One second they’re newborns and the next you’re sending them off to school. Sarah Siblini explains the importance of photography in this fast-paced world.
If every picture tells a story, then the tales you’ll read by family photographer Sarah Siblini are sure to warm your heart.
She will be exhibiting selected photographs at Bodytree Studios, starting on April 14.
Sarah has lived in Abu Dhabi all her life, save the six years when she lived and studied in Canada.
She studied microbiology and immunology, and worked in similar fields until the birth of her first child, a daughter, four years ago. Sarah says, ‘I know it sounds like a cliché, but everything changed when I had my first child. I realised that I wanted different things and I wanted to leave my current job. I never thought that would happen, but I found a whole new part of myself.’
Having always loved photography, Sarah started taking pictures of her daughter and her daughter’s friends for fun. As friends saw her work, interest grew. Sarah was hired by people she knew to take family portraits
and soon, through word of mouth, she began to develop a customer base.
Sarah is mostly self-taught: she learned nearly everything she knows about retouching – the process of correcting photographs using software – through research. But she also attended classes and workshops at the annual Gulf Photo Plus photography festival in Dubai, where she absorbed as much as she could about the discipline.
Just over a year ago, in January 2013, Sarah launched her Facebook site, officially establishing herself as a professional photographer. She describes the process of starting the business: ‘I was so scared of putting myself out there and making the big step to officially becoming a professional portrait photographer. That’s why it took me so long to do it.’
But she needn’t have worried.
The Facebook site was an immediate hit. Sarah says, ‘After I set up the Facebook page, interest skyrocketed. Abu Dhabi is a family-oriented place and people were excited to have their children professionally photographed.’
Sarah believes in the importance of photography. She says, ‘Memories are linked to photographs. It can be easy to forget what someone looked like or what you were feeling in a certain moment. Photos help you keep a record. They can bring back all the emotions.’
Having honed her skills over the past four years, Sarah has developed techniques that help her create the precious images for which she is known. She explains, ‘My number one tip is to get down to the level of the child you are photographing. I always see parents asking their child to look up for a picture as they snap shots from their height. It’s amazing how much better the images turn out when you get down to their world.’
She also suggests always having your camera phone on hand to capture candid moments. Although Sarah tends not to take continuous motion shots (where one click takes a series of photos in quick succession), she says you must act quickly and take many photos to improve your chances of getting the perfect shot. In a typical session, Sarah will take 300-400 pictures but may only end up showing 20 to the client.
Sarah works predominately in colour. ‘But I use what the photograph calls for,’ she explains. ‘Sometimes you want to focus on the moment and black and white is better, while sometimes you want the joy of colour.’
Sarah gets to know her subjects before she photographs them, and often plays with them. ‘I try to be as silly as I can,’ she says. ‘It’s amazing what kids will do you when you act silly like them.’ She’ll also sit down with the parents and learn about the family, including what activities the children enjoy and what kind of personalities they have.
She tends to suggest certain outfits. She recommends that when her clients come for their session they coordinate their colours. ‘If one child is wearing a print, then make sure that the others are in solid colours,’ she says. Another pro tip? ‘Thin stripes always create a strange optical illusion in pictures,’ adds Sarah. ‘So avoid wearing them when you’re being photographed.’
Sarah’s experience is evident in all her photographs, which all gently focus the viewer’s eye on the subject, making them a pleasure to gaze at.
Sarah’s photographs will be on show at Bodytree Studios April 14 to May 31. Corner of 11th and 26th Streets, Al Khalidiyah (02 443 4448). For details, visit Sarah’s facebook page, www.facebook.com/sarahsibliniphotography.
