Daily Inspiration: Meet Sharon Coker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sharon Coker.

Hi Sharon, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Looking back and going through old family photos, there is always a camera in my hand, or my father had one around his neck. I come from a line of creative and talented people and I’ve done some family research and found that photography runs in the family. But, it wasn’t until I was 25 years old that I knew that I wanted to do photography for a living. My oldest brother, who is also a photographer, gave me my first DSLR camera as a gift and it changed my life. He took the time to show me the basics and when I booked my first wedding in 2009 he came and assisted and to this day we talk about that being one of the most chaotic weddings ever. From that point forward I learned everything as I went. I take pride in the fact that I am a self taught photographer, learning from experiences and lessons I’ve learned and that were taught to me by those around me that I look up to.

After a few years of working a full time job and doing photography on the side, I grew quite frustrated with just not having enough time in my day.

Between working 40 hours a week and my budding photography career, I just didn’t have much time that wasn’t filled with shooting, editing, or communicating with clients. Thankfully, I was blessed with wonderful clients and amazing opportunities and I was granted enough runway to make photography my full time activity and primary expression of my art. A couple camera bodies later, in 2014, I decided to open up a studio. I started booking large editorial shoots for local clients and it was an entirely new way to merge my art and commerce. With this new shift in the type of photography I was doing, I started specializing in fashion photography and model development. Working with some of the largest agencies in the south and all over the country to develop their models and provide them solid imagery for their modeling portfolios.

After working with hundreds of models and seeing how hard the fashion industry can be, in 2018 I was led to open up Lucid Models; a modeling agency dedicated to body positivity and breaking down the skewed ideas of beauty in our culture, but most importantly to remind everyone that healthy body image is a necessary component of working in this industry.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The climb of a career, especially a self employed one, is never easy. In the beginning, there was a lot of challenges. Learning the business side of things was especially challenging for me. I’m a creative, so taxes and business licenses and all the things that came from starting a business was hard. But, I was determined to learn. I’ve done a lot of learning through mistakes. I’m not ashamed to say that. Mistakes and experiences have taught me so much through my career. Not every part of my career has been sunshine and rainbows. I have had unhappy clients and I’ve had shoots go terribly wrong, but these mishaps have made me stronger and smarter and have made me make better decisions professionally.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I mainly shoot portraiture. Concentrating my focus primarily on people, I specialize in fashion, seniors, bands, and weddings. People are what interest me and I focus my energy on capturing them in their moment. I enjoy working with my subject to get them to engage the camera, and that is a large part of what I do when developing models. It is more than just styling and lighting; it is necessary to get the subject comfortable so that they will be their best self when the shutter clicks.

What does success mean to you?
I define success by the tight hug from a bride after a long, beautiful day. By the tears in a mother’s eyes when they see their child from a new perspective. And by watching a new model grow and flourish and become confident in themselves by seeing what they can accomplish by creating art with their bodies.

Pricing:

• Model Portfolios starting at $350
• Portraits starting at $229
• Headshots starting at $189
• Bands starting at $250
• Weddings starting at $3,000

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.sharoncoker.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/sharoncoker/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/sharoncokerphotography

Image Credits
Tristan Duplichain Photography
Sharon Coker