a comment I made when we were dating. I told him he got better pictures than me because he had the better camera. Whoops! Now when I hear people say that, it makes me crazy! I have a HUGE appreciation for what goes into capturing a beautiful image, and I am still new to the journey and learning. The creative possibilities and growth in photography are endless, and I find that super exciting.
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
Really commit to taking pictures every day and then go back and review what you liked or don’t like, what worked or what didn’t work in each image. Practice makes all the difference, and I know if my husband hadn’t been gone, I probably wouldn’t have felt the urgency to take the camera out every day. But, because I did, I was able to really practice and experiment and start taking pictures that I loved. Also, don’t be afraid of taking a bad picture. If I hadn’t taken a million bad shots, I never would have understood what goes into a good one. Give yourself a break and let your creativity run wild! No one sees your recycle bin. Snap with wild abandon.
Find more of Sarah's beautiful work here:
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