Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Goris.
Hi Sarah, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m Sarah, 28 year old working her dream career. Been a photographer for 4+ years now and it’s been more than amazing. In the midst of photographing weddings, I’ve been planning my own wedding which is coming up quick! I’ve always known I liked taking photos- whether it be of my friends, travel, or food but never did I know it would turn into something such as a full-time career. My parents were cleaning out their closets and stumbled across a used camera. They were planning on getting rid of it. I asked them if I could have it to play around with, and the rest is history. My dad bought me a camera starter kit from amazon when I landed my first full-time job when I was 22 years old. It was his gift to me to get that job. From then I worked this full-time job in finance and just kept taking photos of my friends and siblings as a hobby. I started to enjoy it more and more, so I thought to myself, maybe I’ll start photographing other people. Eventually, this turned into a side gig while I worked full time. 4 years go by I’ve built this photography business from the ground up. I worked so many 12-hour days, just about every weekend, and had zero social life, but I have never been so excited to realize that I was about to quit my finance job and start this full business time.
I have spent thousands of dollars on top-notch gear, have repeating clients, booking new clients, books are closed for months in advance, and am making more than I did working two jobs 3 years ago. Being able to think back on how I got to where I am now is emotional. I worked a lot, and I mean a lot, to finally do this full time. Running a business has its downs, and it can be tough mentally and physically but running a business has many perks. Bottom line- I would do the fight and exhaustion over and over again to be able to create memories for the people around me. Being a photographer is so much more than taking photos. You capture memories for people, and those photos are the only thing to bring those memories back.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Working 12-hour days Monday-Friday and mainly on the weekends leaves you with no free time, social life, and burnout. Those days were challenging but worth every second to have more free time, a flexible schedule, a better social life, and a happier me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Wedding and Lifestyle Photographer based in the St. Louis area. I capture the best day of your life, celebrating the marriage of you and your best friend. The party, the sentimental moments, the details that you worked so hard on planning, the start of a lifetime new adventure. The milestones of your baby turning one, the family photos on your wall, and more. I’m most proud of overcoming my doubt, thinking I wouldn’t be able to do this full time—the fear of keeping this business successful.
What are your plans for the future?
As I am growing this business extremely fast, I have added on a team member who is a Day of Wedding Coordinator, who also happens to be my second shooter and my sister. We are the best duo, and it makes me so excited to have her with me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sarahgorisphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahgorisphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarahgorisphotography
Image Credits
Credit is me Sarah Goris Photography LLC
