Italian portrait photographer and teacher, Sara Lando of saralando.com says there are few things she wouldn’t do to get the photo she has in mind. Sara shoots portraits, cardboard cut outs and commercial work using mixed media and plenty of creativity. Her portfolio is both stunning and varied.

This episode is sponsored by The Image Salon – the custom editing company that will free up your time and give your photos the look you want by assigning a personal in house editor to you.

Here’s some of what we cover:

• How much of Sara’s time is dedicated to her personal projects?
• Why Sara wouldn’t trade her scheduled personal projects for client bookings
• Why companies choose Sara’s for their commercial work
• What Sara loves to shoot and why
• How Sara’s magpies project was born
• What changed in Sara’s business to reach a state of happiness after so long
• How to be a good commercial photographer
• How long it takes Sara to take a decent photo
• How to retain the excitement to shoot when dealing with different subjects
• Why Sara thinks photography is a form of language
• How to decide on the format you use for your photography
• Who Sara shoots for
• How to receive criticism and who you should take it from
• The danger of not following through with your original vision following critiques
• Sara's mixed media projects and how it comes together
• Sara’s thoughts on social media
• Being a professional photographer is not possible without the internet and social media
• Why Sara believes blogging is senseless
• How early into a project is too early to share your ideas
• Where does Sara get her inspiration?
• Should you be following the old masters or modern photographers to develop your photography?
• Why you should expose yourself to different work
• Is it alright to replicate someone else’s work?
• The importance of giving credit when taking inspiration from other people’s work
• When does a work that you replicated became yours?
• The number of projects Sara has on the go at one time
• Why Sara’s projects are all time-constrained
• How Sara knows if a photo is good or bad when critiquing other photographers work

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to read your feedback and comments. Was there something from this interview that struck a chord, inspired or motivated you?

Will you take any kind of action after hearing what Sara had to share?

Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

I was trying to find a balance between the photos you do for clients and the stuff that keeps you mentally sane – Sara Lando

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Sara or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below too.

I love commercial photography but sometimes you feel like it’s never completely yours because you have to fulfil someone else’ vision most of the time – Sara Lando

I don’t think there is a single person on this planet that is not interesting or photogenic – Sara Lando

Every story can be interesting. It’s about learning how to narrate it – Sara Lando

Photography is in a way telling that something is worthy of being remembered – Sara Lando

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Sara Lando Website

Paper Moustache

Sara Lando Photography on Facebook

Sara Lando on Twitter

Sara Lando on Instagram

Sara Lando on Snapchat: shipoftheseus

Sara Lando on 500px

Magpies by Sara Lando

GPP2014 ShootOut | Sara Lando vs Zack Arias

How to Make Ideas Into Great Photography by Sara Lando

Zacks Shoot with Sara Lando

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman

Jolene by Dolly Parton

Jolene by The White Stripes

Hurt by Nine Inch Nails

Hurt by Johnny Cash

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening to the show and thanks to Sara for coming on and experimenting with a new and different format for this photography podcast.

Also, a big thanks to The Image Salon for sponsoring this episode of the podcast and making the show possible. If outsourcing your editing is something you're currently doing or considering, please put the guys at The Image Salon to the test… I think you'll be blown away!

I’m fascinated by the concept of identity of like what makes you YOU – Sara Lando

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me, hope everything is going well for you in life and photography!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew