Five years ago I took a marketing internship that surprisingly didn’t pan out so well. I was essentially fired after a month for refusing to sign a contract that included a three-year non-compete covering the entire state of Florida. But during this internship I spotted an incredible image on the computer screen of one of my co-workers. It was by far the most remarkable image I had ever seen. It was from a maternity photoshoot she had with a local photographer. I immediately started following the photographer and obsessed over everything she posted.

Jumping forward three years (2019), I was burnt out from chasing this image of professional success in the business world. Working three jobs and 70 hour weeks finally caught up to me and I broke. During about a year of mental recovery, I picked up my mom’s camera to help occupy all the extra time I had on my hands (now that I was working a normal 40 hours a week). I had always liked photography but I fell in love with it and saw the potential for a new life. I immediately started planning this new business venture.

Two years after that (29 day from when this was posted) I set out on a new journey. I am officially my own boss and running my own photography business (that I hope one day will be so much more!). And last week, I photographed that photographer whose image I saw on a co-worker’s screen while working an internship five years ago. She has no idea how her work has inspired me and I’m baffled that she would hire me to photograph her family. What a full-circle moment.

We never know where life will take us. Most of the time, what we need is right in front of our faces but we spend so much time chasing the world’s version of success that we lose ourselves. I am officially done chasing the wind. Now I’m Chasing Creative.

Here are some pictured from her session.

Chasing Creative specializes in family + couple + maternity photography in Southwest, Florida – primarily serving clients in Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Sanibel and Captiva. Learn more about the Creative Behind the Lens (Sarah Wagner) or pricing for photoshoots here.