Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Okazaki
Hi Samantha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I suppose my photography career started way back in high school – or at least my interest in photography did, anyway. My high school offered a film course and I fell in love with the medium right away. When it came time to apply to colleges and select a major I saw that one of my top schools offered photojournalism as a program and I figured that sounded like a fun way to spend my college career!
Fast forward a few years and I started working as the set photographer for the TODAY show in New York City. It was everything you’d imagine it to be: very early mornings, meeting celebrities, traveling the world, schmoozing on set, the big lights, camera, action – it felt like such a dream! But the downsides to corporate life were right there alongside all the glitz and glamour. There were days when I’d go in to the office before the sun rose and wouldn’t leave until after dark. Shoot days were exhausting and travel was booked back-to-back so I barely had time to unpack. I developed a health condition and suffered from anxiety. Working at the TODAY show became my identity and I was scared to leave.
But I did.
I put in my two weeks notice with not a clue as to what I would do next, and I never looked back!
Finding another job felt impossible when I was married to NBC, but I figured I could do odd jobs to fill the gap while I looked for something stable – dog walking, bartending, and going to nursing school all were on the table. The easiest gig I could find in the meantime was what I knew best: photography. So I picked up my camera and started taking any and all photography jobs that I could find.
For about a year I did headshots, dabbled in weddings, and freelanced for clients like the Tribeca Film Festival. It all was fine and fun, but nothing will beat the first few photo sessions I did for my small family clients. I remember being nervous when I arrived, but by the time I left I knew I had felt magic. I’m so lucky to say that some of those very early clients are still friends to this day, and I have photographed them through multiple kids, moves, and have even met up with some of them around the world for our children to meet and play together.
It took a little while to get to the point where I felt sure that I could do maternity, newborn, and family photos exclusively but I’m so glad to be where I am now – I wouldn’t want it any other way.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh gosh no it hasn’t been a smooth road! But I don’t think that any of my struggles are particularly unique to my story and mine alone? I mean I probably wouldn’t recommend starting a business a few months before COVID hit, but hindsight is 20/20! On top of that I had to rebuild my business from scratch after moving across the country just a year or so later. And the biggest jolt to my job (and my whole life in general) was becoming a mother. That’s a wild journey that any small business owner and parent can relate to! I don’t know that I’d necessarily label any of these things as “struggles” though because they’re simply facts of life that I’ve had to learn how to navigate, for better or worse. I guess what I’m saying is that nobody’s path is entirely smooth, so I’m just grateful that my portion of the road has been bumping and winding and not yet full of potholes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a lifestyle family photographer, which basically means that I take photos of families – all shapes, sizes, and stages of life – and my motto is that family photos can and should be fun!
It’s too easy to get lost in the details of planning a “perfect” photo shoot, and I don’t want to ruffle any feathers but for me that’s just not the point. Your life shouldn’t be perfect, it should be messy and silly and fun and joyful! I want to see the tickles and kisses and airplane tosses. I want your dog to jump on the bed and send everyone into a fit of giggles. I want you to chase after your pouty toddler until they finally crack a smile. In the end my goal is to capture snippets of your life that feel real, that you’ll be able to look at for generations and undeniably know how much love and happiness you shared as a family.
If I walk away from the shoot with my stomach hurting from laughing, and your kids can’t stop talking about how much fun they had the whole way home? That’s when I know I’ve done my job well.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
To my core I am a girl that loves a hobby! I have so many things that I want to do and try in this lifetime, and I don’t believe that growing up means you have to stop learning new hobbies or pursuing your interests. A few fun ones: I have fostered 44 dogs and puppy raised 1 service dog; I play competitive beach volleyball; I am on my way to becoming fluent in American Sign Language; I recently tried the trapeze – and I LOVED it!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://samanthaokazaki.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaokazaki
Image Credits
Samantha Okazaki
