Watch my dive: transitioning from tech to full-time product photography
Until last week, I worked in tech.
For the past two years, I balanced a full-time role as a user experience designer with slowly building my photography practice from the ground up. Now, as a San Francisco still life photographer, I am stepping fully into my next chapter by turning an unexpected layoff into the moment I go all in.
The plan I thought I had
My plan was straightforward. Keep the 9 to 5. Grow my business on the side. Once everything felt solid, transition into a full-time creative career. It was a long plan, but a safe one. Risk managed, contingencies in place, mapped out carefully.
The change I did not expect
Then I got laid off. The truth is, you never really know when you are ready to make a big change. Sometimes the decision gets made for you.
Choosing how to move forward
I could see the layoff as a setback, an unexpected detour from the route I mapped out. Or I could see it as an opportunity to step fully into my next chapter. I am choosing the latter.
Carrying design into photography
The timing was not what I expected, but I am ready. I am bringing everything I have learned from more than 15 years in design and tech with me. Those skills shape how I see, how I solve problems, and how I tell stories. They continue to guide how I build my photography practice.
I’m not taking a leap of faith; I’m diving right in. See you on the other side✌
What change are you ready to step into? For more behind-the-scenes reflections and experiments, explore my Creative tools, connect with me to start a project together, or follow along on Instagram @sara.anderson.photo.