I have always been interested in art, music and history. The portraits of Geisha 芸者 (artisan) naturally became one of my favorite subjects. Geisha are entertainers who perform traditional Japanese art forms. They demonstrate their elegant movements with incredible balance and strength combined with eloquent voices through hand gestures. In the photograph, Night Serenades, the Geisha was sitting on the porch while the light shone through the trees in the snow in the darkness. It is an elevated state of mind of peacefulness and harmony of one’s nature into the unknown.

Sandra is self-taught and inspired by Sebastião Salgado, Eli Reed, Steven McCurry, and Susan Meiselas. Sandra’s work focuses on documentary photography emphasizing human condition in social identity, culture, and minorities. She has dedicated long-term projects on women, minorities, and American pop culture. Sandra has lived and worked in Washington DC, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Canada while working with American Agency. While living in Japan, She taught Mandarin in College and studied ceramic art and exhibited this work in Japan and the US. Upon returning to Southern California in the late ‘90s, she worked in technology and finance before she found passion using photography as her medium of art. In 2007-2008, she worked for master photographer of Magnum Photos Eli Reed, as his personal assistant. Sandra has received numerous distinguished awards including: National Geographic Magazine International contest winner for People & Reader’s Collection, 1st Prize (Open Category) Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards, 1st Prize Winner of Robert Cornelius Portrait Award, Runner-Up for International Conservation Award in Culture, The Julia Margaret Cameron Awards, American Photography 36, 33rd & 30th Annual Book Collections, and the Archive New York, and many other distinguished awards in U.S. galleries, museums. Her award-winning work has graced the covers and pages of many including European Photography Magazine, FotoMazgine Germany, Color Magazine, B/W Magazine, and more. Her work has been exhibited nationally at Aperture Gallery, Annenberg Space of Photography, Asian Art Museum, and internationally, including the countries of Japan, New Zealand, Australia, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Her work is in several private and public collections including: Museum, Gallery, University, Arab American Culture Center, Technology Corporation, and more. Sandra also has curated Magnum Photographer Eli Reed in Taiwan International Photo Invitation Exhibition, and Pingyao International Photo Festival.