We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Price. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.

Lauren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Like any other kid, I loved to have fun. I enjoyed swimming, riding my bike, playing games on my home computer, and taking pictures with a polaroid camera. In 2002 my grandfather passed away when I was 10 years old. I didn’t realize how the passing of my grandfather would lead me to where I am today. We lived in two different states but all I could remember was the amazing times we had when we did visit him and how he would spoil my sister and I. As we gathered and remembered the moments that we shared through pictures. I couldn’t help but to notice that my sister and I did not have many pictures with our grandfather. From then, I told myself that I want to take pictures of everything. I wanted more memories to cherish because who doesn’t love to look back at pictures? As the years went by, I grew to love taking pictures and upgraded to a pink digital camera and also loved to create different things on the computer. Throughout middle and high school I had a passion for taking pictures and computers! From 2009 to 2017 , I worked as a waitress and an assistant manager but still invested time into cameras and computers while obtaining an associates degree in Cyber Security . In 2017, I managed to get my first IT job while also working as a waitress part-time and going back to school to obtain my bachelors in Cyber Security. As much as I love people and enjoy making others happy, I decided to stop working as a waitress and invest more time into my passion for photography. As the years continued and as I learned more about photography, I knew that this was something that I enjoyed and I wanted to pursue further. I began to invest more time into learning about specific cameras, how to set up indoor photoshoots, and what settings to use for different applications. In 2014, I had my first son and started practicing taking pictures with my first Canon camera and built confidence doing indoor setups for holidays and learning the settings of my camera hands on. I offered free photoshoots to close friends and family to gain experience and get comfortable. In 2019, I had my first daughter and immediately wanted to take baby pictures with her being a girl! Gaining experience in baby sessions, kid sessions, family sessions, and adult sessions, just made me know I was heading down the right path. I loved to make others feel good about themselves, especially knowing I can capture a special moment for them to cherish forever. I started charging $50 to clients for photoshoots just to see what I could do with non-family members or close friends and it went better than I expected! After I graduated in 2020, I decided to obtain an LLC and name my business LA Photography LLC. My mother was my biggest motivator! She always pushed me to pursue both careers and that is exactly what I did. In 2021, she passed away and that took a big toll on me but it also pushed me harder to grow in my business and my IT career. Now I have built my clientele bigger than I ever expected in photography while being a Network Engineer full time. This was a challenge to say the least, because I am also a full time mother of 3! My passions have become my careers and I couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support, love, and comfort from everyone but especially my mother.

Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I have always had a passion for taking pictures and pleasing others. My happiness comes from others’ experiences and how they feel about themselves. What other way to combine the two and become a photographer. I officially started LA Photography LLC in 2020 with prior years of experience. I look at my photo sessions as an experience to have fun, learn about yourself, and create special memories. Who just wants to do a photoshoot? No, you want an experience in the moment that is captured! I make every session an unique and personal experience which makes me different from others. I am a professional, personal, your biggest hype lady, and more! I provide a variety of posed and non-posed digital pictures with the options to purchase prints through my website. If you have never done a photoshoot, I am your girl! I help empower women, men, and children to feel good about themselves, capture their unique traits that stand out, and build confidence that makes it seem like you’re not even in front of the camera! Give me a challenge and I promise to accept! I love to challenge myself outside of my comfort zone and when I have clients come back with positive feedback it makes me beyond proud that I could accomplish their vision or more in pictures!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Word of mouth has been my best source for new clients. I have gained so many new clients from word of mouth which I actually prefer. I love to be personal and give clients an unforgettable, fun, and unique experience to remember. To know that my clients refer new clients to me; tells me that my experiences and quality of work speak for itself. This makes me feel amazing that I am trusted to provide my business to others.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building clientele takes time. It is not easy but it is worth the wait! Social media is the biggest marketing outlet out there and I built mine by creating a business Instagram and Facebook account. After I built the two, I created a portfolio of my work and provided an introduction for others to learn about me and how I started my business. Once I obtained a nice ground on each page, I began to follow all my personal friends and family and asked them to share! I even provided discounted sessions for people who shared my page with others and “liked” my business pages. This slowly built followers which then I could provide a free photoshoot or new clients to enter but you would have to share the post, like the post, and tag five friends!

For those just starting, feel the crowd and be patient. I had more supporters than I could ever think of and even acquaintances didn’t hesitate to get the word out about my company! I also kindly ask all new clients to post a review on my Facebook page after their images are provided. which helps others that find my page. Everyone loves honest reviews!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://laphotographyllc1.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: @la_photography_llc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAPhotographyLLC?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Personal image credit EEG Photography
Photographer behind the camera image credit to 227 Productions LLC