Life and Work with Sara Kane

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Kane.

So, before we jump into specific questions about what you do, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started out in South Florida, with a cheap digital camera when I was 12 years old, making my friends dress up and let me put makeup on them to take all kinds of photos. I would pose my dogs, cats, family, anyone who would let me get them in front of the camera. My ideas got more and more elaborate as I got older and I ventured into the modeling side of the industry. I “modeled” for 2-3 years when I was 18 years old but the photos that I was getting back weren’t reading the way I had imagined and I felt like I was wasting a lot of my ideas. While I was earning my Advertising/PR degree at UCF (Orlando), I bought my first DSLR in 2011. with my tax return and then got back to being behind the camera. I was encouraged to start taking family photos and headshots for people that I met while bartending, but my dreams were always focused on the fashion side of photography. When I first started using Instagram, I found a lot of local photographers who were on the rise in the industry, so I reached out and became friends with them to learn everything from file organization to lightroom basics. I started shooting weddings, engagements, families, food photography, product photography, basically saying yes to any job that I was offered while I was doing conceptual shoots with models in my free time.

In 2016, I moved to Denver and had to basically start completely over. I began photographing bartenders that I met while going out and building up my new community. Over time, I was continuously being asked by photographers or models to “collab” or “shoot together,” so I had the idea to create Denver Creates (@denvercreates) which is a meetup group where creatives of all skill levels can get together, network, and create content. The first one was in Rino and I had expected maybe 10 people to show up. I was BLOWN AWAY when over 40 people came! I love having those monthly meetups and getting to work with all of the diverse and talented people that live here. Jump to 2019 and my work has been internationally published and I am working regularly with a handful of brands. I still shoot portraits, weddings, and families.   Something I will always enjoy is seeing the families grow and watching the babies get older. I feel incredibly blessed to call photography my job.

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?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. As a woman in this industry, I have faced all kinds of struggles to get where I am. But that is what makes the journey so sweet, how you persevere and overcome those challenges. I have had men tell me that I should be single so they could offer me a big “out-of-town” job. I’ve had people treat me like I’m not as intelligent as them, like being a pretty girl got me the jobs that I have earned. But I enjoy standing my ground and proving them wrong. With every single shoot that I do, whether it’s a coffee brand or a studio shoot, I learn something new. I think outside of the box in a way I hadn’t before and in photography, practice truly makes perfect.

In this world of social media, it can be incredibly discouraging when you are trying to compete for likes and followers. Especially with work that you really put all of your heart into. It is important to realize that the TOP photographers who are working with the coolest brands and making great money don’t care at all about social media. My engagement is terrible on IG and it really used to bother me. But then, I realized I have a shoot every single day, sometimes twice a day. The people who have time to really work on their IG are 9/10 times telling me that they have $40 in their bank account. So, it’s good to showcase your work on your social because a lot of my clients do find me through there.  BUT don’t let it dishearten you when it doesn’t get the engagement that it deserves. What if Instagram was gone tomorrow?

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of. What sets you apart from others?
While I am proud of all of the photos that I take, I’d say I am most known for my portrait work.. I love to capture people in ways that they didn’t think were possible. I specialize in brand work, creating content for their websites, social media pages, and advertisements. The main thing that sets me apart from others in this industry is that I genuinely enjoy doing the work, I love planning, I love the editing process. I want to give back more deliverables then requested so the client can have a variety to choose from. As someone who started in front of the camera, I am well aware that MY opinion of a photo can be extremely different from what someone else thinks. I have a huge connection with a lot of the Denver talent, so I’m able to bring in models to the shoots and I love to speak up and share my ideas for certain shots. My greatest compliment is that I’ve been told that I return way more photos than most photographers and that I keep the energy very positive from start to finish.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well-positioned for?
I think women in this industry do have an advantage, 9/10 of the models that I work with have told me some kind of horror story involving a male photographer. They feel intimidated by the photographer’s status, the idea of being black-listed in the industry for not complying to their terms. They are requested to pose in a way they didn’t agree to or don’t feel comfortable with and if they disagree, they are often threatened in some way. The models tend to feel a sense of safety with female photographers. We can understand why an angle or pose would feel unflattering, read the emotion of the room a little easier, and fix any issues with full communication. That being said, I do want to be clear, not all male photographers do these things. A lot of my favorite photographers are males who have an incredible vision and completely respect women.

Contact Info:

• Website: kanecreates.com
• Email: sarakckphotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/sarakckane
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXHjV_4BRG9iJOEzD1tEJ4g

Image Credit:
All photos taken by Sara KC Kane

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