Meet Laura Saur

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

Hi Laura, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
My story is a bit of a winding road. I didn’t study photography in college. I actually had plans to go into the healthcare industry, and with my Bachelor’s Degree in hand, I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. My passion was actually in the fashion industry at the time that I rerouted my career path. I worked a retail job as a personal stylist, started a style blog to have as a digital portfolio and it helped me grow my network in the fashion/blogging industry. I met some really amazing and successful women, and they referred me to job openings they thought would be a great fit for me. These connections got my foot in the door of the corporate world of interior styling, fashion marketing, content creation, and photography. I spent 7 years working in marketing in the fashion and beauty industry and photography always played a role in every job I held. It had always been a hobby I’ve loved since I was a young girl and I owe this interest to my dad who shares my love for it. It became a skill I was growing confident with and knew I could always fall back on it to make it my full-time business one day. That day finally came when I was faced with a decision to either stay in a role that affected my mental health or take charge of my schedule, time, well-being and become my own boss. I took the latter route and almost 3-years later as a full-time freelance photographer, I haven’t looked back. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think there is a such thing as a smooth road. That would just be too easy, right? At the end of the day, no experience has ever been a bad one if you ask me. The hiccups and heartbreaks are where the best lessons are learned. There were definitely moments at the start of new adventures where it felt like it was the dream job. I had realized months into the experiences that it was not all that it was cracked up to be but that was ok! Because it helped me move forward with realistic expectations and taught me the confidence to know what it is I really want out of my life and career and how to find it and fight for it. I think the best lesson I’ve learned since owning a business is learning how to advocate for myself. Doing that doesn’t only apply to being a business owner, but the same goes for an employee, too. Advocate for yourself in the workplace and don’t expect anyone else to speak up for you. Only you know yourself best. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a freelance photographer based in Charleston, SC. I specialize in lifestyle, editorial, and travel photography. I am most proud of my client relationships and collaboration skills. I feel like I say it often, maybe not enough, but I am always so inspired by my clients and the brands/businesses they have built. Getting to work with creative minds is what thrills me and fuels me. I get this adrenaline rush of ideas when I hear their story and always want to find the best ways to help them communicate that visually. I feel like almost all of my clients specialize in different industries so my photoshoot days are rarely ever the same and that’s where I find the most fun challenges that help me improve as a photographer. I think what sets me apart is my editing style. I like to preserve a lot of the life, warmth, and vibrance in my photography so that the viewer experiences the scene the way I saw it. I strive to do this with travel photography especially. I want the viewer to feel like they came along on the trip with me. 

How do you define success?
If you can choose one thing you accomplished from each day and genuinely say “I’m proud of myself”, that is success to me. 

Contact Info:

• Email: laura@lcsstudio.com
• Website: lcsstudio.com
• Instagram: lcs_studio

Image Credits
Laura Saur