Sara Cote
Hello! And thank you for checking out my work! I knew at a young age- before digital- that I wanted to be a photographer. I am in love with photography. When I was a kid, I would do unusual things. When my parents would take me to weddings, I would follow the photographer just being a few steps away. Watching and listening to what they would say and do. When there was an event, I would take a disposable camera with me, and photograph EVERYTHING. To the point, my mom would yell at me because I would photograph peoples shoes or people being silly. My favorite Magazine was National Geographic. I was always inspired by the places in the photos. The colors were striking! I never read the articles. The photos were enough for me. I am native to Elkhart Lake and graduated in 2005. After high school, I attended a four year school here in the state and quickly found that the photography department taught mostly art history. That was extremely upsetting for me, so I decided to attend a trade school that had the nickname of "Photography Boot Camp," Hallmark Institute of Photography in Massachusetts. And everyone was right, it was boot camp. I had class from 7 am until 5 pm. I would break for lunch and dinner, then back to school by 6 and work until 9. Then I would go home and do it all again the next day. When The weekend came, the school was opened 9-9. I was at school as much as I could. In June of 2009, I graduated from Hallmark with 1400 hours clocked hours in class. My Images where posted several times on the front page of the school's website- (not an easy to do...). While at Hallmark, I received Finalist (top 500) in 2009 Photo Forums worldwide Best Of college Photography contest. I received an Honorable Mention (Top 1000) in the same contest in 2012. I became a member of the PPA in 2013. PPA is a Professional Photographers of America. With them, I can continue my education in advancing photography trends and technology. They also provide me with insurance on all my gear and business. Yes, I am an insured photographer. Also with being a member of PPA, you can ALWAYS find me. I am registered with them and they keep my information, email, and phone number on file. That means you can always find me. And thanks to the online cloud storage, I do not delete any of the final images that I shot for the last 10 years. So if you ever need your wedding photos, or if you need a copy of an image from your first session with me- Yes I have it! Since then, I moved to Vermont. Where I met and married my husband Tim and lived for 7 years. Then we returned home to Elkhart Lake in the Fall of 2015. We have 2 wonderful children. Samantha who is 9, and Hunter, who is 4. My office, which opened in November of 2017, is nestled in the heart of downtown Elkhart Lake. I specialize in families, couples, wedding portraiture, and business headshots. I also enjoy capturing fine art landscapes and Motorsports images with my husband. If you would like to be a part of my portfolio, feel free to contact me!