Meet Sam Mehlhorn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Mehlhorn.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
So I took a couple of photography classes in high school, which I loved and I guess that’s kinda where photography entered my life. My friends, sister, and I would go on these little photography adventures all the time, exploring the town and finding new places! I stopped for a while to focus on college (working towards a career I thought I wanted but later found out I hated haha), but my sister was always my number one model for literally anything- I would be like “hold on- the light is falling perfectly on your hair” or “oh the mountains in the background- stand here!”, but other than her, I kinda stopped my photography. Then my college roommate got engaged and asked me to do an engagement shoot for them- and I fell in LOVE with couples. Seeing the raw and genuine love between them was so inspiring to me. After that, I knew I wanted to pursue photography more because it made me so happy to see others so happy. My sister and her boyfriend are still my go-to couple models when I want to try new prompts or locations- we joke around about our yearly photo shoots together!

Please tell us about your art.
I photograph mostly couples, with some seniors and some Spring Training events. I’ll occasionally do landscapes, but not as often anymore. The couples are most definitely my favorite- I think it is so inspiring to see the raw, real connection between two people madly in love. To me, it’s more than just snapping a picture for them- it’s about capturing their emotions, their personalities, their little in-between moments the best it can be captured on camera. I rarely direct my clients to pose in those typical, stiff poses- instead, I’ll give them little prompts to make them feel more comfortable to be themselves like “whisper the ABC’s or what you want for dinner in your sexiest voice to each other”, which usually results in them making each other laugh (and is typically how I get some of my most favorite shots). I think what I want people to take away the most is just seeing my clients as real people and celebrating their own unique beauty – like everyone has their own hardships, challenges, beliefs, and ideas, but we are all people and each, and every person is created differently, and I want to capture the essence of each person/ couple and make it unique to them. For example, I did a couples session at the Arizona State Fair, and the couple really loved cotton candy. So that inspired a few shots of them eating cotton candy together (still one of my most favorite sessions to date).

Choosing a creative or artistic path comes with many financial challenges. Any advice for those struggling to focus on their artwork due to financial concerns?
So I finished my undergrad a year ago, and my husband will be following his dream and starting grad school later this summer, so I can definitely relate to financial challenges with the creative paths- they’re expensive just to start sometimes! I knew I wanted to pursue photography full-time before I even finished my undergrad, but I also knew it would not be able to support me, and I think I was scared to pursue it seriously for a while because I knew I wanted to, but I was scared of failing or it not working out. And I’m still not to the point where I can be a full-time photographer (I actually work full-time as a receptionist at a physical therapy clinic). I think at first, it will be hard to focus on it if you are worried about finances and you might have to put a little money into it to get it going (I definitely put some money into it, but it is so worth it). I would say (photography-wise), ask your friends or people you know to be models for you so you get some experience, get an Instagram and post on there, and that is a great way to start out, and it costs nothing (as long as you already have the basic camera equipment)! But honestly, if you know it is something you love and something you want to pursue seriously, take those leaps of faith. You might need to save up for that lens you’ve been eyeing for a while (literally me for like a year), or keep your “real” job for a while longer, but don’t let financial worries stop you from doing what you love.

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
So right now, Instagram is the best place to see my work- @samantha.anne.photo.

A website will be coming soon though! And I’m always down to meet new people and capture their own special moments- so inquiries are always welcome!

Contact Info:

• Website: COMING SOON!
• Email: samantha.anne.photo@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.anne.photo/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samantha.anne.photo/

Image Credit:
Sam Mehlhorn

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