It’s one thing to see someone’s work online, it’s a whole other thing to meet someone in person and meet the person behind the lens. Today on the Ruby Hour we interview Sara Boyd, one of our all time favorite friends in the wedding industry, who's came a long way from her roots of dropping cameras in glasses of chocolate milk as a child. In this incriminating episode, Shelby tells all the bad jokes she knows, Sara shares horrific childhood tales of being a tiny dancer, her most embarassing moments at weddings, and how unapologetically being her awkward, weird @$$ self has helped her find real down-to-earth connections with her clients.

Don’t have time to listen to the full hour? Jump to a particular section that jumps out at you using our show notes!

The Ruby Hour With Sara Boyd Show Notes:

5:00 The girl in the poo onesie - Being unapologetic in being your weird @$$ self

6:20 Using your personality as a secret super power

8:58 Camaraderie: the secret to “I could do this every day of my life” energy at your job

11:55 How do you scare a unique rabbit?

12:55 Smoocheronies

18:15 Did you go to clown school? Comedic Timing

19:45 The Tiny Drunken Tap-Dancer + The Mafia: Sara’s Childhood & Upbringing

2345 The Cautionary Tale: PYT by Michael Jackson + Being embraced by Tony Danza

26:00 Backstreet Boys + The Spice Girls

30:10 What’s the most embarassing thing you’ve ever experienced at a wedding?

37:00 ASMR

37:52 When you’re not photographing weddings, what do you like to do?

40:40 What’s your exercise of choice that makes you feel like passing out?

42:00 Lizzo

46:40 A couple that Scream Sings together, stays together

50:26 That Time A Celebrity Singer Was A Bridesmaid

51:10 Rapid Fire // Apricot La Croix Whore

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Ruby Hour Podcast Transcription

Shelby Ring:
So Sara, how did you get started in photography? What was your journey?

Sara Boyd:
Well, I was one of those kids that literally always had a camera and always kept getting new ones every Christmas. I dropped one in a glass of chocolate milk at some point and didn't tell my parents. I was like, "I just need a new one."

Shelby Ring:
Oh my gosh.

Sara Boyd:
So I just kept slowly upgrading and then had my friends do photo shoots all the time with really ... I remember I had one where people splattered paint on their face because that was art to me at that point. We went to a park, it was great. And then I was just always told that relying on art or a hobby as a career just wasn't smart and that I just needed to do something more sustainable.

Sara Boyd:
So I actually originally went to College of Charleston to do hospitality and tourism with the intention of somehow being an event planner. But in my head it never really clicked events, weddings, wedding photography. That little triangle never came to fruition in my head.

Shelby Ring:
Yeah. It was like a side hobby.

Sara Boyd:
Yeah, there's kind of floating. So I started signing up for classes for hospitality and tourism and realized there was a lot of weird math classes that I just really wasn't into taking math again. So then I switched to communications because that's what everyone did and then I was like, there's a public speaking course, hate that shit, X that out-

Shelby Ring:
Don't want to do that.

Sara Boyd:
Then I was like, you know what? Screw it. I'm just going to do art and hope it works out. So eventually did a studio art degree, which you kind of have to dabble in all the mediums and it's only film photography. We only had one digital course. So it was cool to go back and do all the dark room stuff and actually know what my camera's doing even though now it does all the thinking for me.

Shelby Ring:
Yeah.

Sara Boyd:
So fell in love with it that way. And then one of my husband's friends was getting engaged and they had a super low budget and she just knew I had a somewhat fancy camera. And by somewhat fancy, I mean it was a Canon Rebel, one of the first. It was a solid $500 camera-

Shelby Ring:
Everything you need.

Sara Boyd:
Yeah, that's just what you can shoot a wedding with that one kit lens, it's fine. So she had an issue at her wedding, which was two years away from when she hired me. So I had a lot of time to actually figure out what I was doing and I think I charged her $500, which was as much as the camera was.

Sara Boyd:
So in the meantime I found a girl on Craigslist who needed a photography assistant and started shadowing her and then actually just fell in love with it. And I was like, you know what, I enjoy this and she makes money so I can make money. And then it just dominoed from there and just kept growing. And I don't know how I got to where I am, but here I am.

Shelby Ring:
Here you are today.

Sara Boyd:
Yeah.

Shelby Ring:
Oh my gosh. I'm a podcast person. That's so cool. Is that not the way of how we innovate and we're like, I don't know, I want to do this and I will figure it out along the way. I'm going to just say yes and it's going to happen. But it did happen.

Sara Boyd:
Somehow. Looking back on it now, I've just never been afraid to be myself. And I think my weirdness has brought me along to where people are like, I want that weird girl, like you said, in the poo onesie.

Shelby Ring:
That girl in the poo onesie.

Sara Boyd:
It's just carried me through. You're just cackling. You're like curling over, cackling out of the corner of my eye.

Shelby Ring:
Madeline's in the background as you always know.

Sara Boyd:
I just see a lot of this [creating motions.]

Shelby Ring:
Yes. I freaking love that. And that strikes such a chord in our brand. What was your journey of ... were you always unapologetic and being your weird-ass self or was it more like ... because I know in my journey it was like, well ... and I tried to frump out at weddings because I saw frumpy wedding photographers and I was like, I guess I have to wear lame-bo clothes to not "upstage the bride" or something. So there's that phase of like what is everyone else doing? But then as you're in it then you're like, "Wait a second. I'm just going to be me. This works for me." So what was your journey with that?

Sara Boyd:
I think it was always from the beginning and I think when it clicked that it was working is that I have never really marketed. It's always just been word of mouth. And I think part of that comes just from the personality. Because I think although people refer people for my work, they also refer me because of my personality. And you just have to work with her because she just makes you feel natural and you just have a fun time, which is what I always want. Because I'm like, no one likes having their picture taken. I hate it. I really do. And so I know how they feel. And so I think just over the years it's kind of become part of my reputation to where ... it's like the work's there, but there's also a person behind it that ... on your wedding day, you're going to remember your photographer because they're with you all day.

Sara Boyd:
So if their personality is shit, you're going to hate being around that person for 10 hours. So you need to make sure that someone that you can have natural banter with and just get along with and that they get to know your personality to where they can actually bring it out of you because you're going to be a ball of nerves. You need someone that can break down that nervous energy. That's been my thing all along because I don't want people to ever feel uncomfortable with me.

Shelby Ring:
Yeah. I think that is ... you're almost like their wedding day concierge. Because you're guiding them through ... I feel like I've heard a theme of having our different friends in the industry come and speak and they're like ... someone used the term, their ambassador of happiness on their wedding day that they have to ... they've never walked through this particular scenario of this family and that family coming together, all their friends around.

Shelby Ring:
But for us we're like, oh we know the name of the game. So we're guiding them through. But for you to have that down to earth energy of being like, guys this is probably awkward. I think of the one liners we listen to of you most recently in Carolina Flores, like the eye of the tiger. You were like, "Wow, that's awkward." Just totally adding commentary to the whole thing. But it just gives people permission to be like, I do feel awkward right now and I can laugh about it and then I can enjoy being with my fiancé right here, my new bride or new groom. And that's such a breath of fresh air. And I think for other wedding vendors or "friendors" if we want to be trendy.

Shelby Ring:
FRIENDORS! Like Gandalf, welcome to the tribe of friendor-galfs. But it makes it so much easier when everyone's like, we're in this together, let's all laugh at ourselves. We've got one another's backs. Those are the kind of weddings where when you have that camaraderie with the couple and their families that, at the end of the day, you come home and you're like, I could do that every day of my life. That makes the day feel ... I love this line of work. It's an energizing line of connection with people versus being like, okay, I'm a big deal. Oh my gosh you guys, you have me here. So do this for me. Oh that's great, that's great. Thanks. You know what I mean?

Sara Boyd:
It's the farthest thing from what I think of myself. I'm like, I'm kind of a little deal. I'm a little deal and I'm here to take your picture-

Shelby Ring:
Can I take your picture behind this camera?

Sara Boyd:
Yeah.

Shelby Ring:
I love that. I can attest to the energy that you bring that it is so relatable and I think that ... we heard recently someone say, "It's one thing to look for somebody's work online, but then it's a totally different thing to know who is behind the lens." Because I can think of many circumstances but one photographer that his work is amazing. But he is awkward AF and it's like to be in the room and to be around, and the bride and groom both felt super uncomfortable, even as I FILMED I felt uncomfortable being there. So you just pick up on their weird energy.

Sara Boyd:
You pick up on that energy. Energy is so transferrable. And if one person feels awkward, then the other person just picks up on that. And you have to just always be positive and just be stupid. Just break up the awkwardness because people go through so many emotions on the wedding day and you have no idea where it's even coming from. You don't know if their mom said something to them that morning that pissed them off and they're just having a hard moment and need to forget about it. Or if they really don't like the wear their hair and makeup looks, they just need to be reassured that they look beautiful. You never know. So you have to sit there and be their little cheerleader and do what you got to do.

Shelby Ring:
Provide comic relief at times.

Sara Boyd:
That's usually what I'm there for. Just because I'm an awkward person.

________

Sara is so much more than just a poo onesie aficionado. Check out Sara Boyd’s amazing work and get to know her more by visiting her website at https://www.sarabeephotography.com/.