I recently had the chance to sit down and have a one on one interview with local photographer and business owner, Laura Lodes, proprietor of Photography by Laura Marie. After retiring from being a dental hygienist, she opened a photography studio, and has been operating for about a year. Before that she had been photographing as an amateur for close to 30 years. She offers professional photography for an affordable price.
Creating work in this economy is challenging, and with an abundance of photographers trying to get work, it makes it that much harder. “sometimes you just have to cross your fingers and hope your phone rings” Laura says about generating work. “Once I advertised in six different papers and I didn’t get as much business as I had expected or hoped I would. People are tightening their belts in this economy and not spending money on professional photographers.” In terms of numbers, she says her business in the last year has decreased approx. 70%
Despite the bad economy, she still has a passion and love for her chosen profession, and has some recommendations for aspiring photographers “it’s a wonderful career. Just get a good camera, have a good eye, and have lots of positive energy. It really is a great career to start for under 10,000 dollars. You don’t even have to work out of a studio.” She does senior photography, pet photography, and numerous other topics. Nearly anything you can think of to photograph, she will. She has a plethora of cameras and camera equipment, but normally shoots with a Nikon, Fuji, or Canon.
Laura has a studio, and she is willing to meet anywhere, indoors and outdoors, for portraits and senior pictures. She can shoot in Black and White, and she uses photoshop to edit your photo to give it a special feel. She has reduced her rates by nearly one half to accommodate clients that want a professional picture, and not necessarily an expensive price. She also has a referral program, where if you refer a client you get one picture for free, and she often times offers specials such as Valentines Day packages. For more information on Photography by Laura Marie, visit photographybylauramarie.com, or call 206.718.1518