Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Flagstad
Hi Savannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I grew up in a big family as the oldest of 5 kids just over the river in Hudson, WI. I love my family more than I can put into words. There are few things I enjoy more than just being with them and for as long as I can remember, I’ve been documenting every moment and memory I can. I got that from my Mama. Growing up, my mom was a hobby photographer with a creative eye and my dad was a sentimental gadget guy that loved to supply my mom with the camera gear she needed to photograph us kids and whatever our family was up to. Thanks to them, we have an entire armoire of photo albums in their house that we can sit and page through and remember all the good times we had as we grew up. I didn’t know how special that really was until I got older. I believe it has contributed to the close, loving family we still have today and I couldn’t be more grateful that they considered photos to be so important.
When I was in elementary school, they got me a disposable camera to take on a trip out west with my grandparents. After that, I went through disposable camera after disposable camera until I could afford my first point-and-shoot. My love of documenting had begun. Every family vacation, every slumber party and really everything that was important to me. I always had doubles developed of the pictures I took so that I could share them with my friends. Now I have my own cabinet of treasured photo albums! My photos are my history and some of my most valued possessions.
As a young adult, I was finally able to invest in my first semi-pro DSLR and I took it everywhere. While photography remained a favorite hobby, I stayed busy in other professions, some of which ended up contributing to my photography career. For example, for 5 years I worked at a graphic design/sign production shop that helped me develop an eye for color, composition and design. I later helped care for my aging grandfather who had dementia, which solidified the importance to me of taking as many pictures as you can with your grandparents and other loved ones while you have them.
One day, after having photographed the births of my first two nephews, it finally hit me. I wanted to photograph what I love the most: babies and families. So in 2017, I decided to do this photography thing for real and make it a business. Now, years later, I’m so happy I made the decision to follow my passion to help other families document their stories too.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being mostly self-taught, I struggled for years with “imposter syndrome,” not feeling like I should be calling myself a professional or charging anyone for what I do. Things improved a little as I continued to learn from other professionals in the business and increase my technical knowledge of photography but a huge change took place after a website workshop that encouraged me to do a little market research on social media as to how people view both my work and me as a person. I saw how much people valued my warm, comfortable, easy-going personality and how well I could relate to and interact with their children and babies. They saw the genuine emotion I endeavor to capture and my love for people reflected in my work. I could see that my greatest strengths are in my people skills. While I will always feel a degree of nervous excitement before a photo session, my confidence is much higher than it was years ago.
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 natural light, on-location photographer, here to tell your story. From maternity, to birth, to in-home newborn and every milestone as your family continues to grow – I want to document it all! Just as I do for my own family. I like to photograph a mix of traditional (everyone looking at the camera) and lifestyle (in-motion photos with a more emotional, candid feel).
I will soon be completing my certification as a birth photographer which is very exciting to me. Birth is such a special, beautiful event and the training I’ve received has increased my knowledge of the birth process, trained me in birth space etiquette so that the comfort and safety of mom and baby comes first, as well as prepared me to be ready for anything. I’ve photographed 5 so far and I’m in love.
I am most proud of my ability to make moms feel comfortable and to evoke genuine smiles out of every family member (including teens and husbands!) without ever having to “say cheese!” I don’t tell people to smile, I give them a reason to. As the oldest of 5 kids, and 3rd oldest in a long line of grandkids and great grandkids, I’ve been surrounded by children and babies all my life. I like assure moms, “your so-called chaos doesn’t scare me.” That’s my comfort zone, haha. So there’s no reason to feel stressed. Your kids don’t have to “behave” with me, we just play games and have fun.
Another thing that sets me apart is that I want my families to have ALL the best photos from their session. Who am I to know which little smirk or nose scrunch that your kids make is your favorite? So while my prices may be higher up front, I deliver large galleries of digital images that are all yours when we are done. While you are not required to print through me, I do offer professional print services for wall art and albums because I hope you’ll bring your digital images to life!
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I was almost 9 when my youngest sister Sophie was born. I can remember my mom laboring at home, getting ready to head to the hospital and asking if I wanted to come. (Yes!) While some family friends stayed with my younger siblings, I left with my parents. As this was my Mom’s 5th baby, Sophie came very quickly. As Sophie’s head started to crown, I remember my Grandma pulling me over and putting me right in front of all the action. I was so close, I got a spot of blood on my pink Tweety Bird Converse high top sneakers! Some weeks later, I had my Mom bring Sophie to my 3rd grade class for “show and tell.” I proudly told my class the whole exciting story, showing off not only my baby sister but also the blood spot on my shoe as proof of just how close I was! I still laugh when I think back at being so proud of that. These days I’m still a proud big sister but I try to avoid getting blood on my shoes, haha.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://savannahflagstad.com
- Instagram: @savannahflagstadphotography
- Facebook: @savannahflagstadphotography
