About Sarita V.

Once you get to know me, you’ll find out that I’m a lot of things, but excelling in science and art is my forte. During the day I do botany and research admin, and on the weekends and evenings it’s all about vintage clothes and pin-up photography. The two fields aren’t that different: it’s all about exploring and celebrating beauty when you find it.

I’ve rarely been in style and generally do what seems right for me. In the last ten years, I’ve become frustrated by what’s been in fashion with the not-so-flattering, overly baggy clothes that never look right on a petite curvy body. Was it my body or was it the clothes? I began thrift store shopping regularly and wearing what makes me feel strong, feminine and sexy, which ultimately led to styles from the forties and fifties.

I started thinking that other women might feel the same way, and so I started my vintage photography business. This is my chance to capture your beauty, mix in a little art of my own, and find the inner strength ( aka your super hero power) within you. While women were the majority of clients, I also shot vintage and “GQ” style shoots for men, age-appropriate children’s shoots (think sassy!), and music album covers.

I moved out to the sticks, and 2020 is a bad year for having people in your home. So I've switched my focus to YouTube videos and continue to do my self-portraits.

I am open to collaborations - I hope to add outdoor shooting in the future, there are so many factors it's hard to control and self portraits are even harder outside. I'm also interested in other genres like steam punk, avant garde, and Rembrandt style Victorian portraits as costuming becomes available.

 

Fun Facts

I’m half-Latina - If you know any Sarahs, you know nicknames are hard to come by! Sally just doesn’t cut it (that one always confused me!). Fortunately, Spanish had me covered with Sarita - my childhood nickname meaning little Sarah and pronounced Sah-ree-tah.

I take all of my own photos, do my own hair, make-up, and styling. A photo shoot for me, takes about 6 hours and I consider it a full work-out!

I’m allergic to almost all oils, fruits, veggies, and spices! It’s been a wild adjustment since finding out, but I feel so much better. The same chemical I’m allergic to (salicylates) is in perfumes and cosmetics, so I run a fragrance free home/business whenever possible. For myself, I create my own cosmetics - although I have yet to master lipstick, mascara, or eye liner - open to suggestions! I have started a YouTube channel for this called low-sal-life.

My former art outlet was floral design - I started in floral shops and eventually ran my own business for weddings and large events for 15 years. My business overlapped with 15 years at Starbucks slinging lattes and working at the corporate office.

I run a plant lab, called an herbarium, that collects and stores plants (once dried) for research using the same techniques from the 18th century!

Check out my personal portfolio at sarahverlinde.com.