Looking Through Glass: Photo Lauren

Hey, Lauren! Thanks so much for taking the time to do this! Why don’t you start off by telling us all a little background? Well, I'm Lauren Randolph, but also known as Lauren Lemon across the internet and through friends. I'm a freelance photographer based out of Los Angeles, but originally from Reno, NV where I grew up and went to school. When I'm not shooting I spend my time traveling, and trying to find my favorite brunch spot in LA.   

I’ve always wanted to go out to LA! You’ll have to tell me where to eat when I’m down there. So how and when did you get into photography? I'm addicted to documenting, and usually always have a camera on me wherever I go. Since middle school, I've always been the person in my group of friends who takes pictures of everything we do - I didn't necessarily try to become a photographer, I just didn't like doing anything else as much as I love making photos! In college, I started out studying journalism because I knew I had a passion for media & magazines. I quickly realized it wasn't the journalistic side I was drawn to; it was the visual art side. I've always been inspired by movies and television, so it only makes sense for me to be in the visual world, being a story teller. 

What has been your favorite project to work on? 

I absolutely love the collaborations I've made with Ryan Schude at Phoot Camp, and just about anything made at Phoot Camp in general. It's an incredible experience for a group of photographers to get together just for the sake of fun and creation. The amount of time, effort, and planning that we put into making those group shots possible makes it all worth it when I'm surrounded by 35 fellow photographers who inspire me to push myself. It's always fun to work on a project like that, and then in the end have it turn out better than you could have expected because of the help and participation of everyone involved. 

That sounds so awesome! I was following the event a little because you were posting on Instagram, but I’m sure that’s no comparison to actually being there. I did notice you seem to do a lot of staged photos with large groups of people like the stuff from Photo Camp, is that your favorite style to shoot? I definitely love shooting staged portraiture. Being able to make up a scene with everything from location, wardrobe, cast, and props is what get most excited to do, mostly because the end results feel so rewarding - knowing you put your entire voice into making a photo come to life. I love capturing candid moments, and shooting snapshots of everything around me, but it really is the entire creation process that gives me my "photo high." However, I enjoy shooting a single person as much as I enjoy shooting with a large group - just depends on the project. It's all about the visual story for me, and being able to get a reaction out of the viewer when they look at my work. 

Do you prefer to work for big companies or individual people? 

As a freelancer, I work for anyone who will hire me!  I aim for big clients and large ad jobs, but also love working for individuals and on smaller projects. I'm a collaborator, and am always open to new ideas and new subjects. If someone has the right project for me, I definitely wouldn't turn it down because it wasn't a huge brand. That being said, I also love working for people who hired me because of my work, so I try to always shoot what I want to be shooting, and don't let clients walk all over me. 

Well I am impressed with everything you put out, no matter what style. What do you hope

to accomplish with your photography skills? Where do you want to be in 5 years? My main goal as a professional photographer is just to continue being able to do what I love. I hope to always continue to grow and evolve as an artist, but so long as photography is my main passion then I can think of nothing better than being able to make photos for the rest of my life. 

Thanks for taking the time to interview with us, Lauren. We’ll definitely keep an eye out

for your work! Thank you so much! I'm always happy to get the chance to share my work.