Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Nelson.
Hi Laurie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Photography has always been a strong interest of mine. I grew up in a small town in central Nebraska and I was always taking pictures of everything. I loved taking a camera along everywhere I went, whether that was a vacation, school, hanging out with friends, or just outside around my house. Fast forward to college, I found myself pursuing a degree in education. After graduating with a degree in Elementary Education, I ended up moving to the Kansas City area to join my now husband who I had met in college. I spent the next 7 years in education in various settings, but I kept coming back to photography. In 2014, I started a professional certification program for photography at the Kansas City Art Institute. This program really helped to reignite my passion for photography and taught me that capturing pictures of other people was what truly gave me the most joy. I was still working full time, so photography was very much something I did on the side in my free time. As I continued to pursue photography and felt more and more confident in my skills, I kept feeling a strong pull to make it more than just a part-time hobby. After a lot of reflection and thought, in July of 2021, I decided to make the leap and turn my passion for photography into my full-time career.
In addition to photography, I also have a blog, making our Happily Ever After, where I share my husband and I’s journey through infertility and becoming pregnant for the first time through IVF. Infertility can be such a lonely journey and I wanted to start the blog to hopefully help others going through infertility, as well as share information for those who are not familiar with infertility and its struggles.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Pursuing a career in photography has definitely not been a smooth road. I spent many years dealing with lots of worry and self-doubt. I have always been a perfectionist when it comes to my work, which would lead me to be very critical of my photographs. While I believe it is always good to want to improve and try to do the best you can, I was causing myself to burn out because of how hard I was being on myself. I had to take a step back and take some time away from photography a couple of years ago to really evaluate if it was something I wanted to do. Taking that break was really the best thing I could have done for myself and my photography. It allowed me to really find my passion again and it showed me that becoming a full-time portrait photographer is what I really wanted for my career. Although I still struggle some days with those negative thoughts of “Can I really do this? Am I am good enough?” I truly believe I am on the right path and can’t wait to see what the next few years bring for myself and my business.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in family, children, and senior portrait photography. My focus when working with clients is to create a personalized experience that is specifically tailored to each client in order to create beautiful works of art, they can display in their homes for years to come. What makes me different is that I take the time to get to know my clients, what they are looking for in their photographs, and how to best serve them based on their wants/needs. From the initial phone call and the in-person consultation, I offer all my clients, to the photography session itself, and beyond to the viewing/ordering appointment, I aim to make my clients feel educated and empowered about the entire process. I work hand in hand with clients every step of the way so that in the end, they have photographs they can truly love. Life moves so fast and I love to help my clients capture those special moments so that they can last a lifetime and beyond.
I am the most proud of my ability to connect with clients on a personal level. Getting your photograph taken can be somewhat of a stressful and uncomfortable experience, so I work hard to make my clients feel comfortable and at ease. More than anything else, I want my clients to walk away from their experience working with me feeling as though they truly enjoyed the entire experience, from beginning to end.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I have lived in the Kansas City area for close to 8 years now. It was quite a change from my hometown of 3,500 people, but I have really enjoyed my time here. What I like best about Kansas City is the sense of community. It doesn’t matter what part of the city you are in; you can always find people coming together to help others in need. Kansas City has such a fun atmosphere and there is never a shortage of new things to do.
If I had to pick something I like least about Kansas City, it would have to be how spread out everything is. It would be so nice if it wasn’t such a drive to get from one part of the city to another!
Contact Info:
- Email: laurie@laurielynnphotography.com
- Website: laurielynnphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurielynnphotos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurielynnphotography
- Other: makingourhappilyeverafter.com
Image Credits
Greg Rubbert Photography
