Check Out Laura Steiner’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Steiner.

Hi Laura, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hey there! Im a lifestyle photographer here in middle Tennessee, mom to 3 girls, wife to Jason, passionate about all things creative arts and most importantly, my faith. However, if you’d asked me a few years back, I would have never thought I’d be a where I am now in my business!

But this isn’t the beginning of the story, it’s more like the middle. The beginning truly starts with being the youngest of 3 girls in a family full of artists. My dad is an artist in the truest sense: an acrylic painter and custom home designer. My mom is a piano teacher, queen of arts and crafts, and director of activities for countless parks and rec departments. Sister #1 – unbelievably talented graphic designer and artist; Sister #2 – Musician, singer-songwriter, and creative writer. To say it’s in my blood to dream, imagine, produce, and create is a colossal understatement. We also love to tell my dad that he raised 3 incredibly creative daughters, all of which are now starving artists.

I never knew which way I wanted to direct my passion for the arts. I dabbled in piano, guitar, and even violin. I performed and competed with my high school show choir, back before show choir was cool. (Wait, is show choir cool?) I took creative writing classes in community college, and even ended up minoring in theatre. But before stumbling into theatre, I finally landed on studying film and video. I figured with film, I could be part of it all without needing to choose just one creative avenue. Concerts, movies, TV, design, music – it could all be reached one way or another through film.

I was a fresh college graduate with a degree from UC, San Diego in visual arts with an emphasis in film and video, my well-earned theatre minor, and like most 22-year-olds, no idea what I wanted to do. So naturally, I found myself working the front desk at a chiropractor’s office to make ends meet until I found my “dream career”. It was with bonus money from that job that I purchased my very first DSLR camera, which proceeded to collect dust in my bedroom on Snapdragon Lane, then moved with me and my husband across the ocean to collect more sand and ocean dust after we got married and moved to Maui. It island-hopped with us when we moved to Oahu, and only resurfaced again to snap a few photos of our first baby when she turned one month old. Back into the closet, it went. Three brief years in California and another baby later, that same DSLR camera was packed up and heading across the country with us to our new home in Tennessee.

“I’ll never be a photographer” is a phrase I found myself repeating to my husband out of habit. Now we were living in middle Tennessee, with our three beautiful daughters, and I was ready to start exercising my creative muscles again. It wasn’t until I truly revisited the idea of starting photography that I wondered why I didn’t want to do it. I like to refer to this moment as “the shower epiphany”. God always seems to impress things onto my heart in the shower. Can anyone else relate?

And so Laura Steiner Creative was founded. In the shower. And guess what? I absolutely love being a photographer.

Alright, 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?
A lot of my challenges are admittedly self-imposed. I think it’s easy to doubt and compare or feel as though the market is over-saturated. These things are just not true. It’s so much fun to connect with other like-minded creatives, cheering each other on, and swapping stories and strategies.

We’re all in this together. Another very real mental obstacle was the fact that everyone has a good quality portrait camera and video recorder in their pocket. In all honesty, if I had known as a college freshman that 2023 would give everyone the ability to post quality photos and videos, I may have chosen a different field to study. But the Lord’s plan is good and always prevails.

There is still so much a photographer can capture that is special and unique – whether it’s the entire family together, authentic intimate moments, that magical golden-hour glow, or even a special occasion. There’s magic a photographer can capture while mastering their art that an iPhone just can’t quite compete with.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in families, engagements, maternity sessions, and senior portraits! I love to capture beautiful light and movement, be it belly laughs or the way he looks at you. Those glimmers of intimate moments that can be frozen in time forever – that’s what I aim to capture.

I’m also going to start offering video highlight reels, capturing the lost art of home movies! I want to bottle up your current season of life for you forever. So whether it’s through photos or through video highlights – the way he says his baby sister’s name, that little baby giggle and her sweet expressions, the romantic excitement of being newly engaged, that pregnancy glow and sweet baby bump… I could go on and on. I’m so passionate about freezing your moments in time!

In addition to lifestyle photo sessions for families, couples, and high school seniors, I’m excited to also offer in-studio sessions as well! Headshots, black and white portraits, or floating flower sessions are all available at my home in Thompson’s Station.

Risk-taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
My husband and I are both self-employed entrepreneurs. I think there is a definite risk involved any time you go into business for yourself, regardless of the industry. Not only are you taking a financial risk, but you’re taking a chance on putting yourself (and your dream) out in the world.

It’s scary. You’re going to fail sometimes, which makes for some difficult, but necessary, life lessons. (And some good stories, too, like the time we invested in tons of products to sell and didn’t sell one item, or the time I quit my job to move to Hawaii before Jason’s job there was secured). But ultimately, if it’s worth the risk to see your dreams come to life, I’m a huge advocate of going for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: laurasteinercreative.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurasteinercreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurasteinercreative/ 

Image Credits
Laura Steiner Creative