Meet Sheryl Bale of Sheryl Bale Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sheryl Bale.

Hi Sheryl, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
The first answer people hear when I meet them is, “I’m from Baleville, Washington,” the area my family settled along coastal southwestern Washington in the early 1900s. But that is neither the first answer I gave them, that being, “My name is Sheryl,” nor is it the answer they want to hear. The answer people want to hear is that I’m from the Philippines because, technically, that is where I grew up and lived until I was 10. At 10, I was adopted and moved across the globe to rural Baleville, where I joined four brothers living on the hill overlooking the family farm. If you asked my family, they would say I’m the life of the party. That may often be true, but it’s more than that. I like to make others feel welcome and cared for because I remember how it felt to be on the outside looking in. Even now, my toxic trait is making others feel at home when they are actually in their own home, and I’m the one who should feel nervous. 

With much of life in flux, I turned to and invested myself in art. What initially started as simple drawings as an outlet to understand myself and the world around me evolved into paintings and mixed media as I eventually progressed to studying Fine Arts in college. Photography didn’t become my artistic focus until I started traveling, first to Italy as part of my undergraduate degree and then around the world (Central America, Galapagos Islands, and Alaska to name a few) as an employee of a luxury cruise line. Creating and capturing unapologetically authentic moments of my surroundings and travel companions became my new preferred form of media. Photography engaged my desire to make others feel at home while fulfilling my artistic curiosity. I am a believer that we manifest our own luck and happiness, which is also how I approach photography. I use my background in the fine arts to artistically manifest genuine and beautiful snapshots in time. This approach is what led me thousands of feet into the sky (overcoming my fear of heights) in a hot air balloon, to the Andes Mountains in Peru and the wilderness of Alaska, to manifest couples’ dream photoshoots. 

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?
Despite being one who prefers to grab the bull by the horns and run with a project, learning to rely more on others has improved both the burden I place on myself as a small business owner and the quality of my work as well. Was it easy? Not initially. I spent over a decade building my business and creating my unique style, so you can imagine the difficulty in handing part of my artistic vision and client responsibility over to another photographer. Yet, rather than harm my ability to produce a superior portfolio of photos for clients, the quality of service I offer has continued to improve as I now host a range of associate photographers from around the United States. In fact, I’ve had the privilege to coordinate countless photography lessons for groups of aspiring photographers, many of whom I now consistently work with. There is beauty in different artistic perspectives, which is something I am happy to boast thanks to the broad network of photographers I work with. 

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I cannot overstate how much I love making others’ special events and photos something they’ll remember fondly. Are you or a friend/family member looking for a photographer for a destination wedding? Like I said previously, I have experience organizing international photoshoots and would love to chat with you if you have a destination event you want captured on camera. 

What matters most to you? Why?
To me, happiness is finding communion with those that matter most to you. Nothing makes me happier than sitting around a table of good food and drink with family and friends. So much of our life can seem like a revolving door of hard work and decompression, which is why I love the intention of settling down for purposeful and loving conversations with others. And if you throw some card or board games into the mix, plus a few of my many nephews or nieces, then I’m head over heels. 

Pricing:

• Wedding photos start at $1600.00

Contact Info:

• Website: sherylbalephotography.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/sherylbalephotos