California Wedding and engagement photographer Sara Weir wedding photos — Nevada Film Photographer

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About Work Musings Contact Film Education

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sara_weir_photography

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In small insignificant ways.
acting on a tug, a whisper, a call.
I am nourished, I am healed
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Monet said his greatest work was his garden.. That was shocking to me. Whilst in his home I read letters he’d written to friends about his “experiments” he was trying in his painting.. I thought because Monet was a master he must have known how to do exactly what he did and that he took the most pride in his obvious work - his painting.. But neither assumption was true. What this means to me? For us? We are completely free to experiment with an idea with the knowledge that if we follow it deep enough we’ll find something, as Monet did. We’re also free to let the unseen be our greatest work and inspiration.

Can I post this!? A raw unedited iPhone shot? But I have to because it’s me, perfectly me: linen, outdoors, and a film camera. .
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I have to share it because I haven’t felt that way for months. In fact I’ve been feeling completely lost. It’s manifested in confusion, frustration, and lack of motivation. As soon as I’d set a course for myself it felt wrong. As soon as I’d commit to an idea I’d question everything. .
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Finally I sat down with a friend and she asked my goals. I was surprised to hear myself say - I want to be an artist. I want to create images that bring emotion to life. I want to spend hours pursuing ideas that have been living in my head for ages. .
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Silence. .
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I felt lighter, hopeful, excited even. It was the right move. And then I felt grief. It’s hard to shift into a new path. Leaving ideas or things I care about for the something unknown. .
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I’ve considered a thousand ways to share my shift with you. I’ve planned out strategies and told myself I’d do all the things. But then I just couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. Because it’s sitting here on my chest and I feel immobilized to move in any direction.. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So here I am - telling you I want to create some deeply meaningful projects this summer. Which scares the you know what out of me. I don’t have any answers and I’m afraid it might be messy...
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BUT I promise to keep it real because frankly I don’t know how to do this any other way. And I promise to invite you into this practice and process not so we can figure it out but so we can just go there - so we can start living the walk we so desperately want to. .
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I have no idea what the results will be, but lets dive in deep. Let’s do this one step, one day at a time and try to shape the life and create the things - our greatest things. .
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Or just something and fail a lot but grow into something wiser than we are now. .
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Am I making any sense???

You wouldn’t know that the colors from this image come from a cabin in Panguitch Lake Utah..
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Or that the light reflects the shadows of the aspen tree forest surrounding the cabin I played in. .
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And so many other parts of this image that pull from my own personal experience in order to communicate with yours. But I hope you feel it. .
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Communicating with our art is the whole point. This image belongs to me and I also give it to you. .
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There are four parts to being able to have an artistic identity that communicates clearly. The first step is finding your story, your why, your well of inspiration that won’t ever run dry. .
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I am giving away 3 Creative Intensives for FREE to help dig into your well. To apply for one of the spots email me saraweirphoto@gmail.com with your creative thoughts, your story, or why you need this. I’ll select the three applicants Wednesday 4/10.

Photography is my medium but I’ve searched long and hard for a creative process that is both fulfilling and produces high quality work. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It began a while ago, but folding film and then finding my voice are two moments I can hinge everything else on. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Finding your voice isn’t easy and having another set of eyes help you see can make all the difference. It wasn’t until I found my yoda that I was able to really pinpoint where ALL my inspiration comes from. Then I get to translate what that means and how it shapes my work and business. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I have recently helped a group of women find their voices and I realized it’s something I want to continue doing so I’m opening up just 3 FREE spots for creatives who want to dial into their unique truth and begin creating from within instead of from Pinterest. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’m accepting applications through 4/10 then I will fill the 3 spots!!

Digging deep isn’t enough. .
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Finding your voice isn’t enough. You have to translate your story into a unique language that communicates with others. .
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Your art must not only belong to you but make such a solid impression that it belongs to your audience. BUT HOW? .
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I’m offering 3 FREE calls to dig deep into your story so you can begin shaping your craft into something distinguishable. Because to have a successful business you have to know where it’s coming from!.
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Email me with your story for a chance at one of these free sessions! saraweirphoto@gmail.com

Can I ask you a question?
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Beauty. What does it mean to you? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I feel like to often we say sweet things about beauty being in the small and treasured moments or in the imperfect, but what does that really mean? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Is it true we can find beauty in any moment? Or is it something we must curate? I’d love to know your thoughts!!

Nothing is original SO instead be authentic. I’m paraphrasing @elizabethgilbert from her book Big Magic. Maybe that’s where the buzz word took off??
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I felt free when I read that - no more pressure to create something altogether new. But it also started another frustrating journey to find my own authenticity in my work. What did that even mean?? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
How could I make my voice distinct? It’s something I want to share - so come hang out live on Tuesday April 2 9am PST!!

When I used to shoot landscapes I tried to pull up in my mind someone else’s image so I could reference it while I shot. .
So I could understand what I was supposed to do. Interestingly enough I’m a rule follower. Sure I challenge them but typically I like working within them, so having some formula to follow really helped. .
But then I wanted to say something myself. So I started to ask myself - what do I see? What’s there in front of me? How do I see it? BUT - and it was a huge frustrating pain in the you know what BUT - if anything my compositions felt even less rooted in anything. .
The problem wasn’t that I didn’t know how to compose, the problem was I didn’t have a central reference point. I didn’t know what I wanted to say so I ended up saying nothing. .
My photos had no meaning and I felt so lost. I wanted to have a unique style. I wanted to say something. I wanted to have meaning at least for myself behind my images but I didn’t know how. .
Now I know. Now my process for creating images is completely different. It’s rooted in something more and it means everything to me.
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For a few years I’ve assisted @thepottedpansy for her workshop where I’ve helped others find their own story, their why, their well of inspiration. Whatever you call it - their voice and it’s something I want to help others do. We need to share our voices and we need to be heard. .
I’ll be going LIVE Tuesday April 2 at 9am to chat more about voice and why it’s so important and how it can influence your work!! I hope you’ll join me!!

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