Hi, I’m Sarah!
Commercial & Brand Photographer · Bay Area, CA
I collaborate with mission-driven brands, agencies, and organizations to create imagery that feels human, contemporary, and culturally aware.
What I Do
Harry's came to me to shoot their Shave with Pride campaign — portraits of LGBTQ+ community members answering one question: "How do you identify yourself?" The images ran as a full Union Square subway station takeover during NYC Pride, across social, and on harrys.com. The campaign generated 142 million impressions and raised $130,000 for LGBTQ+ organizations.
For over a decade I've been making photographs that do something rare in commercial work: they feel real. Not staged. Not stock. Not safe. The kind of imagery that makes your audience stop scrolling and actually feel something — because that's what builds brands that last.
Smirnoff came to me through the Identity Project to co-create their No. 21 "Love Wins" limited edition bottle campaign — each bottle featuring my portraits of real LGBTQ couples, no two identical. Over 260,000 bottles were produced and the first release sold out. Smirnoff donated $1 per bottle to the Human Rights Campaign, totaling more than $260,000. The campaign generated 58.8 million impressions and earned coverage in OUT, Star Magazine, and more — with organic social posts from Chrissy Teigen, GiGi Gorgeous, and Patrick Starr.
The Identity Project started in January 2014 with a single Facebook post and the words "Queer Femme." Within weeks, over 200 people had signed up to be photographed. By March, Sarah had shot her 100th portrait. To take it national, she launched an Indiegogo campaign and raised $10,000 from her community - funding shoots in New York, Portland, Chicago, and Austin. The project then went international, with shoots in St. Petersburg, Russia and Taipei, Taiwan. In 2024 it celebrated its 10th anniversary. It's been covered by The Huffington Post, Jezebel, The Advocate, Bust, Bustle, Curve Magazine, Slate France, and more. It's also the work that led Smirnoff and Harry's to the door.
Portraits to the People
My primary portrait business, serving the San Francisco Bay Area for 14 years. I specialize in headshots that actually look like you — not-so-corporate, natural, and genuinely useful. From LinkedIn portraits to corporate team days to online dating photos, I shoot all over San Francisco, Oakland, and the South Bay — outdoors in natural light, or with a traveling studio setup wherever you need me.
Visit portraitstothepeople.com →In Community Studio
In 2025 I opened In Community Studio — a light-filled photography space in Sausalito built around the belief that photographers grow better together. Two rooms, professional equipment, natural light, free parking, ADA accessible, workshops and classes. It's where my teaching practice lives.
Visit incommunitystudio.com →Let's make something worth looking at!
If you're working on something that deserves photography with real intention behind it, I'd love to hear about it.