Sayer JaDin Photography studio now open in Hill City

Looking for a way to capture those special family memories? There is a new photographer in Hill City who might be able to help. 

Sayer Lockhart grew up in Hot Springs and got her first camera shortly after graduating high school. 

“I graduated high school when I was 17 thinking I was going to be a wedding planner, and I think that was God,” said Lockhart. 

Shortly after, two of her friends who were dating asked Lockhart to take anniversary photos for them.

“When they posted them on Facebook, it kind of blew up a little bit, and that’s when I was like, ‘Maybe I could give this a shot,’” Lockhart said. 

Today, Lockhart is a self-taught photographer and business owner. She started by taking photos of her dog, and said, “I always joked that she was a model, and my dad always said, ‘She’s going to make you famous one day.’ So I really started taking photos of anything that I possibly could, and then it just grew fast.” 

The result was Sayer JaDin Photography, which is celebrating its six-year anniversary today, Aug. 7. 

In 2022, Lockhart set up her first studio in Hot Springs. Later in the spring of 2023, she transitioned to a studio in Aberdeen and began a career as a traveling photographer. Lockhart travels to Hot Springs, Custer, Hill City, Rapid City, Deadwood, Spearfish, Pierre, Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Watertown and all the little towns in between. 

“I think it’s so fun to meet people across South Dakota,” said Lockhart. “There’s such a variety in my portfolio now just because of the expansion.” 

Now, Lockhart has opened a studio in Hill City on the upper level of the Old World Plaza. 

“This studio I found accidentally. We were just walking around downtown Hill City this winter and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to walk upstairs,’ and then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I think this could be my studio,’” said Lockhart. 

Lockhart was drawn to Hill City because it is a central location near Rapid City and because of the welcoming community. 

“I love the community here in Hill City,” said Lockhart. “The people are very motivated and the community is upbeat.”

Although she specializes in natural light photography, Lockhart loves studio photography because “It’s so easy to create the look that you want in a studio versus outside. You control the flash. You control the light. It’s also much less distracting for kids in a studio than it is outside.”

Lockhart even built a light wall in the studio to simulate the perfect lighting for her clients. 

She moved into the studio in March of 2024 just before the rush of the wedding season started. 

Inside the studio  Lockhart added different colored backdrops against one wall and a portable wall to section off the space. She also created a storage area for props, a station to fix hair and makeup, a selfie corner and a cozy seating area. In designing the studio, Lockhart said she wanted to create an inviting space that felt like walking into a friend’s home. 

Along with her studio, Lockhart specializes in weddings and family-oriented sessions. 

“I lost my mom when I was 12 years old, and she got sick when I was 9. So we didn’t have a ton of photos together at the time that she passed away. That’s when I was like, ‘Well, I’ll make sure no other girl has to feel this way.’ That feeling was reconfirmed when my dad passed away in 2020,” said Lockhart. “Photos are very important to take, and obviously, once somebody is gone, they just mean so much more.” 

As a result, Lockhart focuses on capturing family memories so they can be treasured for a lifetime. 

“My favorite part about being a photographer is I get to be a part of every great moment in somebody’s life,” said Lockhart. 

She has done wedding photos, prom photos, senior photos, family photos and even lifestyle newborn photos at homes. 

“I always say when I arrive for the lifestyle session, it feels like Christmas morning. There’s just like so much magic in the house,” Lockhart said. 

Lockhart also enjoys growing with clients and their families. As the town babysitter, Lockhart grew up with many of the children she first photographed, and she is still photographing them today. 

“I just really want to be known as a friend,” said Lockhart. “I don’t call anybody clients. I just call them friends.”

She tells “bad” jokes to make people laugh, works to set people at ease and treats everyone as friends to capture their true essence on camera. Lockhart has even had casual conversations with brides right before their weddings or moms days after their babies were born. 

During family sessions, Lockhart encourages moms to not be stressed and simply let the photo session play out. 

“I feel like every mom dreams of a photo of everybody looking at the camera, and at some point within the hour, we do get that photo. But I love the candids of kids, especially because they change so fast,” said Lockhart. 

To brides, Lockhart offers support in whatever way she can. 

“I’m just there to be their right-hand girl,” said Lockhart. “I’ve fixed jewelry. I’m the dress fluffer. I fix hair. I fix makeup. I fix décor.”

After the sessions, Lockhart edits the photos and uploads them to an online gallery where clients can access their photos, make backups and print as many as desired. 

“Their print release never expires,” said Lockhart. 

Lockhart has packages for family, wedding, lifestyle and seniors sessions, but she tries to be flexible to her client’s needs. 

For family sessions, Lockhart said, “I just really want it to be the most simple thing a mom can do because photos are important.” 

Meanwhile, for weddings Lockhart encourages doing an engagement photo session so she can build a relationship with the couple before the big day. 

More information about photo sessions can be found online at sayerjadinphotog

raphy.com, Facebook or Instagram. 

On Sept. 14 Lockhart will have a grand opening celebration for the studio from 1-4 p.m. There will be local vendors, treats and music on the deck outside the studio at the Old World Plaza in Hill City. The community is invited to attend. 

“I just feel blessed to be in Hill City with a really fun, unique space,” said Lockhart. “I feel like in the end it was God leading me to this space, which I feel like when you walk in is cozy and everything that I dream of in a studio.

“It was like I finally found the perfect studio plus community.”