We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Murray a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have a degree in Mathematics and Economics and I always thought that I would go into a technical role for a large corporation. After spending a few years working in Information Technology consulting, I knew I had to make a switch.

My whole life I pursued what I thought I should study, something practical, stable, secure. So when I told my parents that I wanted to be a wedding photographer, their first words to me were, “But Laura, you don’t take pictures.” Small detail … ;)

I ate, slept, and breathed photography for several years while I kept my corporate day job. As soon as my photography work earned as much as my corporate work, I said goodbye to my desk job and never looked back.

I have been a full time photographer for the past 12 years and have photographed over 250 weddings all across the USA and the world.

I never take for granted that I have my dream job.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I graduated from college with a degree in Theoretical Mathematics and began my career as a professional numbers cruncher. Early in my corporate career, I got engaged to my husband, planned our own wedding, and quickly realized that our wedding photographer had my dream job. I spent a couple years working weddings on the side and left the corporate world in 2010 to pursue photography full time.

My approach to weddings is very client-centric. With careful composition and an eye for artistic details, I create imagery that chronicles my clients’ connection and the story behind it. I seek to capture what makes my clients unique in each and every photo. This allows for a gallery of images that succinctly and naturally represent their love.

I bring a depth of skill and knowledge from working as a wedding photographer for over a decade. And I have seen every possible scenario – from blizzards to floods and to the most picturesque sunny days (and now I can say I survived 2020 ;)). I can adapt to whatever situation may come my way with a calm professionalism. With relentless optimism and calm professionalism, I find beauty in every condition.

I live Denver, Colorado with my husband, our 6 year old son, and our identical twin 4 year olds.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

This might sound strange, but the “resource” I wish I had tapped into was myself.

When I was younger I asked others what I thought I should do for my career. I figured other people with experience working in the real world could give good guidance.

However, I never really listened to myself, so I spent many years in college and later post-college walking down the wrong path. I wish I had given myself time to let my mind wander and to explore non-traditional career paths.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I love all of Seth Godin’s books and one of my favorites is “The Icarus Deception”. In it Godin discusses how we are all artists and the world needs our art.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lauramurrayphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lauramurray
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lauramurrayphotography

Image Credits
Image Credit: Laura Murray Photography for my images Headshot Credit: Shannon Von Eschen