Meet Lauren Elisabeth | Photographer – Fashion, Portraits, Events, Life.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Elisabeth and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I have always been imaginative and found ways to express that. I remember writing stories when I was a kid. When I was in high school, I picked up a camera for the first time and I haven’t put it down since. I always knew I wanted to create – in some form or another. After college, I tried a few more standard 9-5 jobs, but they never suited me. When I moved to LA, I worked for a number of other photographers for about a decade, either as a producer or studio manager, but I always felt drawn to being my own boss, so I went freelance. Making my own schedule and being able to work with a variety of clients suits me creatively and gives me the time to pursue personal creative projects.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I spent a lot of time, the first ten plus years of my career working for other people. And while the dynamic of being someone’s employee rarely felt comfortable for me, I did get exposed to a variety of people, art, styles and genres within the photography industry. One of my first jobs was as a studio assistant at a wedding studio near DC. While I learned very quickly that wedding photography wasn’t where my passions were, I learned so much about portrait lighting and shooting styles from those photographers. More than I ever learned in school.

Prior to the pandemic, my business had been focused on events and larger group corporate photography. But when the world shut down, I had to refocus and think about where I wanted to be and how I wanted to get there. I’ve spent the last two years working on new projects and re-focusing my style to be more one-on-one. I’m shooting more portraiture and developing a style that I think brings out the subject’s personality – setting them apart from a more standard portrait style that we’ve become accustomed to.

I’m very excited about this new direction and how my work will grow creatively with this new focus.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh this is hard. I’ve been in Los Angeles for a long time and my favorite places have changed as much as my life has. Sadly, some of the places I used to frequent didn’t survive the pandemic so I’m in the process of finding new spots to go myself.

That said, I’m always up for a day at the Getty Museum – the views from up there are amazing and the photography gallery always has interesting exhibits. I’m a huge fan of live music, but of course, that depends on who is playing in town. I love shows at the Greek Theatre – being outside adds a level of enjoyment to a concert for me that is hard to get indoors.

I love food, but I’m not really up on new restaurants lately, I’ll always recommend Mozza for a fantastic dinner and there are some places that I’ve been meaning to check out, but just haven’t gotten to yet.

Mostly I tend to spend a lot of time outdoors. There are some gorgeous hiking spots I’ve taken friends to not too far out of LA. I find the quiet of being in nature comforting, especially when life can be so hectic in this city.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Obviously, I haven’t done this on my own. My friends, my family, my colleagues are all to thank for inspiring me. A lot of my friends work in creative fields as well, and we are all responsible for pushing each other – sometimes that’s through collaboration or sometimes it’s bouncing ideas off one another over brunch. I don’t think there has been one person who I can name that’s been more influential than any of the others – it’s the combination of the amazing people I’ve met and worked with that got me where I am.

Website: http://laurenelisabeth.net

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/laurenelisabethphoto/

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenelisabethphotography/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LaurenElisabethPhotography

Other: Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenelisabethphoto

Image Credits
Image 1 Dress Designer: Jesse Thaxton, Model: Chaû Lê Images 2-5 Models: Mandie Roman, Samantha Terry, Kelsey Walmer