Today we’d like to introduce you to Sierra Koehler.
Hi Sierra, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Im from a small eastern Oregon town, baker city OR. I always loved photography growing up and took several classes in high school. My dream was to be a photo journalist and travel the world capturing different cultures and experiences. Life definitely had different plans for me though and I became a single mom at 19. I sold all of my camera equipment to pay for all of mine and my daughter’s needs. I spent about 4 years working as a CNA in skilled nursing facilities and hospice care. And then I spent 4 years as a medical assistant (did that through the pandemic, it was a nightmare). Then i became a drug and alcohol counselor, and i have been doing that for going on 8 years now! I absolutely love what I do. I love helping people and getting to walk beside them while they are fixing their lives. And while I love my job, it does not make a lot of money so ive never been able to replace my camera equipment. But then my mom bought me a camera off Facebook marketplace for christmas and told me I should start chasing my dreams again. So I did. I think a couple of months later I started doing shoots for free to build a portfolio and regain my skills. I do a lot of fun content shoots with a really cool group of photographers that I have met here in portland that have helped me build my portfolio as well. And my business has kind of taken off since then. Its been amazing because I get to bring my daughter with me as an assistant to most shoots and she loves to learn and help.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There have been A LOT of bumps along the way. As a single mom, I’ve spent most of my adult life entirely dependent on my own income and up until more recently I haven’t been able to consider myself “stable” financially. In addition to the financial side of things, finding time to balance being a mom, an addictions counselor, and a photographer has been a challenge. My daughter is in competitive cheer so I often spend her practices editing in my car in the parking lot, all so that when I get home I have time to spend with her. I think you also have to overcome a lot of self doubt and imposter syndrome in order to be confident enough to share your photos with others.
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 am a photographer! I shoot on a nikon camera. Everyone hates on me about my nikon, but I love it.
I specialize in portraits and wedding photography. I think what im most known for and most proud of is the positive feelings that people leave with after sessions with me. I want people to leave a session eith me feeling confident, beautiful, and empowered. I’ve learned to have a strong appreciation for how vulnerable im asking people to be when they stand in front of my camera. Where we normally hide or step back, im asking people to be seen.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can work with me by reaching out to any of my socials. I have instagram and Facebook. They can also send me a message via my website portal.
And I terms of support, im always happy to receive a like, share, comment, or repost! Any kind of support is the best kind of support! And if you’ve had a session with me and had a positive experience, id love to hear about it with a review on my google page or Facebook.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://silverlininglens.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silver_lining_lens?igsi=MTVwOTVoMmMza2s1Zw==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1B4QSi4wWw/
