We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Kovacik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.
Hi Lauren , thanks for joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I think every business owner, especially those of us in the creative field, have questioned if we were doing the right thing and wondering what it would be like to have a “normal” job. In my busiest and my slowest seasons I always hear a little voice in the back of my mind asking me if I am happy in my work and how I would feel with a normal job with normal work hours. During the busy periods, where I am photographing weddings and events all weekend and spending my weekdays editing and working on my pre-wedding checklists, I find myself wishing I had a weekend free to spend with my husband and family while they have the time off of work. Or wanting to take a few hours off during the week to go on a fun date night, but feeling guilty I’m not working on galleries fast enough. During the winter season, when I am not booking as many weddings, I tend to wonder if I’ll be fully booked for the next year and how I’ll make ends meet. It is a vicious cycle of feeling like I’m not good enough to be a creative business owner, or wishing that I had a more regular schedule.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am a wedding and portrait photographer in California, specifically serving the Southern California areas. I had a love for taking photos from a young age and took my love all the way through my middle and high school years, photographing sports events, my friends and family, and nature. When I graduated high school and started making my decisions for college, I knew my calling was in photography. In my sophomore year I booked my first wedding client and fell in love with photographing weddings. I loved love, I loved photographing people on their happiest days, and documenting precious moments. I eventually graduated with my BFA in Photography and from there I started my business. I am now coming up on five years in business and I photograph weddings all throughout California (and beyond) providing my couples with a comfortable space for them to be their authentic selves. With my background in documentary photography, I give my couples a space to breathe, to soak up the emotions of their day, and capture their day candidly, while also providing gentle guidance to create a cohesive look into their day.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
With the rise of social media, I have found that one of my best sources for new clients comes from Instagram! The more I post my work consistently to instagram the more eyes are on my images, which leads to clients! Most newly engaged couples are scrolling instagram, Pinterest, and other social media pages to find inspiration for their wedding days, and the best place to look for a photographer is definitely on instagram. You get to see a highlight of a photographers best work in their portfolio, and everyone has access to it in the palm of their hands.
Word of mouth from wedding clients to their friends and families is hands down one of the best resources to gain new clients. Nothing is better than having a couple love you and your work so much that they would recommend you to all of their newly engaged friends and family members. My favorite thing is seeing past couples at weddings of their friends.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of my job has to be that I am documenting moments that will soon become memories that will be passed down to future generations. Some of the photos taken at your wedding day may be the last moments together with a family member and you will always remember how they cried at your ceremony or danced with you at your reception. My job as a photographer and creative is so important in preserving your family history and memories, and I love that so much.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurenkovacik.com
- Instagram: @laurenkovacikphotography
Image Credits
@laurenkovacikphotography