about | sophie j. photo

I AM SOPHIE VAN SLYKE, AN ARIZONA NATIVE + EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHER THAT CAPTURES CLASSIC, TIME-CAPSULE IMAGES. I WANT TO REFLECT WHAT I SEE IN YOU + YOUR LOVED ONES, WITH A DOCUMENTARY, "DON'T WANT YOU TO MISS IT" APPROACH. MY STYLE IS TIMELESS + ROMANTIC, AND I AM REALLY INSPIRED BY FILM: ITS RAWNESS, ITS COLORS, ITS GRAIN, ITS BLUR. IT MAKES YOU FEEL SOMETHING.

I DISCOVERED PHOTOGRAPHY IN HIGH SCHOOL AND SOON BECAME OBSESSED WITH THE FUNDAMENTALS OF AN EMOTIVE PHOTOGRAPH: LIGHTING, COMPOSITION, USE OF SPACE. WHAT'S MISSING IS YOU, THE SUBJECT, WORTHY OF STUDY + APPRECIATION.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY MY CLIENTS GIVE ME TO INTEGRATE MYSELF INTO THEIR MOST SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES, AND TO WITNESS THE IN-BETWEEN TOO.

sophie julia

My mom has a closet full of boxes, each filled edge-to-edge with 4x6 costco photo folders, the film negatives tucked in. Every once in a while, my sisters and I will flip through them. I’ve had lots of creatives in my family that documented our personalities + matching 90’s Ralph Lauren outfits… my aunt on her canon film camera, behind the scenes. My grandma, with her signature thumb in the corner. My little childhood was archived as it unfolded - never paused to manufacture a picture-perfect moment.

I now appreciate the simplicity of photography decades ago. Bedhead, mismatched outfits, no photoshop, no retouching - just documenting. No retakes and no previews.

I hope to bring that carefree spirit back in my photography. The meaning of a photo is not limited to the moment it was captured - themes of love, humor, and family run throughout each of our life reels. Here is a reel of moments in my life, big and small, that speak to my history.