Meet Sarah Bodri | photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sarah Bodri and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi sarah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I led myself here somewhat unwittingly, I guess. I was totally unsure of what my career could or would be, or what I wanted to do while I was in university studying French literature and gender studies, but I’ve always known that my creative sensibility would inform whatever I pursued as a career.

I’ve worked in a factory, countless cafes, in retail, and even ran a housecleaning business but it turns out the thing I love doing the most is photography. Being a neurodivergent, incredibly sensitive person makes it almost impossible to work for anyone but myself, although I still love it when I get to work on a set with a great team.

This path has just allowed me to be my fullest, most sensitive & weird self, and hard as it may be to motivate myself some days, I just wouldn’t have it any other way.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My business is a very personal one. I’m mainly a portrait photographer for anyone with a creative process or a story to tell, and more broadly for anyone who ventures to feel and be seen. Most of the time I visit people in their homes, their studios or workspaces and photograph them there, at work or in a space they feel comfy in.

I think what sets me apart from a lot of portrait photographers is my process– I put in a *lot* of care and time into each project from the moment the client reaches out; it’s pretty involved, definitely not a show up and shoot situation. I consider my portrait practice care work, and a lot of folks have even likened it to therapy. It’s delicate and I think I provide a really specific kind of service to people who need a bit more tenderness or patience, or who wrestle with feeling seen. I certainly do.

Ironically I had no intention of starting or “being” a business; being able to do this involved a LOT of support from my peers and working with consultants to help me see my bigger picture. Mentorship comes in many forms and I both need and offer it all the time.

I’ve learned a lot along the way. Don’t gatekeep. Be generous with your time and your energy but know / stand firm in your boundaries. Share what you know because someone else has certainly had similar struggles before you. Ask for help! There’s tons more but for me the best concrete advice was to understand who my ideal client is, and to be REALLY specific when shaping that. Game changer.

I still struggle with valuing (and managing) my time (and asking for help). Portraits and weddings are incredibly involved and contain multiple job roles and sometimes it’s tough conveying that to potential clients. But the people who trust me and value my time get my absolute best work. I also hate marketing so I just ask people who have a positive experience to share it. That seems to work out ok!

What do I want people to know? That the creative process is not just about production or output. My “brand” (lol?) is rooted in care and trust and lots of other invisible components. Also! you can have portraits done any time, not just for an event or publication. It can be a form of self care or to mark a moment in your life or just for the hell of it. They’re an investment but will last infinitely longer than that couch you just bought or the fancy sweater you covet.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’m incredibly grateful for the friends and community in general who I relied on to see that I was genuinely good at photography- the people who really helped bolster my confidence despite having a pretty tough time with that. Literally anyone who said they liked or knew my work – that means the whole world to me, every time. Gallery 44 Center for Contemporary Photography also played a big part in my photo formation, providing me with access to resources and workshops and a whole network of creative photographers, along with really forward-thinking programming that helped expand what I conceive of as photography. Also, I saw and admired peers like Justin Aranha and Arden Wray and Mark Sommerfeld and Brendan Ko “doing” photography as a job and I just knew I wanted that, too. I saw people like Jamie Ross and Lotus Kang and Azza El Siddique thriving in their creativity and that was always very motivating.

The biggest shout out of all goes to the people who trust me to not only photograph them but to really see them: thank you!

Website: https://sarahbodri.com

Instagram: @sarahbodri

Image Credits
sarah bodri