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

Laura , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

It all started with YouTube videos honestly. And then it evolved into purchasing posing and guiding classes from renowned photographers like Lindsay Adler and learning from her. But also studying and getting inspiration from other photographers on Instagram. I don’t think that there is anything that I would have done to speed up the learning process. I’m a firm believer in things happening for a reason and when that time is due. There’s no way I’d be able to appreciate working with all the different clients that I’ve had the privilege of working with. And being witness to them reconnecting with their confidence.

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 am only one piece to a puzzle of three. Me, myself…..it all started because I saw that Deric, our main piece of the puzzle, was running into some walls with the inception of this business. I offered to step in and help administratively and with organization. That evolved into me taking a more direct role of being a hype woman for our clients and guiding them through posing. If it’s one thing I’ve learned, when you feel good about yourself and you’re in a place of self-love and confidence, it translates into this beauty that can only be created by that person, because it is uniquely theirs. It’s where I feel we’re different, we have different roles, so we can really give ourselves to that role, and not get distracted with, for example, lighting. Deric takes care of lighting recipes. My brother takes care of equipment set up. Another area where I feel we’re unique, I have the ability to see what Deric is seeing when he’s taking pictures. It’s done through a wireless transmitter that is hooked up to the camera, and the images are transferred via an app with wifi. It’s been extremely helpful to pose our clients and make small adjustments in real time vs. waiting to see what the picture looks like.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Hands down, it’s helping our clients reconnect with themselves and seeing their confidence grow with each picture that is taken. It’s such an honor holding space for them and seeing their authenticity shine through.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Deric, lol. 100% he gets the credit. He really is about connecting with people and talking about the business and his vision. He has such a magnetic personality, it’s who he is. He is genuine and sincere. But he also has an eye for detail, and we complement each other on photo shoots and help bring our clients’ vision to life.
Him with the pictures and the lightning and me with posing and showcasing our clients. The end result is always such a joy when we get to see the smiles on our clients’ faces.

Contact Info:

• Website: 7thvizion.com
• Instagram: 7thvizionboudoir
• Facebook: 7th Vizion Digital Creations

Image Credits
Instagram tysotelo 7thvizionboudoir this.is.me_unica