We were lucky to catch up with Laura Perkins recently and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I took a big risk when I chose to start photographing bachelorette party sessions several years ago because when I started doing them it had never been done before. There was not even a niche for it, I had to create one! I decided what style of photos I wanted to produce (unposed, in the moment, unstaged, etc.), and then I teamed up with bachelorette party planners to reach wedding couples looking to have this experience. I had no idea how wildly popular it was going to become so quickly, and I was soon photographing between 5-10 bachelorette parties every weekend! I became known exclusively as the bachelorette photographer! There were still times when it was met with criticism because it was so unknown, some people thought it was an unnecessary expense on the wedding planning journey. But I have learned that it’s one of the most perfect ways for wedding couples to document an experience with their closest friends and family without the added pressure of it being on the wedding day. I don’t know where my business would be today if I had not taken this risk. Taking this risk has opened so many doors and allowed me to expand this (very) unique genre of photography throughout the country and I always get so excited to see other photographers’ visions of these moments as well, because we are all growing this community together!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am a photographer originally from Palm Springs, CA, and I shoot bachelorettes, engagements, and weddings. I travel throughout the country and abroad, but my home is currently in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, with my husband and our two dogs. I have always been attracted to photography but I did not pursue it as a career until after college. I actually have dual degrees in English and Business! In college, I was always bringing my camera to events on campus and photographing them for my own personal event photography portfolio, but I did not pursue a full-time photography career until after I graduated and worked as a barista in LA and realized that I preferred creating my own business instead. Starting a photography business from scratch without any real photography experience can seem really daunting but I had friends and family who let me photograph their weddings and events and in a matter of months I had a huge wedding portfolio. I am truly not sure how it all happened so quickly! My sweet husband (who was also a wedding photographer!) helped me learn my camera and together we grew a pretty massive business basically overnight. I taught myself SEO, Internet marketing, and built my website from scratch. About two years into my full-time business I recognized a need for bachelorette party photography and that’s when I created that side of my business. Today I am best known for my very unique bachelorette party photography and have been able to photograph bachelorette parties all over the world for some of the best people.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding thing is being able to photograph a story for people. I only shoot in a photojournalism style, meaning the photos are unscripted, unposed, and in the moment. I allow people to be themselves, express their true emotions, and I feel into those emotions to tell a story of the day through the eyes of someone at the event. This sets me apart because often people don’t feel like they are being photographed at all. It allows people to feel very comfortable and themselves in the photos and the emotions are more real and the stories tell themselves when this is done correctly. It’s the most rewarding part of my job because it allows people to feel like they can truly be present in the moment, and that adds so much additional value to their entire experience.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
My handsome and sweet husband is my business partner. He’s always been with me from day one and he’s the one who has taught me everything technical about my camera. I didn’t know how to operate a camera unless it was set to auto until I met him. We met through a mutual friend that I went to college with and he DM’d me, commented on my posts, and liked all my photos on Twitter for MONTHS – apparently – before I responded back to him. He didn’t give up and that’s something I have always loved about him. We dated for about three months before he was already proposing to me and the rest has just been history ever since! I think having that strong, loving presence in my life has really helped me as a creative because I really feel that emotion when I am photographing love, whether it is at a bachelorette party, engagement session, or a wedding. He makes me so aware of that feeling in the world and it allows it to really speak through my photographs. I think it’s what makes my photographs unique and different.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laurathephotographer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebachelorettephotographer/