Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Lauren.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in California, the oldest of 8 kids. My mom always documented our childhood with her film camera, but when I was 16 we got a shared digital camera and I attended a Journalism Camp. While there, I discovered that I loved getting to be the person who tries to find the perspective no one else sees. I went to a college in Southern California for Media & Communications for two years; just long enough to befriend a girl with a camera who had shot a little more than me and taught me to use her DSLR. This led to me switching my schooling plan to a community college photo program which drilled the mechanics into my head while I shot weddings and fell further in love with light. After graduating, I moved to Tampa with my family and began working a bunch of odd jobs. Around this time I started going to concerts alone and—in that setting—feeling things I’d never felt before. I took my camera to one and realized that my style—which prioritizes reacting to the opportunities created by available lighting—was a perfect fit and I felt like I was playing with the lighting. It reminded me of Renaissance painting, of chiaroscuro: the beauty of someone pouring out their best work in a beam of light.
I’ve always been primarily drawn to human storytelling in my work and that has come to feel more like a calling than a job. Whether I’m photographing a show, a wedding, a birth (I’m also a trained Doula), and event, or a portrait session, I see my work as bearing witness to the beauty of that person’s being and what they’re putting into the world. Giving them something tangible as proof that they were seen and cared for and that what they did matters.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As with most work, figuring out how to pay the bills and do what I love at the same time is the biggest struggle, but knowing I’m doing something valuable to me and others—my attempt at loving the world through a witness-bearing work—keeps me happily working even if a specific job isn’t the most fun or creative. As long as I’m working with people I can find something beautiful in it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in working with musicians. That includes: portraiture, live music documentation, tour documentation, music videos, content needs, and being the best hang I can be.
I’m most proud of the times I’ve photographed someone and they look at the photo and say “Woah, I look like that?” The opportunity to show someone that the way they hope they’re seen is indeed how they are seen is the best job in the world.
I think that my doula training and care-work perspective really set me apart. I love to look for what’s needed and I think it keeps me paying deep attention to the people I work with as well as making them feel very comfortable. When people feel comfortable just being themselves, usually the best photos happen.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Making people feel seen and loved.
Contact Info:
- Website: savannahlauren.com & love.savannahlauren.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/savannahlaurenphoto
