Lauren Clark Photography

 Tell me about yourself & Business.

Hi! I’m Lauren Clark. I grew up in Lubbock and have always loved the beautiful sunsets and kind people that live here. I began my photography business my senior year in high school- 16 years ago! I wasn’t sure what I was doing but it quickly blossomed into a full-fledged business with two employees and nationwide travel. It was exciting, fulfilling and such an adventure! I have had several seasons of my business where I would dive into different areas of photography and each new venture depended and widened my skill, creativity and connection with others.

How did you get started?

My Uncle Dave was my inspiration from the time I was 15 and got my first point and shoot camera. He had been a wildlife and wedding photographer for years and I always loved seeing him bring his large cameras to my Grandma’s house to take photos of the family. I began taking photos non-stop in high school and even co-taught the first photojournalism class at my high school.

My senior year my dad gave me the idea of starting a sports photography business with a digital camera. I couldn’t believe someone would trust a 17 year old to start a business! I went for it… but instead of sports I started doing seniors, weddings and families. I was pretty terrible at first, but kept at it with a huge desire to be THE BEST!

Eventually my business reached a tipping point and my husband and I were being flown all over the country for weddings and I was speaking and leading photography workshops for hundreds of women photographers around the country. It was a thrilling time in my life! That was over a decade ago and once I decided to start having children my focus shifted to being as good of a mom as I could be. I cut way back on my wedding commissions and focused on my growing family. Now my kids are almost all school age and I’m jumping back into the wedding world with 16 years of experience and learning. It’s fun to see how it has all come full circle!

How long have you been in business & What sets you apart from others in the industry?

16 years. I started my business on May 1, 2003… 3 weeks before graduating high school.

What sets me apart from other photographers in the area is that I know myself well and learn quickly about my clients and adapt to meet their needs in a seamless way.

I play my business to my strengths so that I can be the best at what I am great at- creativity under pressure, consistent and lightning fast shooting (no awkward pauses while I fumble with my settings or try to think of ideas), the ability to read other people and adapt to make them feel completely at ease, my cheery and anxiety free personality, and my bright and colorful editing style.

What do you love most about your job?

The ability to meet new people, explore new places and deliver images that WOW my clients.

I’ve heard people say to me

“How did you make HIM look that good?”

“You can’t even tell that we were an hour behind schedule at the wedding!”

“How did you get SO much variety in so little time?”

“Your presence was felt and was comforting”

"You were EVERYWHERE the whole day!"

“I can always count on you to get it all done and make up for lost time when the groomsmen showed up WAY late!”

How long have you been married? Where did you get married? 

I got married at the ripe age of 19 at the Baker Building in downtown Lubbock and we are about to celebrate our 15^th anniversary next summer. Our wedding budget was very small, but we made it count with the people we invited and the details we chose. I LOVE chocolate and so we had a chocolate fountain and the bride’s cake was chocolate with chocolate icing!  All of my photography friends came and photographed it for me, it felt like the paparazzi having 4 photographers wander around!

What would you have changed about your wedding? 

I would have slowed down and focused more on making every detail matter in a personal way instead of just following the normal traditions. I really enjoy challenging the cultural norms, but was very stressed out about planning my wedding! I would have spent the time to find creative ideas to honor the people we loved, fun new ways to celebrate and I would have chosen to dance!

What is something interesting about you others don't know?

My life has been marked with extreme success and extreme failures, but I never gave up learning and enduring through both of them. I have another dream to eventually become a counselor to help people get unstuck in their lives and live free of shame and into the fullness of who God created them to be. I also prefer dessert before my meals.