Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Turner.
Lauren, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like. I have always been a barefoot dancing, loving, and free-spirited soul. My roots in nature grew and deepened as I spent the majority of my childhood climbing trees, running barefoot through grassy fields, building forts from foraged branches, and hanging out in the Florida waters. It is safe to say I am quickly energized by exploring off the beaten path places.
In elementary school, I remember coming home from school, putting on MTV music videos, and firing through disposable cameras with my siblings and friends. Throughout elementary, middle, and high school, one of my absolute favorite things to do was to get dressed up, go outside, and take ridiculously silly and fun pictures with my friends. Flash forward to high school, photography started to develop into something so much greater for me. As I battled anxiety and depression, it became my creative outlet that allowed me to go out and explore God’s beautiful creation and breathe more gently. Now, hiking, rock climbing, road trips, traveling, and exploring are staples in my routine, and being out in nature is what inspires me and my photography most.
I have spent countless hours learning, investing, growing, and working to perfect my craft. And while we always have room for growth, photography has formed into something so much greater than the images I create, but it is the connections I form with my couples and the passion I bring to each and every session. I never imagined that freedom I felt with a “click” of that camera as a child would lead to something so incredibly passion-filled and rewarding.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Photography is subjective, and it took me a long time to not compare my chapter one to someone else’s chapter 20. Self-doubt was one of the biggest struggles as I developed my business. I often thought, “what if I am not good enough?” and “What makes me unique and stand out?”. I wrestled with the idea that I had no talents. However, what I did know was that I am kind, compassionate, and love serving others and that is something that I could bring into whatever I do. I was gifted with an eye to see things in composition, emotion, and color, and I believe greatness is only the sum of the work you are willing to put into better yourself.
For any young woman starting their journey, what makes you unique… is you. Take the pressure off of who you are supposed to be, and just be. Find the things that you LOVE and do them often. The things you are passionate about are already in your heart and will only grow with time. Starting a new journey will not always be easy and it may not look very pretty, but the reward you feel for not giving up it gets hard and simply loving what you do will be what takes you further. God has created each and every one of you with individual traits that make you stand out and makes you beautiful.
I don’t imagine you get where you want to be without the struggle along the way. That is what makes you whole-heartedly appreciate what you have to give.
We’d love to hear more about your work.
One of my favorite moments in time includes spending a golden sunrise in Zion National Park photographing two beautiful, kind, and funny souls as they re-committed their lives to one another. That was the day that I realized I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It took me a while to find my niche, but the adventurous, nomadic, carefree spirit in me fell head-over-heels in love with adventure elopements and intimate weddings. There is something awe-inspiring about two lovers committing themselves to one another in an intimate way, either surrounded only by their closest family and friends or surrounded only by the landscape of one of the most beautiful places on earth.
With bigger weddings, the bride and groom have to divide up more of their time to interact with each of their guests, and sometimes do not even have time to soak up those cherished moments with their new bride or groom. I love that with adventure elopements and intimate weddings, the intention for their day is on spending time together and creating lasting memories, while doing something exciting, like taking a helicopter over Kauai, horseback riding up their elopement spot in the mountains, having a backyard barbecue with the ones they love most or exploring a castle in Ireland. The opportunities are endless!
When it comes to my personal brand as a photographer, what sets me apart from others, is me. I love that each photographer has their own energy and personality they bring to their couples. For me, my strengths lie in being a people-person and helping couples feel right at ease in front of the camera, going above and beyond their expectations for a photographer, and not being confined to my photographer role for elopements but also be a travel planner, florist, friend, and whatever else they need in order to make their day perfect and completely tailored to them. My goal when working with each of my couples is to evoke real emotion and for them say, “wow, you captured us and who we are genuinely and perfectly.”
Who have you been inspired by?
Ahhh where to start? Is it too cheesy to say mom is the most inspiring person in my life? She is the woman who ate the leftovers or went hungry to make sure my siblings and I would be okay when we didn’t have much. She is the woman who showed me what it meant to be self-sufficient and to sacrifice for the ones you love. She set the bar high in terms of work ethic and pushed us to always strive to be better. She’s truly where I learned grit and to push even harder when the going gets tough.
While there are many women who are successful and pioneering the way for women, including Chelsea Yamasa (@chelseakauai), Maddie Mae with @adventureinstead, and Brooke Couch (@brooke.couch), many of the women who truly inspire me are the ones next to me who I am so blessed to call my friends, striving to love others better, saying screw it to competition and lifting up the other women in their lives, and pushing past their comfort zones to live their life to the fullest and pursue their dreams.
Pricing:
- Intimate Weddings and Adventure Elopements based in Southern California, starting at $1,200
- Intimate Weddings and Adventure Elopements anywhere in the U.S, Canada, and Mexico: Adventure, $3,000
- Intimate Weddings and Adventure Elopements anywhere beyond the U.S, Mexico, and Canada, $4,500
- 1-hour Couple’s Portraits, starting at $350
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurenturnerphotography.com
- Email: laurenturner.photo@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/laurs_turner
Image Credit:
Lauren Turner Photography
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