My name is Sandi Walters. I'm a mother of two wonderful children, Davin and Layla. I'm married to the most amazing man in the world, my best friend Marty.
What I do is a bit of everything I guess is the easiest way to explain it. My passion is photography, but I also do handmade indie art, Jewelry, and I'm somewhat of a florist. I'm extremely good with hand-on things, or at least most of the time!
Born in San Antonio Texas as an Army brat I traveled all over world with my parents. In the 3rd grade we settled in Arlington, Texas where I have lived most of my life and raised my own children here ever since. I took an interest to photography in the 6th grade, when I got a Polaroid Camera. When I got into high school upgrading to a 35mm Pentax, my freshmen year I joined the Yearbook Staff as a photographer and learned the tips and tricks of the darkroom. I was hooked! The darkroom was where it all began, where I could unleash my creativity and show the world how I viewed it through my eye. Photography is my mental escape. As soon as my yearbook assignments were done and the bell rang, I spent extra hours in the darkroom after school just developing my own work. I was amazed to see my own work come to life, I loved every bit of processing and developing film. Most of all I just love taking Pictures of anything. Something about the click of the camera button I'm addicted to.
At the age of 18, after high school I took up a job in the local Mall at a highly respected portrait photography studio. This studio is well know in many countries around the world. I was quickly promoted out of the studio as a Manager and moved to another state to run my own studio. I was then trained by some of the worlds leading portrait photographers, during my employment with the company. It was then that I feel in love with portrait photography. People have always amazed me. It was a dream, only thing missing was my family. "You can't get a Texan out of Texas" what they say is true! I gave up my studio in the Chicago area to move back closer to my family and raise my son, Davin. I continued to train managers and photographers for this company in other states for a short time.
I was at the top of it all with my own studio, yet to this day I have
never taken a formal photography class. I guess you could say I'm pretty
self taught? I'm not a book person that's my little sister," just show me how to do it". I watch closely with my eyes and create things with my hands. But in
my opinion and what I've learn from other amazing photographers is that
portraiture photography is only 20% technical and 80% mental. I've
learned the basic technical just by working with other leading photographers. So my style is different, I
break the photography rules. But I like my work and been encouraged for
so long by my close family and friends to do something with what I guess
would be my talent. I left the photography business because the retail hours just wouldn't work with a new baby boy, and it was time for a nine to five job...my family has always been my top priority. I got an entry level job in the Insurance industry where I spent the last 6 years building a career as a All-Lines Licensed Insurance Agent at a local Captive Agency in Mansfield, TX.
In October of 2010, my husband Marty and I found out we were expecting! After giving birth to my beautiful daughter Layla in late June of 2011, my husband
and I thought it would be best that I leave the insurance business for good and
stay at home with our children full time. Just in the few months that I
have been home I have a great sense of fulfillment for life, getting to spend so
much time with my kids. I don't think I knew as much about myself as a mother until just recently. Now that I'm home I have once again dusted off the camera and I started shooting again. Things have constantly changed in my life except for the love for my family and the love for photography. I've reminded myself that it's 80% mental and decided that I would explore where my art would take me.
I owe everything to the man in my life who fills my life with happiness and meaning, I love you Marty.
Sandi
Special Thank you:
Wedding Photos By www.liteonphotography.com, one of my personal friends and wonderful photographers Tammy and Ronald Wong.
Other photos by my Maid of Honor, great photographer and one of my very best friends Nicole Sanford.
