We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Laura McCumber. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Laura below.
Laura, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
Legacy is something I often think about. What will I leave behind? How will I be remembered? When I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, and toured the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, legacy was at the forefront of my thoughts as I wandered through the rooms containing her amazing paintings of landscapes, flowers, and the sky. I thought to myself, I hope my legacy of landscape photography will be remembered, and that I will have contributed something beautiful to the world; something that will last beyond the grave. O’Keeffe once said, “I had to create an equivalent for what I felt I was looking at – not copy it.” These words resonate. When I look through the lens, I try to capture the mood and spirit of a place, the mountains and the sea, the desert, the milky way, the dawning of the day, the golden light, the blue hour. All the variations of light throughout the day and night cast different colors upon the land, and it is all unique and beautiful. The way I see the world is through vivid colors. I also offer portrait photography, but landscapes are my passion, and it is the landscapes I hope to be remembered for.
Laura, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I began learning photography in high school, at which time we shot with film and developed our images in a dark room. The passion for capturing images never waned. I eventually switched to digital photography and started out shooting landscapes. I eventually transitioned into natural light portrait and wedding photography. My philosophy is kindness. Be kind and patient, and the images you capture will reflect the mood you project. I began my own small business by word of mouth, really. One of the things I am most proud of with respect to portrait/wedding photography is that I shot the weddings of all three of one of my very good friend’s children. That was special to me, as I had known the kids since they were little. It was pretty cool to capture such significant moments in their lives. On a more personal level, one of the things I am very proud of is self-publishing my book, Big Sur: Haikus/Photographs, because Big Sur is one of my favorite places in the world, and the landscapes there are nothing short of magic: the rolling green of the Santa Lucia Mountains to the turquoise waters of the Pacific, where the milky way shines brightly over the waves crashing against the rocky cliffs. It is my soul place.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to have a book of landscapes published, and another goal is to have my work in a museum. In addition to photography, I began a small comic book business, Prestos Comic Shop. A future goal is to work with my favorite comic book artist, Skottie Young, and have an exclusive comic book made. So far, his response has been, “That’s a negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full!” Ok, he did not say that. That’s a quote from Top Gun. His manager very kindly informed me he is not entertaining those requests at this time. I have not given up though. Who knows what the future will bring? I am excited to find out. That would be so amazing to work with him.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
This is a great question. How did I fund my business? Anyone who delves into photography knows how expensive the gear is. When I first started out, I rented cameras and lenses to use when hired for wedding photography. The compensation for weddings can be lucrative. With my earnings, I was eventually able to purchase the camera bodies and lenses I needed for my continuing work. A great way for beginning photographers to earn what they need to fund their business is to rent the gear they need for a photo assignment, or look at used gear through B&H Photo, they are a great source for quality used gear. I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just trust them and have purchased most of my gear through them. My workhorse is a Nikon D850. My favorite lens is a Sigma 135mm art lens. However, the most versatile lens for landscapes, weddings, and portraits is a 24-70mm. If you only have enough funds for one lens, I’d recommend a 24-70mm for the versatility.
As far as my comic book business, I self-funded it, took on a bit of start-up debt, and sold online through a couple of platforms in order to earn enough capital to sustain the business.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: LauraMcCumber and LauraMcCumberPhotography
