We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Souter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I didn’t even really know how to use a professional camera 9 years ago. I received one as a gift the year I had my son and from there I had a beautiful (and moving!) subject to practice on. Some friends of friends requested I take some photos of them and from there I got more interested in seeing what I could do. It’s been such a fun ride so far. My first 15-20 shoots were free of charge while I practiced and last year I was able to support myself fully from my photography business.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I own a Photography and Retouching business in north county San Diego. I specialize in all portrait photography including boudoir and editorial publications. Booking with me is great if you want fully edited photos with a fast turnaround time. I specialize in vibrant colors and an intimate feel that makes you feel as though you are there. Another specialty of mine is Retouching photos. I’ve done it all- wrinkles, weight loss, editing someone out of a group photo, making a cloudy day sunny, retouching amateur wedding photos…the list goes on! This is something I really enjoy doing though and will jump to any challenge.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I have two favorites here: One is that I love hearing when my clients are smitten with their photos. I love when they send me Christmas cards with those photos or hang them on their wall. It’s a great feeling! The second is, I love when I take a photo and edit it and the one who is smitten with it is ME. I love feeling like I enhanced a really cool or special memory.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Editing is honestly so much fun these days with all of the new programs and tools available. My advice is to play with your editing and that’ll help you find your style!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://gallery.pixieset.com/collection/
- Instagram: @rykerphotography