We recently connected with Lauren Eckert and have shared our conversation below.

Lauren, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I currently manage my own business social media account. In order to keep costs manageable as I grow my business and to make sure my social media has my own personal touch I have made the decision to keep managing my own social accounts until it gets to the point where it would be wiser to seek help. As far as lessons I’ve learned in doing this I highly recommend running your own social accounts for as long as it is reasonable for your own schedule and lifestyle. Because doing so will help you to learn exactly how you like it to be managed and to know how you want to come across on your account so that in the future if you do hire someone to run it for you you can be hands on and give as much input as needed.

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’ve always loved photography for as long as I can remember. I took classes in high school which sparked my creative side but I never did anything with it until years later when I got married. My husband saw my passion and encouraged me to give it a try. So I bought a cheap used camera and gave it a go. Ever since I have been obsessed in capturing one’s memories. I specialize in portrait sessions whether that be couples, families, weddings or elopements, I love them all. Capturing the special moments in people’s lives is something that is incomparable. I know for me personally going through old photos of my family or times in the past is a walk down memory lane so to be able to give that privilege to others is an honor. Something I am proud of is to be able to evoke genuine emotions and capture those moments for my clients to have for years to come.

When looking at my work I want people to be able to feel the emotions that are being portrayed. I want my photos to be as genuine as possible. At Lauren Kéla Photography that is what I value most is being genuine.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

It all started with me having a cheap used camera to build off of. I would ask any family or friends if they were willing to model for me as I learned how to work my camera. I started taking online classes on how to improve my quality of work and how to run a business. From there I gradually implemented the things I was learning in order to create the best client experience from the initial booking process all the way to the delivery of the final product. As I worked on these things more and more people began to trust me and hire me to capture their portraits. Today I am still always working to improve my client experience and final product. I feel like this is a constant in order to continually get better at my craft. Because of this my workload is coming through steady as I continue to grow and scale my business to reach higher goals in the future.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Without a doubt it would be the joy I see in my clients after receiving their final gallery. To hear the mommas say my photos of their little ones brought them to tears, or to see the joy on a bride and grooms face as they look at photos capturing one of the happiest days of their lives. All of this because of something I created. It’s a feeling that is not easily duplicated and is beyond rewarding in this industry. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.laurenkelaphotography.com
• Instagram: @laurenkela_photography
• Facebook: Lauren Kéla Photography
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Lauren Kéla Photography