Our featured photographer Kimberly Sayre, Cr.Photog., of Mill Cottage Photo, is an award winning photographer based out of northern California/San Francisco area, although she also travels for destination weddings including Hawaii, Florida, Mexico and more. In addition to hip, modern wedding imagery, the studio also photographs family portraits and newborns.
Also, check out www.cottageindustrydesigns.com for some Lightroom Presets (as featured on DWF’s PhotoDough). Cottage industry is a collective of artists, photographers and graphic designers who create ways to display imagery as art pieces.
Thanks for sharing these beautiful images and thoughtful advice below Kim!
How did you get started in Photography?:
I sometimes joke that it was in my blood. I was born outside of Rochester, New York, the home of the once mighty Kodak. Several of my relatives including my dad worked for them, and photography was always important to our family. I took a black and white darkroom class in college and was immediately hooked on the process from start to finish, but more as a hobby than a career. Years later, after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, I reconnected with my photography roots, and left my recruiting job to start my own wedding photography business. The destruction of the mighty twin towers in New York showed me that life is short and you have to grab on to the things that make you happy!
What has contributed to your success?:
I have been so lucky to have studied with great mentors over the past few years. From them, I learned the base skills in lighting, posing and looking for the best angles and backgrounds. I learned to shoot on film, so that prepared me to slow down and concentrate on the capture portion of the image making process, and I always loved learning new tools for the image editing process once I went digital. The people who make the process easier for me to spend more time behind the camera have an important role in my business–I consider them partners, and I have used many of these partners since the beginning.
What is the most important thing for your continued success?:
To never stop learning and working on techniques that will improve my final product for my clients, AND save time for me to spend with my family. Balance is essential, and I try hard not to lose focus on what is really important in life. Sometimes the best things are learned in the process of teaching others, so I really enjoy teaching others and helping them get more balance as well!
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received?:
There are enough customers out there for everyone. During the early years of my career, I was lucky to be surrounded by a group of photographer friends who were committed to our collective success. We shared ideas, pricing structures, and technical expertise, and we never held back. To this day, my core of photography friends remain the best business consulting team I could ever ask for. We each have our strengths and share them openly with each other, and our individual businesses have been successful because of our collaboration, not just competition.
What is most important in your photography?:
To capture images with my heart AND my camera. I find that I need to be open minded in the process. Sometimes when things don’t go as planned the magic truly unfolds and something beautiful happens.
And join Kim Sayre and Joerg Lehmann Feb. 23-24 in Melbourne, Australia, as they host a workshop on building your portfolio, complete with a studio shooting experience and editing in Photoshop and Lightroom. Learn how to shoot multiple sets/storytelling and how to work with studio lights and modifiers in each setup.
Click here to get more information on the upcoming workshop.
