Everybody has a story. Everybody has a beginning and everybody has a “why”. So, after six years of letting you get to know my photography work, it seems fitting for my first blog to share with you my photography journey and my photography “why”. So, here goes… come along with my as I share how I put myself behind the lens!
When I was a teenager, I would gush over those Anne Geddes Calendars..(you know, the ones with the babies in flower pots with giant flower bonnets on, and the ones dressed up as teddy bears on shelves). She was the OG of posed newborn photography, in my opinion back then, and I would always dream of wanting to be Anne Geddes. My first step was to buy a “fancy camera” and become the resident photographer of family functions. It became my hobby. And that’s where it stayed for this in-the-box-thinker for many many years. Afraid to pursue the dream because in my head, dreams took guts and confidence to be a self-starter: two things I had a hard time mustering (and still do, in a lot of ways, if I am being completely honest).
College took me to the world of social work and I spent most of the Early 2000’s being Pollyanna, trying to save the world in the non-profit social work sector and then again as a DCYF worker. When my husband and I married, we had a small wedding videography business and I gravitated to the photographers more than the videography world. And somehow along the way, my husband connected me with my first photography gig… ready for this one…?… it was a Powerlifting competition! What?!… talk about baptism by fire. Completely out of my comfort zone, but in many ways, I consider it a success. Because I didn’t cower. I took on that gig. I got through that gig and learned a lot from it. I built my confidence and I was bitten by the bug. I felt my dream becoming more than just a pie-in-the-sky idea.
I continued to work for DCYF, overseeing a caseload of about 40 of the state’s most vulnerable children. And I always wished the children in foster care could have newborn photos in their files. Not even the professional ones.. but just newborn photos of themselves… because it would surely be a missing piece for them as many age through the system and wonder about their early years. A giant puzzle piece in their life…. It became another reason for my “why” to pursue my dream of photography. ( to this day… I get GIDDY when a foster family contacts me for photos of their newly placed foster baby… because they are foster parents who get it!… and its an honor for me to capture those moments of the foster’ baby’s life story).
In time, DCYF led me to feeling the need to pursue other avenues of social work and I found myself doing case work in the state’s Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired program. I was working with visually impaired elderly and children at the time when my youngest, Lila was born. Her surprise diagnosis of Noonan Syndrome was a large reason why I ended up taking the layoff when the State restructured our division. A blessing in disguise as it allowed me to be available for all of her appointments and therapies and it led me to my dream opening a door… with my best friend having her second baby… I had her entire pregnancy to prepare for and learn how to photograph a newborn. I did it… and it wasn’t pretty looking back on it… BUT… I let myself have guts and I let myself muster the confidence and that is how my dream was born.
Photography has become a business. But my “why” has always been bigger and I’ve coined it as “photo therapy”. It’s truly been a blend of social work-meets-art. I love giving families stories a voice. I love high-lighting issues in my photography like breast-cancer awareness, spina bifida, post-partum depression, adoption, surrogacy, Ehler-Danlos syndrome, and a host of other issues. Photography always brings a story. Every family has a story. I love learning about and connecting with families and their stories and I love capturing these memories to add to their life stories.
I look forward to seeing where this story takes me. And I value you in allowing me to capture your memories as you and your support have become my “why”. Thank you for letting me be behind the lens when you are in front of it.
—Laura
