Welcome to Branding with Sandra! Sandra loves baking, photography and 80’s music which were all things that made for an awesome session at The Elm House in downtown Gilbert! Sandra is fun, sparkly, and unique and I loved creating these images for her brand! Thank you so much, Sandra for taking the time to give us your tips on marketing and creative entrepreneurship!

Tell me a little about what you do
I work FT as a Children’s Librarian and work PT as a wedding photographer. I love both jobs. Early Literacy is a passion of mine. Seeing a child’s eyes light up when they can read sight words or a book to you makes my heart smile. Watching Hallmark movies or reading Nicolas Sparks books, is all about love and since I love love and stories, why not put those together with my camera and tell someone’s story that they are able to look at for years to come.

What made you decide to go down the road to creative entrepreneurship?
I happened to come across Katelyn James blog post and I read her stories and looked at her pictures for 3 years. Thinking “one of these days, I’m going to photograph love stories”. I purchased a camera and spent hours upon hours on Youtube, taking classes, reading and lots and LOTS of practice.

Here I am 3 years into my photography career and loving every person I meet and story I tell.

What advice can you share with other creatives who are struggling?
Keeping pushing yourself and DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF! I have had many days where that little voice in my head would say to me, “She’s better than you. Look at her images, they’re prettier than yours’.” UGH!!!

It’s hard not to compare yourself to someone, but if you really glance at all the different photographs on social media, they are just that, different. Everyone is different. I’m different. She’s different. And now I say, “I don’t give a ****, I’m going to be me.”

What’s a favorite inspiring quote of yours?
We are photographers. We are not here to show people what they can already see, we are here to give them experiences they would otherwise never have experienced. We are here to preserve moments that otherwise would have been forgotten. We are here to capture things which have no words to describe. -Unknown

Can you share a favorite marketing tip with us?
Word of mouth goes a long way. Social media plays a big part as well, but giving clients a great experience is my favorite.

What are your five favorite things right now?
Hale Theater. A glass of moscato with a side of bruschetta. Adventures outdoors. Music. Vintage stores.

What song do you listen to when you need to get motivated?
Oh gosh, well, people might find this disturbing, however, I love the song “Sound of Silence” by Disturbed. I can totally rock out to that, yet it’s not one that one might find motivating. But ehhh……I still love it and is my go-to.

Who do you love to follow?
Still love my KJ!

Where can we follow you?
I would love to have you apart of my InstaFamily. You can follow me @sandrapatriciaphotography

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Denise Karis is an Arizona photographer who enjoys musicals, Doctor Who and breakfast burritos. IG @denisekaris