Hello There, I’m so glad you are here! After much anticipation, launch day has finally come and with the first blog post of 2017, the SAP blog is “officially official”! I wish you could see the happy dance I’ve been doing all morning! It’s been a goal in the making for quite a while, and I couldn’t be happier to start this wonderful new journey by sharing a little about who I am, with you!

So without further adieu. . .

Hello, I’m Shari aka Shari Anne!  Lover, dreamer and photographer at Shari Anne Photography! Fueled by equal parts determination, dreams + caffeine. At first glance, you might think I’m Native American or Mexican (I get those a lot), but I am actually half Filipino and half Caucasian. I would like to call myself a California native, but I’m kind of like a hybrid transplant. I know, that sounds weird. Let me explain… I was born in Northern California and this is where I grew up. In 2000, on a whim and a dream my family decided to move to Arizona, so my father who was determined to be a pilot, could attend ERAU. Fast forward to 2016, and San Diego is now where I call home! (How’s that for an explanation!)

I mentioned Arizona and I bet you envisioned a barren desert with a single lone cacti and a tumbleweed blowing across a dry cracked road and towns brimming with cowboys. You may be correct on the cowboy aspect. Just kidding, there’s only a few! The vision I just described is not Arizona…in the slightest. There may be cacti and desert areas, but that’s only a small portion of this beautiful state, which I have come to know and love so dearly.

Arizona is also where I met my husband, Jeff! He’s a pilot by trade, my best friend and my biggest supporter! And I’m happy to say I married this wonderful man, after his sky high “engine-failing”proposal. We wed in the Summer of 2016 at the gorgeous Grand Tradition Estate & Gardens in Fallbrook, CA.

Ok, so you’ve read this far and you’re probably wondering… well… what about photography? You did mentioned you were a photographer…

And here’s where I get to that…

For me it all started with family and the gift of a camera. You see, my grandfather a.k.a “The Photography Buff”, had a room in his house completely filled floor to ceiling with photography memorabilia, cameras and lenses (Nikon, Canon, you name it, he probably had it) from all over the world and from all different time periods. He built this amazing collection over time, and his love for cameras and photography soon became his hobby.

Fast forward a few years, and I come into the picture, airplane bound teenager on her way to the east coast to visit family in Maryland and Virginia for the summer. Little did I know that I would stumble upon this incredible room filled wall to wall with cameras and find a similar love for photography. It was there that I was given my first camera and where my love and passion for photography all began.

Since then, I’ve spent my years behind the lens, from my high school days in yearbook, and being part of a photography duo called “Student Studios” with one of my best friends, Taylor Krassa of Taylor Jade Photography, to deciding to pursue even further in the industry, as a professional photographer by starting my own venture, Shari Anne Photography.

If you asked me why I’m so passionate about photography, i’d tell you it’s because of the significance behind the image and the story it has to tell. As a photographer, I recognize that what we do is about safeguarding life’s moments. From the epic love stories to life’s spontaneity; conserving the history that our lives are built upon. For this reason, in respect for the significance and uniqueness of what we do, I exercise the care to illuminate and only convey genuine and eloquent imagery that preserves that history for years and generations to come.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me today. It’s been quite the journey so far, and I’m so glad I was able to share a bit of it with you!