Photographer Sarah Willcox. Image supplied.
Sarah Willcox is a talented fashion and beauty photographer who specialises in eye-catching product photography that has seen her work with some of the world’s leading brands from her studio in Auckland. After a decade spent honing her craft working in the UK, including a role as Senior Photographer for Net-a-porter, Sarah returned home with her family and set up her own business. Her gorgeous photographs are beautifully detailed and feature a wonderful use of colour and clever lighting that showcase each product in an appealing way.
We caught up with Sarah to find out more about her work, what inspires her and how she creates her stunning images?
What made you become a photographer?
I have always loved art and anything creative. I use to paint a lot at school. When I attended Elam school of Fine Art we needed to choose a subject to major in and I decided on photography as I wanted to be able to make a career out of my art practice. I was set on becoming a magnum photojournalist and travel the world documenting life in far off lands. I moved away from photojournalism and more towards studio photography when job opportunities came up.
What inspires you?
I am really inspired by other photographers. When I see an incredible makeup still life shot in a magazine or online I want to try and recreate the lighting. I am also inspired by light and shadows that occur around my home throughout the year. There were a few months last year in winter when the sun cast the most beautiful shadows in the late afternoon and I would build a little set around that light and shoot images for clients there. Sometimes natural light is unbeatable.
Describe your personal style and how it influences your work?
My person style is simple. I love soft natural textures and earthy tones. I think this influences my work as I try and incorporate elements from nature into my photography. I love petals and flower details that look almost like layers of fabric. Soft flowing and feminine are ways I feel describe my work.
Can you tell us about the technique/s used to create your imagery?
I often work with water and try and use splashes of water to add another element to the still images. I have dropped products in coloured milks and use a large acrylic tray to flow water over my products. I will always start my work with a mood board; I often source images from Pinterest and add colour ideas so the clients and myself both agree on the direction of the shoot. I also collect all sorts of things for props; my most recent purchase was a jigsaw from Bunnings so I can cut out woodblocks to spray paint and use on set. My first time ever using a power tool.
Imagery by Sarah Willcox.
What would you like the viewer to takeaway from viewing your images?
I would like the viewer to be elevated by my images. I hope they see the shadows cast by the light or the flowing water and it makes them pause and be drawn into the shot. I just want to offer something beautiful that makes people feel the softness and light of the photo.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography isn’t really a job for me it’s something I love to do. I love to create images and work on ideas and see them evolve in the shooting process. I have been lucky that over the years I have now moved into work that’s exactly what I want to be shooting, I love skincare and beauty and the soft feminine colours of my work fits perfectly into this genre. So, my clients and I are usually on the same page and the whole process just flows. Photography is a way to get out all the creative ideas I have inside and use them daily as a job.
How important is it for creatives to lift each other up and what does that mean to you?
I think as a creative who works for myself it can be quite isolating. I love to be at home in my studio working away but it’s also great to have people to bounce ideas off and to chat to throughout the day. This is where I find the photographers I have connected with via Instagram and online so helpful as I can now chat with people in different parts of the world. It really opens so many more conversations and inspires a lot of my work.
What are you most proud of doing?
After returning from London with our then 4 month old son where I worked for Net-a-porter shooting high-end products, I wanted to start my own business. I am most proud of this and how much hard work in takes to build up clients and make things happen. It’s all on you from the shooting to the retouching to the emailing and dealing with the clients. I really did push for clients from all over the world. I didn’t care how big the brand was – I just kept emailing asking if they needed any photography. I love that I can be here in New Zealand and have clients from France, Singapore the US and Australia. It makes you feel like there’s literally a world of work opportunity open to you these days, you are not just limited to your own country.
Imagery by Sarah Willcox.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
One highlight was a trip I took with Net-a-porter to Milan Fashion Week, a stylist and I went to each of the leading fashion houses in Milan and took images of the pieces straight from the runway. Everything there was so incredibly beautiful – another world from my little basement flat in Camden.
How do you personally define success and what does it mean to you?
Success for me is pushing myself each day to do things that help me grow. When I complete a big shoot that’s taken a lot of time and energy and the client is really happy that’s very rewarding and I feel really proud – especially if it has been out of my comfort zone in some way. Also, when I hear back from a big brand that I’ve been wanting to work with for a long time that they decide to go with me that’s another measure of success that indeed my work is good enough and offers something original.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received that you keep referring back to?
It’s really cheesy but I love self-help books! One of the first ones I ever read was by a woman called Susan Jeffers and it’s called Feel the fear and do it anyway. I honestly try and use this advice a lot. I am naturally quite an anxious person so this is a good motto to try and live my. I also try and be present as much as possible and just get out of my head as I can get carried away up there and not be in the moments that actually matter.
We are still adjusting to this new version of normal but what is next for you?
I have defiantly felt more inspired to go back to making more artwork. I have been working on a series of large photographic prints of my flower details printed on matte watercolour paper. I will be selling these on my website and would love to grow my art offering.
Images by Sarah Wilcox and supplied.