Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Walker.
Sydney, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I went to an art school in New Orleans for high school, and there is where I found my passion for photography and digital media. I started out taking photos for the sports teams during games and from there began taking portraits of people attending the games and the athletes.
I attended the University of Louisiana, Lafayette and majored in Moving Image Arts (film) as I wanted to expand my reach in digital media. While in school, I still did photography mainly as a hobby and sometimes for extra cash. When I graduated in 2017, I began to take photography more seriously both as a career and as a way of creating art. I was granted to opportunity to intern for an Essence festival photographer in 2018 and was able to shoot and edit photos from events, concerts and all things Essence Festival. That was the year it really clicked for me- I could do this as a living. This doesn’t have to be just a dream.
In 2019 I was hired directly by Essence to shoot beauty and lifestyle portraits for Essence Festival and these works were featured on their website and in print. That same year PeerSpace listed me as on the top fashion photographers in New Orleans. From there, I went on to show work in art shows, concept and curate my own shoot ideas and work on photo series to be featured in an upcoming project.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest obstacle I faced was myself. I boxed myself in a lot and suffer heavily from imposter syndrome. I would get an amazing opportunity and then convince myself I didn’t deserve it or wasn’t good enough to do the task. Being an artist is difficult and photography is a luxury service that everyone thinks they should get for free. I’ve had to remind myself my resume is impressive and I deserve every good thing that comes my way.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
SJ WALKER Studios is a company with a focus on lifestyle and portrait photography as well as social media management and content creation. I love taking photos of people, and I love marketing. For me, the obvious combination was social media. Highly quality brand photos, product photos and portraits are what make somebody’s social media really catch the eye.
I’m known for portraits, and my blog, #TheGuidebook. The Guidebook serves as a guide for the creative entrepreneur. Most of the posts are things I wish somebody would have told me when I was starting out or info I wish my clients knew before booking.
I’m proud of the relationship I’ve built with my peers and clients. I know photographers who I can borrow equipment from, ask to teach me something, or ask for help. I know videographers that I’ll collab on video projects with. Historians that are willing to work with me on art pieces I strive to create. My clients let me in on intimate moments of their lives; birthdays, weddings, newborns, etc. They trust me to capture them in a way that shows them how they are. Beautifully, authentically them. These to me, photography is all about connection. I want my clients to look at a photo I took and know it was me because of how it makes them feel.
What sets me apart from others is how wide my skill set is. I’ve been doing photography for almost ten years. I have a college degree in film production and editing. I know all about digital marketing and can set up your Facebook pixel for you if needed. For my clients, this means I can handle a lot of things you’d have to hire multiple people for. So it shows the value of what I can provide for my clients, especially my marketing clients.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
For the future, I’m working on a few personal photography and videography projects. I want to tap back into Sydney the artist as opposed to Sydney, the event photographer and things like that. This means expanding my network to work with more creative directors, models and things like that. I’m using this time during the pandemic to really get my business in order and moving efficiently. I’ve always been a business that told black stories and highlighted black lives, so moving forward, I’m excited to see how the world will change for businesses like mine.
Pricing:
- Portrait sessions begin at $350
- Events begin at $150
- Video services begin at $250
Contact Info:
- Website: TheSJWALKER.com
- Email: sj@thesjwalker.com
- Instagram: SJWALKERStudios
Image Credit:
SJ WALKER
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