Meet Sara Haile
{ Permission to evolve }
How often did you have the opportunity to sit and meet someone that will sweep you off your feet and infuse hope and inspiration through her limitless appreciation for life? I can now say that I got to experience it at least once when I met with the photographer Sara Haile, in the midst of the pandemic.
With her contagious joy and her bewildering determination to make the most of her existence, Sara is an adventurer at heart who constantly questions and shapes her life decisions to commit to a life with integrity.
She pledges to build an inspiring career where she will figure out how to balance the challenges of a freelance life while translating her gratitude in helping the female creative community.
Take a seat to read Sara's views on her work and life.
Can you tell us about yourself?
I grew up in a small town in Central Pennsylvania which was the exact opposite of NYC. There definitely were things that I valued about growing up there but all I remember was that when I knew a city like NYC existed, that’s the only place I wanted to be.
Central PA naturally had a vastness to it that helped to not limit my creativity and I grew up with an older brother who I looked up to a lot and who helped me develop a curiosity about so many different things. Music, art, and humor always brought us together. I know from the start that music was one thing that has always influenced me personally as well as my photography and I got a lot of my music taste from my brother. My brother passed away almost 9 years ago and even though it’s been hard without him, I find that I’m still learning a lot from him and his memory even today.
I eventually landed close to NYC when I went to Hofstra University majoring in fine arts with a focus in photography. In my senior year of college I was walking to the dark room and realized something wasn’t right. By the end of the day and several emergency visits to doctors, I learned that I had developed optic neuritis in my right eye and I gradually lost my vision for a week. Luckily I was able to get nearly all of it back but I often forget how interesting that situation is in relation to being a photographer and the appreciation I have for my vision today. Six months later, I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis which made a big impact on my life and it helped me gain a new perspective for how I respect my body and value my health.
These two big life moments - my MS diagnosis and my brother’s death - have influenced a lot of how I connect to my own life and what comes down to what I care about and what I’m grateful for. When there are days or moments that are hard or feel more scary than what they turn out to be, I’m reminded of what matters: I’m healthy, I have my vision, and I’m here with the ability and agency to make my dreams happen. What else do you need?
What are some of the challenges you had to face personally in 2020?
2020 was challenging but eye opening in a lot of ways. I closed a meaningful chapter working at Peloton in social media for 4.5 years, moved on to a new role at Aerie and then quickly realized that I was ready for my time in social media to come to an end. I was grateful to be both healthy and employed.
I was also grateful to be able to slow things down a bit to realize what actually made me happy so I made a plan to make it happen. For me, 2020 was a lesson in being aware of what mattered, who I wanted to be surrounded by and making the moves to start shaping my life the way I wanted it to feel.
Credit: Sara Haile
Credit: Sara Haile
At what point did you realize you wanted to become a photographer?
I don’t think there was one moment, it was more like something that developed over time. As of right now, I can piece together memories of how storytelling and imagery was interesting to me throughout my childhood, like when I would go with my mom to her haircut when I was younger and we would look at fashion magazines and make up stories about what the models were saying in each photo.
Flash forward to my junior year in high school when I signed up for a video arts class which encouraged me to get my hands on a still camera. Even after majoring in fine arts in college, I went a different route into production and marketing but photography has always been a part of the equation for me.
To be honest, I think after graduating there was a mix of me being curious about the production and marketing worlds and not truly believing in myself as a photographer. Eleven years later (now!) it’s exciting to finally be freelance and dive head first into a forever exercise in believing in myself which I’m discovering is almost half the battle.
What ways have you found effective to better take care of yourself and get your “creative juices” flowing?
Music, fitness and meditation are always my go-tos.
Music has always been a driver in how a shoot comes together in my mind because I think it complements that storytelling aspect that I like to bring to life in the way that I photograph.
Fitness has been something that almost always allows me to clear my head and break thoughts down so an idea can come together in a more simple but still impactful way.
Meditation is something I’ve recently integrated regularly into my routine and even just 5 minutes can help me reset. If my thoughts are going a mile a minute or if I’m anxious about a shoot, I make it a non-negotiable that I need to take at least 5 minutes, put my headphones on, and just sit and listen. I’ve been using Peloton’s meditations (shout out to Chelsea Jackson Roberts who is amazing) and it’s been such a valuable resource for me to reset and stay creative.
“I really want my life, even outside of photography, to feel like an adventure in its own way that pulls me closer to things and people that help me feel like me.”
Sara Haile
What kind of impact do you hope to achieve through your creative efforts?
I’m learning that connection and making people feel themselves is really important to me when I’m photographing, so that’s always an immediate impact I want to make on my subjects from shoot to shoot.
More broadly, I think the impact that’s on my mind currently is encouraging others to do what they love deep down, particularly women in the photo, video and production space. There’s work to be done when it comes to equal representation for women and currently only 15% of the photography industry is female. I hope that I can help other women realize what they love to do in this industry and support others pursuing a passion or their next goal.
Would you say that you are living a meaningful life?
Yes, because I’m trying my best to work toward doing things that feel really authentic and true to who I am. Making a career change to pursue something that, in my body and mind, makes me feel really happy feels meaningful to me.
I’m also making goals for myself to do things outside of work that help me come alive more. I really want my life, even outside of photography, to feel like an adventure in its own way that pulls me closer to things and people that help me feel like me.
What words of inspiration were given to you that you would like to pass along to others?
This is tough for me to pick just one because I think there are different pieces of advice that I apply to different challenges I go through although one favorite that has been recently stuck in my head is, “practice like you’ve never won, play like you never lost.” I’m pretty sure this is a Michael Jordan quote (MJ fans, please confirm) but I saw it on an outdoor church bulletin when I was walking in Manhattan one morning and I believe in its sentiment so much. It helps to remind me to approach every part of my photography with humility which keeps me open to learning but also reminds me to believe in my talent and have confidence in what I’m able to create when it’s time to execute.
Another favorite is, “How good can it get?” I’ve heard Robin Arzon say this and it’s something I use to replace the anxious and worried thoughts that pop up any time I’m scared before doing something big. I think our minds tend to head down a path of the worst possible scenarios because we’re designed to be ready to protect ourselves, but what if what happens next is the exact opposite? This phrase combined with solid preparation helps me dig myself out of a lot of anxiety and get genuinely excited for something big that I’m about to do.
Sara’s latest works can be found on her website sarahaile.co and on Instagram @sarahaile.