Today we’d like to introduce you to Genevieve Lauren Burruss.
Genevieve Lauren, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was 4 I got a little blue Kodak 110 film camera and I immediately fell in love with it. I wore it around my neck like a necklace and I begged my parents for the film instead of candy. I even took it to my preschool and kindergarten classes and took pictures of kids doing their coloring and posing for me… looking back I suppose I was always a photographer but it wasn’t until I took my first black and white photography class when I was in college that I realized that this was something I wanted to do with my life, and I then shifted my focus to study photography.
I earned my undergraduate degree in professional photography and liberal arts from Christchurch Polytech in New Zealand and then did a year of a graduate program at the famed Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara before leaving to come to Chicago to work for the infamous local photographer Marc Hauser. Marc was well known for his celebrity portraits and work on Hasselblad cameras and taught me the most important parts of being a photographer, which included how to connect with and direct your subject. I was so inspired with how much emotion and vulnerability he can pull out of a subject within minutes of them sitting in front of his camera and I use many of the little tricks he taught me every time I’m working with my clients.
Around that time I started shooting weddings on weekends with a local company to earn some extra money, and I loved that a piece of art that I created for my clients would become a family heirloom they would treasure for generations to come. I started doing weddings more seriously and now they account for about 2/3 of my business, The little moments that a couple will miss on their wedding day sometimes become their favorite images, and I love that I get to emotionally invest in my work knowing that it will immediately have deep meaning for my couples and their family.
My love for editorial portraiture and other commercial work still keeps me working on fashion shoots, travel and lifestyle commissions and my love for fine cuisine has led me to photograph some of the best chefs work in the city from Sean McClain’s Green Zebra to the now-closed Bleeding Heart Bakery and Mindy Segal’s Hot Chocolate to name a few. Last year travel work accounted for more than half of my workload and I visited 6 countries and took over 24 flights photographing everything from destination weddings to Bridal Fashion Week in London and an editorial about Cuba.
I’m always seeking to improve my worldview and visiting different cultures helps me see my own more clearly and especially when I’m photographing weddings, all of the little traditions and meaningful things people infuse into their day that make it unique become magnified and resonate with me on a whole other level. Capturing people and the moments in their lives that mean the most to them is more than just a joy, its a passion and though I still have my own passions for fashion, food, and exploring the world, they all tie back into the connections that people form with one another. This is the thing that keeps me pushing to be better, gives more, and create work that makes me happy.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Creating a company around art will always have its challenges and dealing with clients who have certain expectations surrounding a very emotionally charged event can be daunting at times as well. On top of the daily realization that no matter how careful you are to explain things as clearly as possible, people will still misunderstand things like copyright, pricing structures, and contracts. Working within a market that is increasingly saturated with photographers who are doing this on the side as their hobby or “fun job” while it is your sole profession can be frustrating as well.
In 2008 when I was just building my wedding business on weekends while managing another photo studio we were all incredibly affected by the market crash, and since photography is seen as a luxury item business became more and more difficult to win and many of us were living on incredibly thin margins to make ends meet. The thing that people don’t understand is that photographers have a very thin margin of profit as business owners because the gear we use is incredibly expensive and coupled with the costs of marketing, insurance, maintenance and the products we offer our clients we end up working long hours. If you don’t love this job you shouldn’t do it, because it’s not always easy.
On top of those normal small business related issues, there is also an incredible amount of pressure to create work that people will connect with. The hardest thing for me over the years, especially in the beginning, was to stay true to the look, feel, and style of work that resonated with me and that made me happy to create. I am first and foremost an artist, and there were several years where I felt like I had to copy a certain style or trend because that was what people wanted. Once I realized that by staying true to what I loved, that I would attract the kind of clients that not only appreciate what I do but resonate with the artistic merit it holds which a whole other world opened up for me with my business.
Now I do work that I would want for myself, and I continue to be surprised with how much people love what makes me happy to create as an artist more than the trendy editing styles, and Instagram style filters that seem to be everywhere right now.
Genevieve Lauren Photography – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As a photography company, I am known for cinematic storytelling imagery and describe my work, especially my wedding and editorial travel work, as “fashion forward photojournalism with an editorial edge”. I do a ton of location scouting to give my clients a look and feel for their wedding, engagement, and editorial portrait photos that no one else will have.
If you are looking for the same locations that you see in other portfolios I am probably not the right fit for you, and my clients are typically people who appreciate design, art and a unique point of view while still maintaining a look that resonates with them. I’ve shot in all kinds of crazy places from parking garages to emergency exit stairwells, to tiny back rooms that have just the perfect light in them that creates a feeling rather than just putting my clients in front of something that is pretty.
I also tend to use my studio and fashion photography background to create magazine-quality portraits that are lit well and add drama and an artistic flair to their day as a whole. Sometimes the difference between a good image and a great image could be that tiny bit of extra light that draws attention to your subjects in a new way.
I think at this point in my career, I’m most proud of the fact that I do work that I love, create images that make me smile just as much as my clients, and I have managed to do that without falling prey to too many of the trends that have come and gone along the way.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is different for everyone, but for me, its being able to support myself and my family by doing something that I look forward to every day. I always knew from a young age that being tied to a desk and working for someone else wouldn’t fit my personality. Being able to create something that makes me happy, inspired, and is also meaningful to other people and families is my ultimate definition of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.genevievelauren.com
- Phone: 619 972 5233
- Email: info@genevievelauren.com
- Instagram: @genevievelaurenphoto
- Facebook: @genevievelaurenphotography
- Twitter: @genlaurenphoto
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/genevieve-lauren-photography-chicago?osq=genevieve+lauren+photography
- Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=genevieve+lauren+photography&oq=genevieve+lauren+photography&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i61j69i60j69i61j69i59.6393j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
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