Get to know Sarah Caldwell Photography

Hello!

Thank you so much for being here! I’m Sarah.

In this blog post I’ll be talking about my background and where I come from, how I got to where I am today, and the things I love + what fills my cup. I’ll be laying it all out there and letting you get to know the person behind the lens!

You ready?! Hand on tight…

First off, I NEVER expected to be a full-time photographer.. I was going to be a teacher!! Photography wasn’t really on my radar until I was half-way through college. And here’s how it happened..

I grew up in a small “cow-town” in central Arkansas called Rose Bud, where just as it sounds, the cattle outnumber the people. Rose Bud is a bible-belt town with churches stretching from one end to the other. You know everybody and everybody knows you/your family. The gas station is the hang out spot for all the old men to gossip and drink their coffee, and we have a lot of pride for our basketball and softball teams.

My life before college consisted of judging + showing livestock and basketball/volleyball practice. If I wasn’t in the gym, I was in the show barn. And from my first high school Ag class I was determined to become an Ag Teacher. (keep in mind.. at this time I DID have a camera that I’d gotten for Christmas in 2011, but was busy with so many other things that I didn’t do much with it)

* NOW, a little family history for you…*

The Caldwell family has been engaged in farming and agriculture related endeavors for what is now at least five generations. Henry Gordon Caldwell (my great great grandfather) was an accomplished boiler operator who was known for his ability to keep cotton gins and sawmills running where others had failed. He was also known for his ability to work teams of horses and was sought after in road building and freight hauling. During his life he was also a farmer and purchased a farm where he raised his family and grew dry land cotton in the 1920’s and 1930’s. His four sons all went on to vocations in timber, trucking, farming, and other agriculture-related industries.

His youngest son, William Henry Caldwell (my great grandfather), stayed on the farm and helped it to grow and prosper. He also farmed cotton and operated a dairy barn for 18 years during the 1940’s and 1950’s. It was also during the 1940’s that he first managed commercial laying hens and sold the eggs for shipment to the markets in St. Louis, Mo. He decided to exit the dairy industry in the late 1950’s due to coming changes in the industry. He then decided to begin raising beef cattle and to background beef calves that he could buy at market. This new enterprise gave him reason to begin milling his own feed, which then led him to build a grind-mix mill in 1961. With the added help and labor of his son Henry Gaither Caldwell (my grandfather), who was still in high school at the time, the business boomed and by the fall of 1962 had grown to include a full-line feed mill. The growing feed business required so much time that it became the center focus of their business.

The feed business continued to grow and commercial egg production was started in 1966 to supply eggs to Safeway. The egg business was also a success and grew steadily from the start. By 1973, it included sales to some of its own customers and by 1978 all eggs were marketed independently to stores and distributors in Arkansas, Texas, and Tennessee.

Caldwell Milling Company, the family-owned business, was incorporated in 1969 and had been managed by W.H. Caldwell and Henry G. Caldwell as a profitable customer-oriented business that emphasized service and quality. Billy Caldwell (my daddy), joined the management team in May 1989 upon graduation from the University of Arkansas. The family-owned enterprises then included the feed and egg businesses, cattle and forage production on family-owned land and leased farms, and also the development and sale of real estate.

Today, the family operations have shifted to my brother and his wife, Seth and Megan Caldwell, running our cow-calf operation, and my dad owns and operates the feed mill business, but now under the name “Diversified Ag”.

ALL OF THAT TO SAY…

It seemed OBVIOUS that I would pursue a career in agriculture! Right? So that’s what I did! – I followed family tradition, and got my associates degree in Agricultural Education at the community college my parents and older brother attended, then transferred to the University of Arkansas (like them) and pursued my bachelors in AgEd.

BUT! THIS IS WHERE IT ALL CHANGED.

Like I mentioned earlier, when I was growing, one of the main things we did was show livestock. I showed pigs and cattle year ’round at the county fair, state fair, jackpots and at national shows. That’s what we DID! And I loved every second of it. BUT when I started my third year of college, I had aged out of being able to show and couldn’t attend the county/state fairs as an exhibitor any more. This was ROUGH… My family and friends were still going to the fairs and I was having to sit in class 3 hours away.. I couldn’t stand it. SO, HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED.

For one of my Ag Communications classes, I had to have an internship as one of our projects. Through connections I made at the UofA, I got in contact with the photography company who took pictures of the livestock shows at the state fair. The company was called “Final Drive Photography”, and of the 3 ladies who owned the business, I was in contact with Stacy Pearce. They hired me on for the week, and I got to use my first professional grade camera.

I showed up with my little crop sensor camera😂 and they very kindly handed me one of theirs instead. I shot with the Canon 7D the entire week, and learned to shoot in manual for the first time. – Once the internship was over, I stayed in contact with Stacy and she hired me to second shoot my first wedding with her.

In December of 2016 I ended up purchasing that very camera + lens set up that I had used at the internship from Stacy. To this day, Stacy has been a mentor to me, and I credit so much of my journey to her guidance and the opportunities she’s given me over the years!

SO HOW DID I GET TO THE 2022 VERSION OF SARAH CALDWELL PHOTOGRAPHY?

In the beginning of this new hobby I was learning, I did a lot of things for free or dirt cheap. I took senior pictures for friends for free, shot my first solo wedding in October of 2017, and did other small projects. All so I could learn my camera! Learn how to manage different lighting situations, how to pose and direct people. All the things.

When I graduated college and was getting married, I decided to pursue photography full-time instead of teaching. And I’ve never looked back!

One of the most important things I would credit to my work and success today is investing in my education. In April of 2019 I attended my first photography workshop hosted by @skylarjophotography in Oklahoma. Since then I have attended workshops and styled shoots in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Arizona, Montana, etc. as well as hosted + co-hosted my own. – I’ve also purchased educational materials from other photographers, guides, books, listened to podcasts, and so much more.

One final thing I would say is a MAJOR player in improving my business is second shooting for other photographers. Even though I’m no longer a beginner, and have grown into a position where I feel equipped teach others, I’m still eager to learn from other photographers. Whether they’re at the same level as me, or more successful/seasoned in the industry, there’s ALWAYS something I can learn from someone else, and I encourage you to do the same!

Now! Here are some things I love, things about me, and that bring me joy..

I’m a team roper’s wife to John Douglas Henry💛
I’m a corgi mom to Coral
I’m an aunt to twin boys, Brecken and Byson Caldwell
My favorite colors are a dark sage green and a light/soft yellow 🙂
I’m 25 years old // will turn 26 this May
I love flowers 🌸🌿🌼
I love to travel
Arizona + Utah are my 2 favorite places I’ve traveled so far!
I’ve been to 30 of the 50 states (basically everywhere out west and surrounding Arkansas)
I’m on the worship team at church and help with our youth group
I’m a new lover of coffee! (Just since May of 2021)
I love horses and cattle and shoot with them all the time
I DON’T like ketchup🤢 but I LOVE ranch🤪
I can eat breakfast food any time of the day
LAST BUT NOT LEAST – I can’t wait to be a mom some day💛

THANK YOU FOR STAYING THIS LONG!

I hope you enjoyed a look into my story and feel like you know more about me and my life! I can’t wait to use this platform to help educate clients and fellow photographers. – Your support and you being here means the absolute world to me!