Life Designer with Jingyu Chen

Conversation with Miki Sakai: Artist/Photographer at Miki Sakai Photography/ Architect (Part Two)

Season 1 Episode 20

Miki Sakai Photography creates a one of kind photoshoot journey for each of her clients. Storytelling is the heart of Miki’s craft. The way she tells a story is to capture the authentic and unposed moments in a session (family portraits, wedding, branding,etc). Drawing inspiration from everything  (traveling, movies, books, conversations with others, etc.,),  Miki describes her style as natural and candid with documentary and boutique aesthetics.   As one of her audiences, the way I connect to her photography work is that instant desire to dive into the stories behind those images she photographed.     

Miki deeply values the connection she builds with her clients on an emotional and personal level, which not only leads to the final fine artwork she produced but also a unique journey her clients will memorize and enjoy. To align her artistic pursuit as an artist/ photographer with clients’ expectations, she addressed two contributing factors.  First is always to be consistent and clear with the work she presents on her Website/ Social Media platforms. Then initial face-to-face consultation intends to establish the clients’ understanding towards this is  photoshoot journey , and the good communication  carries  through  the actual shooting session and the entire process with her clients.  As Miki said, she will never photograph silently.  It’s a personal experience and emotional moment she and her client create and collaborate together, which eventually becomes a timeless artwork and memory.  I believe Miki truly fulfils her mission of building a journey to narrate a client’s story.
Miki is an artistic and creative photographer and a genuine and caring character. Both her talents and personality, I believe, help to turn her passion into a business as well. As one of her clients comment to her: Miki is not just a good photographer but also a good person. 

Being a sole trader  takes the challenge to into next level.  The communication /organizational  skills she had developed as an Architect translate into current business operations, but many aspects of running a business (finance, accounting, legal, etc.) all need to be addressed.  The biggest challenge for a sole trader, as Miki said, is the absence of team support and always making business decisions on her own.
Pandemic took a huge toll on the industry as a whole and also individual business owner.  But Miki focused on what she can to improve her craft and scale her business.   She also believes the community is such an essential support network emotionally and professionally, especially for sole traders.  Reach-out to build a connection with people around the world has never been easier thanks to social media.  She put herself in a fellow photographer community where she can share  her journey!  I strongly resonate with her that community brings us a sense of belonging and is a significant source of motivation!

Moving forward, Miki aims to expand her client base around the world, which allows her to utilize  her skills and backgrounds as someone who has lived and worked internationally.  I got so excited for her and gained so much sense of hope from her future vision and am keen to forward this positive energy to everyone.

Coming to the end of this amazing conversation, Miki’s advice for making a pivot is:  do take the risks but calculated risks; it takes time to make the shift but you don’t want to live a life with regrets, and it’s really ok to shift the course of your career/life at any point.  Don’t set a limit on yourself!

Connect to Miki on Instagram: mikisakaiphotography    Website:  Miki Sakai Photography

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