We were lucky to catch up with Laura Webster recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I thought of Street Juice when I accidently stepped in a puddle in the street of what I described out loud as “street juice”. I think my exact words to my sister was “I hate stepping in street juice.” Then I thought for a second, and was like, “I love that name! I think I am going to start calling my film photography that.”

My dad introduced the art of film photography in my life back when I was in high school. He had been shooting, developing, and darkroom printing film since he was in high school and shared that gift with my sister and I.

I quickly fell in love with the idea of just trusting in the moment. The act of capturing a moment as it is meant to be. In that moment the noise of the world goes quiet. That’s what I feel when I look at my film pictures. No noise, just joy and peace.

After I graduated with my undergrad in accounting, I moved out to Tulsa, OK and started shooting more film creatively. Bringing more of my ideas to life with shooting friends and family members. When I moved out here and started shooting film more creatively, Street Juice Film fully started taking off in the vibrant artist community in Tulsa. I was a young 22 year old entering this vibrant community unknowing what was out there. I found my people in this community, and my craft has allowed me to find more of myself.

There’s a quote from the movie Secret Life of Walter Mitty that I have always resonated with since high school: “To see the world, things dangerous to come, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is purpose of life.” That’s what I hope to come out of Street Juice Film. I want it to be weird and full of color like me. I want Street Juice to be a space that I can draw closer to the essence of life. I want to see the art in life, people, and myself through film.

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 thought of Street Juice when I accidentally stepped in a puddle in the street of what I described out loud as “street juice”. I think my exact words to my sister was, “I hate stepping in street juice.” Then I thought for a second, and was like, “I love that name! I think I am going to start calling my film photography that.”

My dad introduced the art of film photography in my life back when I was in high school. He had been shooting, developing, and darkroom printing film since he was in high school and shared that gift with my sister and I.

I quickly fell in love with the idea of just trusting in the moment. The act of capturing a moment as it is meant to be. In that moment the noise of the world goes quiet. That’s what I feel when I look at my film pictures. No noise, just peace.

I want to use my film negatives to seek out the positives in life. Finding the opposite reaction; to make it balance. I want to see the art in life, people, and myself.

There’s a quote from the movie Secret Life of Walter Mitty that I have always resonated with since high school: “To see the world, things dangerous to come, to see behind walls, to draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”

That’s what I hope to come out of Street Juice Film. I want it to be weird and full of color like me. I want Street Juice to be a space that I can draw closer to the essence of life.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I broke my ankle this year, at the beginning of 2023, from a climbing gym accident. I could not walk on my right foot for 10 weeks and then had physical therapy after this. It was a hard life pill to swallow, that I would not be able to do any of my regular activities such as photography. I was forced to take a break from my usual life because of this ankle.

It taught me a lot about myself, and looking back, I am grateful that I had that time to slow down my life. I got to re-appreciate my art again. I learned to practice with still life photography around the house. I learned to doodle what I saw around me instead of taking a picture of it. It gave me the space I needed to grow more as an artist. I feel as though it let me appreciate my life even more. It reminded me that what I have on this earth is not promised but rather a gift to cherish. I am so happy to be on my feet again and shooting more creatively with other artists again, but I will always remember the lessons I learned from my time away from creative photography.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is hearing people tell me that my photographs changed their whole perspective on photography as a whole. A phenomenal chef here in Tulsa, once told me, “I’m so grateful to have encountered your photography. It ‘s changed how I think about an entire discipline.” That brings me so much comfort knowing that at least one person out there can have a new appreciation on the whole discipline of photography. I believe we all have our unique eye on our perspectives of this world, and I am glad that I can use photography to bring about my perspective.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @streetjuicefilm

Image Credits
The picture of my profile was taken by my dad, Philip Beck, on film.