For nearly two decades, Scottsdale's Sarah L. Glabman was best known for her bold, high-glamour imagery—fitness icons striking power poses, magazine covers, billboards in Times Square. But in 2024, everything changed.
What began as a specialized lens gifted by her husband Barry as a Christmas gift became the unexpected catalyst for a new chapter. Days later, Sarah boarded a plane to South Africa with her husband and six friends, lens in hand and no clue just how transformative the journey would be.
“It was within the first couple of days of being in South Africa- at Mala Mala Reserve. We encountered a mother leopard with three two-week-old cubs—an incredibly rare sighting. Our tour guide, who had been doing this at Mala Mala for over two decades, had never seen anything like it. And when HE said he’d never seen images of that quality? I knew I had to do something.”
She had no tripod, no plan—just instinct, adrenaline, and a nine-pound camera setup she balanced day after day, twice a day.
“You become a human tripod… And your shoulders pay for it later.”
Over the course of that trip, Sarah shot more than 7,000 images—lions, zebras, baboons, elephants. But the leopards remained her most unforgettable subjects.
“The mother hid her cubs the night before, then once she had them secured, she went out for the kill- an impala. She dragged the impala up a tall tree, then fetched her cubs, and carried each cub up one by one to eat. It was surreal. She was focused, but exhausted. It was raw, beautiful, and intimate.”
It was also the beginning of a shift. The woman who once made her mark blending fitness and fashion now found herself pulled in a new direction.
“That trip was a blessing in disguise. The encouragement from our guide, and my husband was my biggest cheerleader.”
Back home in Scottsdale, the desert began to look different.
“Now I notice everything... The way saguaros bloom, how light hits the ridges, even the flowers on a cactus. God’s artwork.”
Sarah's journey didn’t stop in South Africa. She signed up with the Thriving Artist Academy, committed to refining not just her craft, but how to share it with the world.
“The Academy has helped me learn how to market my artwork, and how to treat it like a business.”
She joined a group of 17 photographers and 3 educators, starting in Sedona and finishing in Monument Valley on this journey.
“Waking up at 3:30 a.m. to go shoot before sunrise—that was new for me. You must be there before the sun to truly capture its arrival.”
In Monument Valley, the experience was more than visual—it was spiritual.
“The way the orange monuments meet the blue sky... it’s cinematic. There’s nothing else like it. Monument Valley is right up there with Namibia in terms of feeling otherworldly. But there's a sacred stillness.”
As for the Grand Canyon?
“I’m embarrassed to admit it was my first time there. But wow—the sheer scale, the colors at sunrise, the quiet.”
Those early wake-ups, that chase for light, all brought a new kind of discipline.
“You have to be willing to sacrifice comfort and warmth for the shot. That’s when you know you love it. That’s when it becomes more than a hobby or job—it becomes a calling.”
Even so, she still keeps a sense of play.
“I walk in the desert and just shoot what feels right. I’m always looking for beauty—even if it’s right under my nose.”
Next on her list: photographing polar bears and arctic foxes in Alaska.
“I’m also doing my annual Epic Destination Shoot in the Florida Keys this August. Piers, pelicans, hidden gems.”
There’s a spiritual element that underpins all her work now.
“I'm learning to slow down. I used to move fast—fashion, fitness, big energy. Now, I pause. I listen.”
Wildlife, she says, has taught her patience.
“People can take direction. Wild animals? They do what they want. You have to wait, adapt, stay aware. But sometimes they give you better than anything you could ever stage.”
Her shots of a baby leopard stumbling down a tree still stops her in her tracks.
“It had just eaten its first solid meal and was trying to figure out how to get down. It was clumsy and honest.”
Through it all, Sarah remains committed to creating work that stirs something real.
“My people shoots are deeply personal to me and my clients. My wildlife and landscape work—that’s for the world. I want the emotion to come through, always. I want the legacy to be one of goodness.”
Bring Sarah’s work into your home
Explore Sarah's curated collection, a gallery of breathtaking moments captured around the world. From majestic wildlife to awe-inspiring landscapes, each piece offers a window into the beauty she sees through the lens.
Available in fine art paper, canvas, metal, and acrylic—framed or unframed—there’s a perfect format for every space. Start your collection today and own a piece of the adventure.
Code PVCL for a print discount on slgmasterworks.com