JONATHAN CHERRY: What gets you up in the morning?

SARAH MOORE: I recently finished a long road trip around the U.S, so for a while it was the plethora of possible adventures road trips involve. These days, I’m house sitting for my dad in Ohio while he’s away for a while, so it’s his tiny yorkie-poo that wakes me at the crack of dawn. Normally though, it’s work or hunger or some sort of menial responsibility.

JC: Are there any emerging photographers inspiring you at the moment?

SM: Lately I’ve been following a few different photo blogs/websites for inspiration, since there are hundreds of great ones to sift through. In general, I try to avoid religiously following other photographers because I tend to get a bit lost and overwhelmed. Though, a few photographers (not all emerging) I’ve been really into lately are William Rugen, Rob Hann, Bryan Schutmaat, Eric Ruby, Katie Shapiro, and Michael Marten.  

JC: You recently quit your day job … why?

SM: What finally led me to quit my job was the aforementioned road trip. I had been living in Philadelphia, PA for about two years and suddenly woke up and realized I wasn’t happy with my life. I think I had been unhappy for a while, but it was a sudden development to realize that I could change that. The change involved quitting my job, leaving my apartment and friends, and setting off on a road trip so I could concentrate on my photography. It was a hard thing to do, but I’m really happy that I made those changes.

JC: What has 2012 got in store for you photographically?

SM: I feel like there’s so much I want to accomplish over the next year! I want to make books out of my two portfolios, Expanse and Scape. I’m going to try to participate in the big portfolio review in Santa Fe over the summer. I’ll be traveling to Philadelphia in February to go the ONWARD Compé ‘12 exhibition opening, where I will meet one of my favorite photographers, Todd Hido. Then there’s the constant search for more paying gigs and more shows. I’m also slowly but surely trying to figure out where I’m going to move next. A big part of me wants to set out Westward for a while. The idea of living in Montana is really appealing right now, but I also fell in love with New Mexico when I was last there. All in all, I really just hope to continue to make new work, share my photography with people, and travel a bit more. I spent the last six years or so feeling very rooted to people and places, so it’s rather nice to feel like the world is my oyster again. I think it’ll be an exciting year.

JC: How do you find juggling personal & commercial work?

SM: I try not to think too much about perfecting some sort of balance. I’m at the point in my career where I’m really happy to get commercial work, so I try to engage with whatever project it may be, offering up my style and ideas as much as possible. I put a lot of energy and thought into my personal work, and I hope by doing that it will garner attention in the commercial world. I have a lot of respect for my photography, and I try to demand that others do as well.

JC: Any advice to recent photography graduates?

SM: It’s funny, because after I graduated I kind of stopped taking photos. I still thought about photography, and was in a few shows and such, but I was in a rut, and I accepted that rut and sort of dug myself in deeper. In hindsight, I wish I had embraced my graduation momentum and engaged more in the photography world around me. However, if I had done that I’m not sure if I’d be where I am now. Taking time off from photography allowed me to realize how much I needed it in my life, which allowed me to take a big leap and quit one part of my life so I could dedicate myself to photography. So my advice would be do what feels right. Don’t force yourself to do something that doesn’t make you happy. No matter what, work your ass off, listen to any feedback you can get, keep a great circle of people around you, and remember that being a photographer was never supposed to be easy!

JC: Favourite tree?

SM: The Brazil Nut Tree. Mostly for the idea of them (they’re amazing and complicated trees), but they’re also just beautiful.