@greentangerinephoto | 27,000 Followers
Sasha Matthews is not your average photographer. Outside of her standard duties like photo shoots, editing and client consultations, she goes above and beyond to make her clients shine.
She provides makeup, dress rentals, birthday cakes, backdrops, music and snacks at her shoots. She says more than half of her clients are returning customers.
The 34-year-old is the owner of Green Tangerine Photography, and she’s been taking portraits since 2010.
The California native has become known on Instagram for her regal maternity portraits and in-studio sessions with bright-eyed newborns and toddlers. She shares photos of babies smashing birthday cakes in front of studio scenes she makes herself.
Her work has been featured on sites like Yahoo, The Rickey Smiley Morning Show and in Essence Magazine.
Businesses now send Matthews clothing to feature in her photo shoots. Her services get booked up six to nine months in advance, and she uses social media to share her work and offer mentoring services.
Jovani dress, $759
Earrings, $72
From Chattabox
How does your photography influence?
I think that celebrating a person regardless of what their family or age dynamic looks like is really important. I have moms from 17 to 42. It really takes a lot of courage and bravery to come by yourself and celebrate a moment in your life that everybody else is telling you you shouldn’t be celebrating. I’ve been that person to say, ‘Yes! We’re so excited this baby is coming. Let’s get you in a beautiful gown and put makeup on you.’ And that can change the way a person looks at their pregnancy.
How do you feel about social media’s relationship with your photography business?
I know that Instagram makes things seem really glamorous, and as if a lot of us grow a following overnight. But there’s some really hard behind-the-scenes work going on that takes intention, time and dedication. It takes work to consistently provide great content that your followers will enjoy and aligns with your brand.
What is your ultimate career goal?
I would like to teach more. I offer mentoring services now where I get to teach other photographers things that I wanted to learn and no other photographers would tell me. I do still want to take photos, but I would like to split my time between taking photos and educating.
Click here to read more from our Social Stars cover story.
This article was originally published in the April 2019 issue of 225 Magazine.
