Laura Shepard Photography Blog: SDVoyager interview:)

I was contacted mid summer by a digital magazine company called SDVoyager, they are a great online source of finding out what's happening in & around San Diego county w/tips on places to eat, fun things to do, local "influencers" & artists. They asked me if they could feature one of my images, I said "sure" of course:) & a few weeks later I was asked if they could interview me & again I said "sure":)!!

Here's the link to the interview along w/some of my recent work!

http://sdvoyager.com/interview/meet-laura-shepard/

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

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I have been in love w/photographs since I could remember! About 8 years ago I lost my mom suddenly and losing her sparked a desire to do something that would help me heal, something creative. My husband suggested maybe I should go back to school, or get a part time job just so I could get out of the house for a bit to help get my mind off my loss.

One night during our conversation about this, I looked at him and said, “no I’m not going to get a part time job, I am going to be a photographer.” My hubby looked at me and said “a photographer….ok, how are you going to do that”?
Well to make this story short, literally that same week someone (totally randomly!) had referred a family to me for a session, they were told I liked photography and that I was pretty good, and I was SHOCKED when I got this call inquiring of my prices and where I liked to shoot, I literally made it all up! I told this woman a couple places I thought were great for family photos and I gave her a price, she liked it, booked me and a week later we shot!
The rest is literally history! I don’t think I have gone more than a week w/out a booked session! I learned as I went and I have loved every minute of it!

I feel very blessed to have discovered and be able to share my love and talent for photography while making a nice little income as a bonus! I absolutely love what I do & it makes me so happy when I know that my clients love my work!

Please tell us about your art.
So I love natural lighting, it makes me happy, it makes my subjects look their best, it just radiates joy to me! So, for this reason I have always been drawn to natural light photography. I shoot almost everything, from family, portraits, weddings, parties, seasonal themed for children, sports teams, HS seniors, newborns, and one of my favorites, birth stories (love those!) travel (love travel too!) I also do commercial, brand and architecture photography! I kind of do it all:)!

A lot of photographers specialize in one, or maybe a few different types, but I honestly love it all! For example, I love weddings because of the happiness the excitement and the pressure of capturing an amazing day for my Bride & Groom. For family sessions, I love the challenge of getting everyone comfy in front of the camera, capturing “real” and candid moments, and getting “dad” to tell his wife “that wasn’t so bad”:) I LOVE birth stories! it’s AMAZING to capture all of it! The labor, delivery (gracefully of course:) and those first priceless moments when mom and dad meet baby! I love it all! I want my clients to feel special after they shoot w/me, to feel good about themselves because being in front of a camera can be intimidating and I never want my people to feel uncomfortable, it should be a fun and good experience for all of us!

As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
The way I define success is how my clients feel about the work I do for them and how happy I am doing what I love to do!

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can find me on IG as “photoshep” I’m also in FB as “Laura Shepard Photography” and of course thru my website @ laurashepardphotography.com Find me & follow me!!

Contact Info: