Conversations with the Inspiring Sonja Salzburg

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonja Salzburg.

Sonja, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My love of photography began in film, obsessively documenting my friends and family and learning how to develop and print when I took a darkroom photography class back in high school. My love of shooting film continued, and I wound up choosing to get a Fine Art Photography degree in college, even getting to study art for a semester in Italy. After school, I got a few random jobs, but continued to photograph everyone around me, and started to think that maybe it would be fun to have photography as a side job, so I photographed a few weddings for family and close friends (and owe my whole business to those trusting souls!) and I officially opened up my LLC in 2009. The majority of what I advertise for is wedding photography, but I am also passionate about creating portraits of people as an art form, and documenting life for families as they change through the years. I officially went full-time with photography in 2015, and love that I get to do this for a living.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think in hindsight, the road always looks smoother than when you’re on it, so I would say that my road has been relatively smooth, but definitely not without challenges. Photography is a tough market to be in for lots of different reasons, and it’s hard to run your own business. Most creatives I know aren’t necessarily in love with the business side of things – when you run your own business as a photographer, you also have to be your own marketing department, and your accounting department, and know the ins and the outs of the permits you need for different locations, and the insurance you will need for photographing in a studio, or in people’s homes, or at different wedding venues – there’s so much to know, that even after ten years of being in the photography business, I’m still going to photography workshops, learning new editing tricks, researching changing tax laws, and keeping up on how to market on instagram vs. facebook vs. google – there’s a lot that people don’t know about the reality of running a business, so my advice would be to maybe keep a day job, and do photography on the side for a while until you can replace your income with photography – which means working long hours, and on weekends, but it’ll be worth it to have something to fall back on at first. Connect with a mentor – someone who can not only show you how to photograph or how to edit photos but also help you learn all the behind-the-scenes things that you’ll need to know before you go full-time. All that being said, the best advice is to just have fun- put yourself out there, don’t be afraid to photograph the things that excite you, and the things you love, because that’s what’s going to eventually keep you loving what you’re doing, and create the connections with other people through your work. Just keep creating.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Sonja K Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in making people comfortable in front of the camera – whether that’s at their wedding, or in a personal portrait session celebrating their body, I understand how to capture their essence and put them at ease. As a photographer I know how uncomfortable it is to be in front of the camera, so when people hire me it’s because I make their photographs look effortless, even though a lot of things usually go on behind the scenes to make it that way. As a wedding photographer, I am most proud when my couples say they loved having me around on their wedding day, and that they felt totally comfortable in front of the camera (or didn’t even realize I was there for some of it). Weddings can be stressful for a lot of people – they can cost a lot of money, and there’s a lot of pressure for things to go smoothly. Wedding photographers are one of the few vendors at a wedding who is with the couple for the ENTIRE day, and it’s important for the photographer to be able to roll with the punches, anticipate what’s coming next, and also be a go-to person for the people getting married. Weddings are hard work but should be one of the most fun days for the couple, and I love getting to make it so.

Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
The most important piece of advice I would give to a young woman just starting her career is community over competition. I was able to be successful in my business only because I made connections with other photographers and saw them as my friends, peers, and mentors rather than my competition. Don’t compare yourself to other people in general – I know this is really hard in this day and age but is something so important to remember. Put an affirmation note on your bathroom mirror, put a daily reminder in your phone – do whatever it takes to remind yourself that you are the only YOU in the world, and that is enough.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sonjakphotography.com
• Phone: 970-412-4879
• Email: sonja@sonjakphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonjakphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonjaKPhotography/
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/sonjakphoto/

Image Credit:
Sarah Hill Photography – my profile image

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