Hawaii-native photographer Sarah Lee makes amazing underwater images. She talks to RAW about her work and inspiration. Be sure to RSVP to see her photographs hanging in our gallery at the next Orange County showcase at Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach on Thursday, July 15th! 

Tell us about yourself. 
Born and raised in Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii, I am incessantly glued to camera viewfinders, computer monitors, and goggles. I am a visualist, and photography has been my primary creative outlet for about four years.

How did you first get started making art? 
When I was younger, I used to spend hours with my grandmother, making pottery sculptures and objects.  Her support and creativity fostered my passion for "art-making" which eventually led me to photography.

How would you describe your aesthetic?
Vivid accentuations of what makes life beautiful.

From where do you draw inspiration for your work?
The people who I am surrounded by - my friends, the culture, the conditions. I don't have a sole source of inspiration.  Most of the time, it's the people with whom I'm really close, who I draw inspiration from with my photography.

What do you love most about what you do? 
Making people look good, and making life look beautiful.

Do you engage in, or draw inspiration from, any other forms of art ? 
I draw a lot of inspiration from commercials and print ads.  I love them.  In magazines, I spend more time looking at and analyzing the print ads and photography rather than the articles themselves. I'm minoring in Advertising right now and majoring in Film Production, so I also engage in filmmaking through cinematography and editing.  The visual stuff, you know.

From start to finish, explain your process; what does a typical art-making day look like for you? 
Prep my photo gear the night before, wake up at sunrise, make a fruit smoothie, and hit the road to the next photo shoot! But photo editing and post-work either comes from late night hours or occasional coffee shop visits.

Medium of choice?
DSLR. Digital Darkroom.

What sort of techniques do you most like working with? 
Favourite portrait technique: opening the aperture up to f/1.4-f.2.8 on prime lenses to capture backlit subjects during golden hour.
Favourite UW techique: staying close to the surface (model included) to capture the surface reflection and refraction patterns.

Are there any artists or art movements, past or present, that strongly inform and influence your work? 
Some current artists that I draw inspiration from are: Chuck Anderson, Akif Hakan Celebi, Brooke Dombroski, Morgan Maassen.

The Gen-Y DSLR revolution, I guess, also informs my work (though, I'd like to hope I'm a bit ahead of the photographic-trend curve with the kinds of photos I take and the editing methods I use).

Any previous exhibitions/collaborations that you are particularly proud of? 
None yet!  This will be my first real exhibition.  And memorable collaborations before have just been among close friends.

Any accomplishments/goals you hope to achieve as an artist in the future?
I would absolutely love to just go around the world and photograph people who are talented at what they do - whether it be a surfer, musician, athlete, dancer, etc.  What they do, what they're good at, their lifestyle ... Or, just travel around to epic underwater locations and photograph people within them.

Why showcase at RAW? 
I feel my work fits the OC-vibe pretty well, and I want to connect with other young artists in the OC area.

Favorite thing to do outside of your craft? 
Swim, dodge waves, stand up paddle.

Any current rising stars within the art arena that you would recommend we look out for?
Jeremy Snell.  Hailing from Honolulu, HI, he started photography just under two years ago, and is insanely good at it already.  His portraits are so full of life, especially his recent photos from Ethiopia.