Aaaah, writing about photography – exactly where my two favourite things meet.
If someone were to ask me about why I take photos, the inspiration behind it or just where my influence would come from, I don’t have an elaborate childhood dream spiel prepared. I simply explain Sarah Carpenter and her work. Some of you may recognise the surname as she is the older sister of the actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter, and Sarah has been pretty intricately tied into Sabrina’s career from the beginning.
Sarah Carpenter started out singing backup in her sister’s band, and in 2016 started a photography account on Instagram as a hobby, taking photos of her sister and her pets. Six years later and this account is now her full time job. To me, that is so incredibly inspirational – the slow climb, the careful craftsmanship and curation of a brand. She specialises in film and Polaroid photography obviously and has taken her time to move out of the spotlight from her sister’s band into the wings. She has shot promo content for artists like Lauv, BLACKPINK and many others. Throughout the pandemic, she took the passion for being behind the camera into pursuing creative direction and music video direction. This is most clearly seen in both Sabrina Carpenter and Joshua Bassett’s 2020/2021 projects where she worked closely with him to turn the auditory into a tangible, visual aesthetic. Sarah continues to build an impressive clientele, occasionally on behind-the-scenes content for her boyfriend George’s band New Hope Club alongside many other industry and label connections.
It’s easy to look at the above and see her journey as simple, because of her sister’s position in the industry, but truly to take something she did as a hobby and turn it into something she is able to travel all over the world doing, shooting for Vogue and Cosmopolitan magazines, is no easy feat and truly admirable.
I recommend watching some of the music videos she’s helped out with, and scrolling through her Instagram for a unique experience, reminiscent of late 20th century photography.
If you would like to check out more of Sarah Carpenter’s photography her Instagram is @dontshakethepolaroid
