Tell us a little about yourself…
I am a work at home, small business owner who started a small online boutique in early 2007. Sadie Olive started as a place for me to sell home décor and accessories, while I worked full time in the mortgage industry. I had always wanted to be a shop owner, and the site was my attempt at getting my foot in the door. In August 2007, I was laid off from my full time job (when the whole industry went under), and I was forced to sink or swim. After struggling a few months to make ends meet, a friend suggested that I use my design skills to help others start their own businesses. It wasn’t long before I began to design blogs and websites for other small business owners.
How long have you been a photographer? What made you become a photographer?
I’ve always enjoyed photography. I took a few classes in high school and college and won a small merit or two in some local contests, but I didn’t consider myself a photographer until later in life. I guess it was some nudging from my blog readers that really pushed me to expand my knowledge of photography and start to hone my skills. I started selling postcards on my site with pictures that I captured, and was surprised at how well they did. In 2009 I started dabbling in people photography, and created a site just for my photography. Today I sell my prints on Etsy and continue to make postcards for the shop with my images.
What inspires you in your everyday life?
I think what inspires me most is light. As a shop owner, I constantly have to take product photos, which can be really monotonous. My front room faces east, and in the morning when the sunlight pours through my sheer drapes, the lighting is amazing. It inspires me to grab my camera and start shooting every time. I also love the lighting just after the rain stops, and the amber glow the sun creates when it is about to set. Most of my “people” shoots I schedule at sunset so I can take advantage of the light.
What advice can you give our readers about looking through the lens in a new way?
Think of the light as a subject in your photograph and frame the image so that the lighting makes a dramatic statement. If you know how, play with your camera’s manual settings and adjust your shutter speed to let even more light saturate the capture. (Use a tripod to minimize hand shake).
Most of our readers are papercrafters and wish they could take better photographs. Can you give them advice? What can they do to capture that memorable photograph?
Create Well: Think of the light as a subject in your photograph and frame the image so that the lighting makes a dramatic statement.
