Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Rocca.
Hi Sarah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Since childhood, I have been captivated by the power of imagery, the ability to freeze time and preserve memories through the art of photography. My father introduced me to film photography in the early 1980’s and I couldn’t get enough. Working with a Kodak disc, then a 110 and finally borrowing my father’s 35mm Ricoh which I still use from time to time. After college my vivid imagination, once confined to the colorful worlds I envisioned as a child, found its voice through digital tools when I purchased my first digital Pentax camera, which I quickly outgrew switching to Canon and never looking back. I began learning everything I could about photography, lighting, posing and creativity. I found that I had as much love for editing photographs as I did in taking them and learned to use tools like Photoshop to bring my imagination to life. This fusion of creativity and technology allows me to share my unique perspective with a broader audience.
While I began as a portrait and wedding photographer, art has always been my way of navigating the intricate landscape of the human mind. Rooted in a commitment to mental health awareness, my practice centers around self-portraiture as a means of visual storytelling. As a fine art photographer, I fluidly moves between digital, drone, and instant formats, embracing whatever tool best serves my vision.
I have been blessed to have my work exhibited internationally in group shows, featured in solo exhibitions at Panopticon Gallery in Boston, Bailey Contemporary Arts in Pompano Beach, and showcased on a Times Square billboard in New York City through Art Square New York.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For me the biggest struggles came early on when I knew how to be a photographer but not a web designer, pricing analyst, marketing manager, all of the things that it takes to build a business and not just to be an artist. I did a lot of things wrong along the way including not valuing my time and work like I should. This often leads to pricing that is far below what someone is worth. It’s taken time for me to understand that the years of classes, tutorials, workshops all help translate into the value that I bring to the products I create. I think that hurt me in the beginning and led to a bit of burnout back in my wedding and portrait days but I no longer have that problem and that is a great part of one’s growth.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a self portrait artist focusing on Fine Art Photography which is a fancy way of saying I take extremely artistic selfies. I also have a great sense of humor and a big personality which have helped me tremendously in my journey to becoming who I am as an artist. I mentioned that I began as a wedding and portrait photographer and I loved that aspect but always craved more freedom to be creative in ways my clients weren’t interested in. So in 2018 when I moved from MA to NH I decided to rebrand into a self portrait artist with a focus on creativity. It took me a couple of years to really find my groove but when I did I felt unstoppable, creating work at a record pace. Then covid shutdowns happened and the isolation forced me to take a hard look at myself and my recent anxiety and depression diagnosis. This all led me down a path of exploration that others weren’t taking, fine art drone portraiture. Yes, many photographers use drones to create stunning images but no one, at the time, was creating work like I wanted to and like I am now known for.
The unique perspective of fine art from a bird’s eye view opened up my imagination in ways I didn’t think possible. I had to relearn how to pose the human body, create scenes that translated from the sky and make the work seem unique all while being stuck in my own back yard. I took what were subjects not often spoke about and used them as my catalyst to create stunning works to share with the outside world. I have used this technique to photograph men, women and couples all over the United States and my hope is to continue to grow this side of my business and bring people the most unique portraits of themselves they could ever have.
And all of this then led me here, to south Florida in 2024. I made the difficult decision to give up my house in the quiet woods to pursue art in a place where art fairs, walks and exhibitions happen every day. I dove into the art scene head first joining collectives, exhibiting monthly and gaining a residency with Bailey Contemporary Arts in Pompano Beach. I am so proud that I made this move, not only because the weather here is far nicer than New England but the opportunities for growth as an artist are second to none.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
I think my own growth as an artist. I never want to get to a place where I think I know it all or I think I have everything covered so well that I become complacent. I love to learn, not just about my own craft but about others as well. I’ve more recently began painting and I’ve had to learn to be “bad” at something again. After all these years, photography comes easy to me so picking up a paint brush and trying to learn how to use it, which brush to use when, exactly what gel mediums are and everything in between has been such a great process. I’m trying to take all of my photographic retouching knowledge and bring it to the canvas. Retouching light and shadows to create depth is universal, just instead of my tablet and pen I have to use a brush. The act of learning new skills often rejuvenates my knowledge of the skills I already have.
Pricing:
- Drone Portrait Session Fee: $690
- Limited Edition Art $250-$1000
- Open Edition Prints $5-$100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vividviewproductions.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vividviewproductions
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vividviewproductions
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@vividviewproductionsonline
