Life & Work with Sherri Schwinn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherri Schwinn.

Hi Sherri, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My father dabbled in photography and began to pass on his love for his hobby to me at a young age.

I put the cameras down when he passed away just before my 14th birthday, but that only lasted three years, as it was time to follow through with what we both loved the most. I began shooting again my senior year of high school. I studied photography while earning my BS at Kansas State University, working in a photography darkroom for the KSU Vet School the whole time.

After college, I enjoyed my time in corporate America all the while always doing something photography-related as a hobby. I was able to turn it into my career in 2007, the year I started Twin Images Photography. The name comes from the fact that I am an identical twin, something that very much defines who I am. I’ll be honest when I first started I was not that good, I had so much to learn.

Hungry to get better I kept studying and seeking education. I joined PPA (Professional Photographers of America) in 2012 which has been a valuable resource for learning. I set a large goal for myself and am proud to say in 2018, I became a Certified Professional Photographer! Few photographers (only a handful in the KC area) have taken this step. I enjoyed the process immensely and learned so much about lighting, posing, etc.

I believe my education and experience set me apart from so much of my competition. I specialize in photographing high school & college seniors, families, and corporate (headshots and events). I am blessed to get to do what I am truly passionate about for a living! I absolutely love photography and my passion shows in not just the images but the experience itself.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think for me it has been a little easier than most. When our daughter first started playing U6 soccer (we are going way back to when my now 24-year-old was 5!). I photographed the team’s pictures. That lead to other coaches asking me to do their team photos. Pretty soon, I was doing all the photography for all the four seasons of sports in our city, with hundreds of young athletes each year.

So when those families decided they needed family photos, they remembered me. As my portrait business took off, I had to eventually leave the sports business behind which I had at that point done for nine busy years. The work was always there, I never hurt for business, and for that, I feel so blessed. In addition, I put in a bid to photograph a large corporate event back in 2007, and to this day that business remains my biggest and best corporate client, which of course led to other business clients as well.

I would say my biggest struggles included two things: 1.) not knowing what I didn’t know, which is why I pursued becoming a Certified Professional Photographer. I wanted to be able to walk into any situation and to be able to photograph it beautifully regardless of the lighting condition. I can proudly say that I have all the confidence to now do that!

And 2.) running a business. I had so much to learn, and I still, figure things out as I go sometimes. Running a business, especially with little outside help, is simply put: Hard.

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 enjoy all of my three aspects of photography (corporate, families, and seniors), but I’ll focus on why I love photographing seniors. I use professional lighting on location 99% of the time in order to make my subjects look their best straight out of the camera.

I so enjoy showing them how beautiful/handsome they look in the back of my camera WITHOUT editing. To have them light up when they see the images we are creating is such a joy for me!

Any opportunity to make someone feel good about them themselves, to lift them up, is why I do what I do. I also love taking the time to set up the perfect image, to get creative with combining the environment with the outfit with the lighting with the pose… I just LOVE it!!

I believe the couple things that set me apart from other photographers are lighting and posing. Using professional lighting on location allows me to create classic images with details in shadows and highlights. I also understand lighting patterns and what will help my subject look their best.

In addition, we have so much fun at our sessions that we are relaxed and happy, and from that, I can tweak the poses just a bit to help my subject look their absolute best. I have been doing this for so many years and still get giddy with every single session!

Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
The older I get (turning the big 5.0. this summer) the more I realize how important my faith is.

So lately I have been reading books that encourage me to live the bigger life, a life for others and especially for the one above. If I focus on my faith, everything else seems to fall into place.

Specific to photography, I find PPA an invaluable resource! I read their monthly magazine Professional Photographer, attend their conferences and webinars, and follow countless PPA Master Photographers.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: https://www.twinimagesphotography.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Twin-Images-Photography-146192222574