My Journey from Corporate to Camera: Why I Do What I Do

If you had told me ten years ago that I’d leave my job behind to spend my days chasing golden light and capturing kids’ cheeky grins, I probably would’ve laughed. But here we are, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Photography has been a quiet thread woven through my whole life. Some of my earliest memories are of tearing the wrapping paper off presents from my aunt and uncle to find rolls of film tucked inside. My uncle worked for Kodak, and to me, those little canisters were magic. I’d snap away on my point-and-shoot, capturing my cousins, our dog, whatever I could. I didn’t realise it back then, but those gifts weren’t just film, they were seeds being planted.

Fast forward to my first maternity leave. I’d just had my eldest, and with a baby on my hip and my camera in hand, I felt a spark. I wanted to do this, photography, as more than just a hobby. But when I shared that dream with a former boss (someone I really looked up to), her response stopped me in my tracks. She dismissed the idea outright, and because I valued her opinion so much, I shelved that dream. I told myself it wasn’t realistic. I wasn’t good enough. That it was “just a hobby.”

So, I went back to what I knew. I took a job in private practice as an accountant. It was steady. Sensible. Safe. But it also slowly drained me. The work didn’t light me up, it weighed me down. I’d come home, put the boys to bed, and escape into creative projects. Whether it was painting or sewing, I kept needing a creative outlet. Looking back, I think my soul was quietly screaming for something more fulfilling.

Then one day, I picked up my camera again. It started with a few snaps of my sons playing AusKick, mud on their knees and pure joy on their faces. And something shifted. That old spark reignited. I felt more alive in those moments, camera in hand, than I ever did behind a desk.

From there, things grew naturally. I started taking photos for friends and family. One referral turned into another. My weekends filled with sessions and editing, and my heart filled with purpose. It wasn’t just about the photos, it was about preserving the love between families. The tiny in-between moments. The ones that you blink and miss in real time but want to hold onto forever.

After a lot of late night chats (and more than a few pep talks from my husband), I finally took the leap. I quit my accounting job and threw myself fully into Sarah Ann Photography. It was scary. But it was also the most liberating, empowering thing I’ve ever done.

Now, I get to do what I love every day. I photograph families in their happiest, most connected moments. I create family films that pull at your heartstrings. I run around kindergartens photographing little people in their natural habitat, covered in paint, building castles, deep in imaginative play. And I still get goosebumps every time I deliver a gallery or a film that I know will be treasured for years to come.

More than anything, I do this for families like yours. I know how fast these years go. I know how blurry the days can feel when you’re in the thick of it. And I know how meaningful it is to have someone gently press pause, so you can remember the beauty of now.

From corporate to camera, this journey has been anything but linear. But every step has led me here. And I honestly couldn’t be happier.