Bio
Sara Leopold was born in the south side of Chicago and spent most of her time in the city. Though a city girl at heart, she would often find the little bits of nature that Chicago had to offer. She now resides in Seattle, Washington with her husband, Adam, and kitty, Hazel, and spends as much time in nature as life allows, usually with camera in hand.
Interested in the arts as early as she can remember, Sara experimented with various mediums throughout her early schooling. It wasn’t until she attended the University of Illinois at Chicago that she found her true passion: analogue photography. She began with 35mm, then quickly moved to large format 4x5. Using this old-fashioned camera is what truly began her obsession with the analogue medium. Still holding on to 35mm and large format, she now almost exclusively shoots square 120 on her Rolleiflex and Hasselblad.
Sara has pulled inspiration from many artists and photographers such as Francesca Woodman, Imogen Cunningham, Edward Weston, and Michael Kenna. She studied abroad in Italy under professor and photographer Romeo Di Loretto at SACI. In Seattle, she worked at two professional photo labs which fine-tuned her developing, scanning, and printing skills. She also worked in Michael Kenna's photo studio, assisting with scanning, retouching, and archiving.
Sara’s photography has been shown at numerous galleries and popup shows throughout Chicago and now, Seattle. She attends art walks and shares her love of art while working at an art gallery in its upper Queen Anne neighborhood.
Artist Statement
Shooting analogue is meditative, it’s magic, it’s a slow process that makes you stop and really think about what you're doing. Photography has always been a visual diary for me. Where I go and what I do will always exist as a photograph - something tangible to look back on.
In my portfolio, you will find a few projects: Skin Exploration, Marina, and the Duwamish Waterways. These are collections of works that go together. In many cases, I spent months and even years shooting these locations and subjects, returning time and again.
The Duwamish Waterways project, in particular, is special because it is a collaborative project I worked on with Eric J. Meow. We photographed the Duwamish Waterways in Seattle with our 4x5 view cameras and expired Ektapan film, but we did it collaboratively in the truest sense - each making suggestions until agreeing upon the final image.
In the other collections, you will find various themes. While not projects in and of themselves, I have almost subconsciously been drawn to photograph trees, Mountains, Coastlines, and city life.
I hope my images create a sense of wonder, adventure, and a strong admiration for this crazy & beautiful world we live in.
Past Exhibitions
2024: Best of Black & White: A Group Juried Exhibition
Nuwave Gallery, Ellensburg, WA
2022: Many Small Fires: A Group Exhibition
Slip Gallery, Seattle, WA
2022: Wandering Shores: A Solo Exhibition
Assembly Gallery & Cafe, Seattle, WA
2022: Framed: Trees and Water: A Juried Exhibition
Black Box Gallery, Portland, OR
2021: One Hundred Twenty: A Two Person Exhibition
Get Nice Gallery, Seattle, WA
2015: Double Exposed Panoramas: A Solo Exhibition
Oscar Luis Martinez Fine Art Gallery, Chicago, IL
2014: Find Rangers #4 Double Exposed: A Group Juried Exhibition and Book release
Book & Job Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2014: Chicago to Lima: a LOMO film swap: A Group Exhibition
Lomography Pop-up photo show, Chicago, IL
2014: Panorama and Polaroid show: A Solo Exhibition
Chicago Arts District 44th Annual Open House, Chicago, IL
2013: Polaroids: A Solo Exhibition
Oscar Luis Martinez Fine Art Gallery, Chicago IL
2010: While In Class: A Juried Exhibition
Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL
2009: Phase VII and Phase VIII Group show
4Art Inc. Gallery, Chicago, IL