Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Kinsella.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a native to San Diego, born and raised! I’ve had a love and passion for photography from a young age. I always remember having my camera on me no matter where I went, literally never left the house without it. In high school, I would take at least 2,000 photos every weekend. I actually never did take a photography class, I wasn’t allowed. I know it sounds crazy….a little back story, I was raised by my grandparents. They wanted my sisters and I to all be nurses; so, taking anything that wasn’t working toward that career path was out of the question. I did actually go on to college and I received my nursing license but I never quit taking photos.
Looking back, deep down…I knew that I was always meant to be a photographer. It sounds so cheesy but I could literally feel it in my bones. For years I just took photos of everyday life, friends and family. I bought my first”good” camera at 19 when I decided to finally get more serious with my photography. It wasn’t until about 2016 when I really feel like I dove in & started really trying to learn everything I could. I watched YouTube and teaching videos for hours on end and that’s when I started taking photos of people outside of my circle of friends.
I started picking up a lot of work in 2019 but I was still just doing my photography on the side as I worked full time on the night shift at the hospital. Then, 2020 happened. That summer, I had my daughter and once my maternity leave ended in the fall, I returned to the hospital. Trying to balance being a new mom, working full time and also still making time for my photography was HARD. I wasn’t happy and I knew something had to change.
Fast forward to a few months into 2021 and I made the decision (with the support of my amazing husband) to leave the hospital and take my photography business full time. Needless to say, it’s been the best decision of my life.
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?
Definitely not, but is anything worth working towards ever a smooth road?
I think for me, a lot of my struggles came from wanting to pursue a career that made others proud of me rather than making the decision to do what I wanted to do and follow my dreams/passion. With that, it was hard to make the time to take photos because I was giving all my time and attention to a career that I knew wasn’t filling my cup. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a nurse and serving others; I know that the skills I have learned over the years has helped me with being able to communicate and connect with my clients and fellow creatives. I know that everything happens for a reason and in the right timing so I cannot complain one bit with how my life has unfolded, but it was definitely really hard to let go of other people’s expectations of myself and really follow my heart.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a lifestyle and portrait photographer! I specialize in families, couples, maternity+ newborns! I love capturing the real to life moments; give me the messy, silly, and wild. ALL OF IT. My goal when taking photos is that I want to give you the photos that bring you back to that moment in your lives for years to come.
The thing that sets me apart from others is that I try to make my photo sessions as laid back and comfortable as possible all while catching the realness of life happening. Just because you’re getting photos done doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while doing it!
I think that my photography has evolved also ever since I became a mom. I have a deeper knowledge and understanding of what it’s like to want specific photos with your babies. Let’s be real, how many moms take all the best photos but never get any of them that they love WITH their babies?! I know what it’s like and I’m here to change that!
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was creative, independent and wild. I remember always being the first one to do something crazy. When I didn’t have my old film camera (fun fact: I actually still have my first film camera and it still works to this day!) or my grandpas floppy disk digital camera attached to my face, I was doing something reckless.
Contact Info:
- Email: sabrinalynnphoto@gmail.com
- Website: sabrinalynnphoto.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/sabrinalynnphoto
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sabrina-lynn-photography-san-diego-2?osq=Sabrina+Lynn+photography
- Other: https://sabrinalynnphoto.blog
