Sarah Rodriguez is a 23 year old portrait and music photographer that is based in New York City. Her portfolio showcases a wide range of artists that she has had the opportunity to shoot. Some of the tones that are used throughout her work are truly mesmerizing and is something that shines throughout her portfolio, which makes her stand out as a talented photographer.
When Sarah isn’t busy with her photography, she spends her free time watching New Girl in her apartment, drinking excessive amounts of coffee, or doing creative and fun photoshoots with her friends. We are happy to be featuring this amazing photographer for this year’s Women’s History Month on For The Punks. You can read the interview with Sarah below!
How did you get into photography? Was it always an interest in music photography or did you start with interest in another side of photography?
I’ve been into photography since I was little because my mom had a Canon Rebel T3 that I loved fooling around with. I would always be that friend that brought their camera to every hangout and I made my friends do fun little photoshoots with me and edit the photos on Picnik (throwback haha). I started taking photography more seriously around 2017 in college and after I found out live music photography was accessible to pretty much anyone – that was it for me! Career path has been chosen!
Who are the women that inspire you when it comes to music photography and portrait photography?
Ashley Osborn is like the ultimate inspiration for me – her live show shots are always incredible, and her portraits NEVER miss. I would love the chance to just talk to her about how she goes about her creative direction for different artists because the outcome is always so unique and intriguing. Some more honorable mentions who I’ve loved recently are Beth Saravo, Sterling Mills, Sarah Ohta, Marina Williams, Isabel Camille, and Elaine Tantra…man, I could go on and on but all of those people are so talented and creative and whenever I see their work I immediately know it’s theirs, which I really admire.
When planning/organising a portrait shoot, what does your creative process look like?
Pinterest plays a big part of it for me – there are endless pages of inspiration on there and even if it’s a random photo of something super abstract, I like to grab inspo from little details like that. I get a lot of my posing/directing tips from there as well and I think photographers on Pinterest and TikTok have been a HUGE help for me in terms of my progress with that. Portraits are more challenging for me since I’m used to everything being set up for me with live show photography, so I’ve definitely been trying to hone my skills a lot more with portrait shoots.
What do you think is your biggest achievement so far as a photographer?
This past year there have been a lot of instances where exciting opportunities have ~almost~ happened for me but have fallen through, and in general I’m super proud of myself for getting even that far. But, I’d have to say my biggest accomplishment so far is getting hired for the Summerfest Media Team this past September. I made it my goal in early 2021 that I would get to be on a festival photo team, and it ended up working out and being the best experience! Plus, it just so happened that my favorite band was playing the festival and I got to photograph them for the first time, so that was a HUGE bonus.
What does Women’s History Month mean to you?
I personally think every month should be women’s history month – it’s always a great time to reflect on women’s achievements and celebrate the women in your life. We’re all pretty badass, I think we should talk about that more.. 🙂
What advice would you give to female photographers who are just starting out?
Keep shooting your shot and putting yourself out there! I’ve found the most success when I just reach out to the people I want to work with and ask for it with confidence. Waiting around hoping all of the opportunities will get dropped in your lap isn’t gonna do anything! People can recognize when you’re passionate and authentic, so make it known that you love what you do, and you’re proud of it. Don’t sell yourself short!
