Meet Grant Sterling of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Grant Sterling

Hi Grant, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got my first camera when I was 12 years old in pursuit of filling the duty of a little brother by copying everything my big brother Jacque ever did. though unlike the other things I got into because of him. Skate Boarding, Video Games, and Beyond skinny Jeans, I actually fell in love with photography, though I never thought it would be more than a hobby. I always thought I would end up a chef. after finishing High School at 15 years old I started to attend Los Angeles Harbor Collage and in my second semester there I started the Culinary Arts program with 88 other students eager to become working chefs. 3 semesters later 43 of us actually completed the program. I was working as an amazing wedding planners assistant/Baker Wendy Bouma owner of WB Events. I loved that Job and ended up getting to do just about anything short of planning a wedding myself. Later I ended up becoming a wedding DJ/MC, a lighting and sound tech for events, I worked in restaurants, in offices, on a camp ground, even in a vegan donut truck, Maui Ono best donuts on Maui! though I was always able to have fun at my job nothing ever felt like a carrier to me. Photography had always remained a hobby until 2020 where I decided to stop telling myself that I was not creative enough or talented enough to have a photography business. One day I said why not me and it feels crazy to look back and see that way 5 years ago! It might sound crazy but I actually started my business on the dream of being a free professional photographer. I wanted to spend my life traveling around and documenting stories that I know deserve to be told! I truly believe everyone has a story worth telling and you never know who you might inspire, Help, or even Heal by sharing it. After quite a few conversations and a whole lot of dreaming I ended up with the plan to work as a couples photographer and the profits of my business would fund my dream of getting to be able to provide free professional media work where there is a need for it. I get to work with so many amazing couples and I get the chance to capture some amazing stories of things going on around the world! some of my favorite story projects I have worked on lately have been telling the story of a young missionary in southern Ireland and getting to document multiple camps for kids in the LA foster care system. I am so beyond blessed to call this my job and I can say with the most confidence that when my mom told me years ago to work in something I love so that I never have to work a day in my life. She was so right!

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?
Im not sure if starting a business is ever a smooth road specially as an artist! I started having no idea what I was doing. next to no knowledge in business and not even too much knowledge in photography beyond knowing I loved to take photos and considering I had worked in the wedding industry for 8 years when I was starting photography as a Job it seemed like a market I understood. I called every friend I knew that was a photographer, I sent hundreds of messages to photographers on instagram asking all my question. Building a portfolio was harder than I thought it was gonna be. I thought if I said Free photos people would come running but It was not until I started charging money that people seemed very interested. Learning pricing is hard. Taxes is still hard, honestly every year I submit them and say a prayer that I did it right lol. It was also really hard to not lose motivation or to keep believing in myself! owning a photography business is a lot of work. business and art feel like very different worlds but you have to make since of them both to make it as an artist.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I work as a traveling couples photographer and I specialize in storytelling. It is my favorite thing to get to know my couple and work to incorporate real aspects of there relationship into there photos! I want to deliver clients photos that look and feel like them, not just the same poses that they saw other couples do. I also specialize in helping my clients feel comfortable in front of the camera. As someone who does not always love to have my photo taken I can deeply relate to feeling a bit awkward or shy when a camera is on me. My photos are different from other photographers because they are all real and authentic moments. Something you will never hear me say to my clients is “okay now laugh…” if there are photos that involve laughing it is because we were actually laughing. that is really important to me to create not just beautiful photos but an amazing experience for my clients so that they feel so seen and known and when they look back on the photos they feel like the best date of there life was frozen in time for them to relieve over and over. The thing that makes me most proud is when I make someone feel seen. I can’t tell you how many amazing people have sent me messages and told me “I never like photos of myself but I love these” or “I actually feel pretty” after sending a gallery. That has to be the best complements I have ever gotten. At the end of the day my hope is that I get to love people well and I LOVE that I get to do that in my job!

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
OMG I love a good risk haha. I am always for it. when I was a kid my dad would often say to me, “You should always give it a shot” or , “The worst thing they can say is no” and it instilled in me the willingness to try just about anything. It was a huge risk to start my photo business. I spent almost every dollar I had on my camera and a trip to create my travel portfolio. though I have always been a risk taker in life. I am the guy unafraid to fail. I am willing to make a mistake. in fact my mistakes have been some of my best teachers I have ever had. I am someone who believe we should always try for our dreams and we are always more capable then we know. So when an opportunity to risk something comes up I like to take it. It is one of my deepest hopes to be a genuine and authentic person in life and to show Love to others unconditionally. I don’t know if I know a bigger risk than showing people who you truly are. I have never experienced more hurt than by doing this but in a much deeper and more beautiful light I have never experienced more Joy and more freedom than by doing this as well. And the Joy of being yourself outshines the pain of being yourself every day of the week!

Pricing:

• Couples shoots starting at $750
• Weddings starting at $4500

Contact Info:

• Website: https://togiveofgreatworth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/togiveofgreatworth/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572630691155

Image Credits
all photos taken by Grant Sterling (Me)