Life & Work with Lauren Hawkins

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Hawkins. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
How did I get started in my photography business? Well, my dad bought a nice camera and multiple lenses and decided somewhere in his midlife that he wanted to be a sports photographer. However, my dad NEVER used his camera, so I started to play with it. I also have a huge family, I mean big, like 32 first cousins big, and whenever we would have family get-togethers I would bust out my dad’s camera and basically do family sessions for everyone. Then Facebook came out and people would post the pictures I took, and then I had other people asking me to take their family photos, and somewhere along the line I was doing a lot of photos so decided I should probably charge for them. Photography was just a side hustle for me for a while. I was doing it on the side while I got my Master’s in Speech Pathology. I had been working as a speech therapist specializing on working with elderly patients with dementia, The best part of that job was listening to people’s stories about their life. I thought how could I combine my two passions. Then I started working videography into the mix where I do video interviews sessions of elderly family members where I “time capsule” their life stories, as well as take photos of them. I still do all things photography from weddings to newborns but my time with this generation is a personal favorite. Currently, I am blessed to say that I am now a full-time photographer, despite going to college for 7 years to become a speech therapist, haha, however, I believe that this is all a part of my journey and has led me to where I am today. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the hardest part about this journey was making the leap of faith to do photography full time. I was working part-time as a photographer, part-time as a speech pathologist, full-time mom and wife and it was just too much. I felt like I wasn’t able to give best because I didn’t have time. I also felt bad leaving such a stable great job with speech therapy, for photography, which can be unpredictable in some seasons. After prayer and talking to my husband about it we decided that it was time to try photography full time, Photography is more than a job it is a passion, it allows me to be creative, wake up excited for what I do, get to meet new people, be my own boss, and control my schedule to prioritize my time with those who matter most to me. I am blessed to say that I have been busy with photography recently, and that just affirms our decisions for me to do this full time, and allows me to grow and be a better version of myself in all areas of life. 

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a photography/videographer. I do ALL THINGS photography. I love moody/dreamy/outdoor photography most of all. I also am most proud of the time capsule sessions that I offer where I get to interview loved ones/elderly and/or sick family members and give an artistic video interview of their life stories and a beautiful photo session for family members to hold dear and pass down from generation to generation. 

What do you think about luck?
I would probably say that I am lucky that my dad never used his camera and that I had such a big family to practice taking photos on, lol however I do like to think photography and I would have found each other at some point in life. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.lalainspired.com
• Instagram: @lalainspired
• Facebook: @lalainspiredphotos

Image Credits
Hannah Schreiner Photography