Today we’d like to introduce you to Sabrina Poei.
Hi Sabrina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I graduated college with a degree in Industrial Technology & Packaging, and photography was my main creative outlet to not let myself feel burnt out. Shortly after graduating, COVID hit and I (like many other people) felt stuck. Music and photography have always been huge parts of my life, so I figured what better way to get back into the creative mindset than to combine the two. I spent most of the winter of 2022 cold-emailing artists and management to be given an opportunity to come out to concerts and photograph them. The first and only manager that really responded was for Omar Apollo, and I remember shooting that show in April 2022 in San Francisco. That was my first time in a photo pit, and I remember thinking, “Woah, this is really cool. I want to do this ALL the time.” I ended up building my portfolio from there by just doing gigs like that and it has eventually led me to contribute to several media outlets, one being Goldenvoice.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I grew up in a family that didn’t have music playing at home all the time. I grew up playing piano for about 12 years, but that was mostly classical music. I mostly listened to pop music when I was younger since I felt like that was what my friends were listening to, & I should listen to that to be like everyone else. At a certain point though (maybe 2011-2012?), was when I decided to discover new genres that I wanted to listen to. I was chronically on the internet at the prime era of Tumblr and started listening to a lot of alternative and indie music that opened up a whole new world for me. Personally, I felt like this was the first thing I made my own – I didn’t get it from family or friends, it was something I discovered. Ever since then, music became a safe space for me; something that could help ground me or help me process emotions in ways I didn’t think were possible. The thing about photography is that looking at an image can take you back in time and reignite feelings and emotions. The thing about music is that it can also move you and connect you to certain parts of your life or certain periods of time. Both of these together is what makes music photography so special to me.
It’s a very fast paced environment that often requires an overnight turnover rate, so picking myself up in the morning after editing all night to go to my 9-5 job isn’t exactly the easiest feat. However, the incredibly talented people I’ve met along the way – some I’m lucky to call my friends now – and see my work out there in the world make it all worth it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in live music photography, but I would love to be more involved in doing editorial and stylistic shoots in the future. Though, those require a little more planning. Live music photography is really exciting and spontaneous because you just show up and work on the fly. It’s definitely one of those things where you take what you’re given and have to learn how to work with it, which isn’t always easy, but that’s the fun, challenging part of it. I try to tailor my style depending on the artist I’m working with that night because it can range anywhere in between hip-hop, alternative, pop, etc. I definitely take into consideration what and how I’m shooting based on the general aesthetic of the artist. I have friends that joke about a specific shade of blue and orange that I tend to use quite often in my photos when given the opportunity. Honestly, my style is still evolving and hopefully improving over time!
2023 was my first full calendar year of shooting shows, so a lot has happened in a short amount of time! I started freelancing for Goldenvoice as a house photographer, so I’m able to go around some seriously iconic venues in San Francisco. I photographed Arctic Monkeys (one of my favorite bands ever) which also happened to be my first arena shoot. I also photographed my first festival, Outside Lands earlier this year and it’s still crazy for me to think that I was able to do artists like Kendrick Lamar, Maggie Rogers, Megan Thee Stallion, The 1975 and more. It was a year full of firsts and crossing off items on my bucket list that I didn’t even know existed this time last year.
Contact Info:
- Website: sabrinapoei.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/sabrinapoei
Image Credits
Sabrina Poei
