We recently connected with Laura Eleanor Williams and have shared our conversation below.
Laura Eleanor, thank you so much for joining us. You are such a positive person and it’s something we really admire and so we wanted to start by asking you where you think your optimism comes from?
It is a lot easier for resilience to turn into jadedness than hopefulness. But the difference is everything. I haven’t always been a glass half-full type of person. The shared experience and culmination of difficult situations I have endured has grown my optimism. It is because of the times when I could not imagine things getting better that I have so much hope for the future now. I have felt hopeless and found the light again. For the amount of pain I’ve lived through, I have an abundance of enthusiasm for life. The cornerstone belief that defines my attitude is the knowledge that hope exists regardless of if I feel it or not. When I was battling anorexia, I genuinely could not imagine what it would feel like to be free of it. Bit by bit, piece by piece, the grip loosened and the ringing in my ears turned to background noise, eventually fading until I forgot it was ever there. I have been caught off guard by pain, but I have also been caught off guard by hope and by joy. If you could take me back six years and tell me that I would now have the privilege of photographing graduations, love, weddings, and everything in between, it would have caught me completely by surprise. I would be overwhelmed with excitement! If I was also told of some of the heartache I would endure, it would have been unimaginably daunting. Life conditions us to brace for sadness, but what we don’t always expect is to be blindsided by joy. I’ve learned that when we build barriers to protect ourselves from pain and loss, we miss out on the good things by not being present and living in the moment. Living in the moment is a whole lot easier said than done, especially when so much pressure is placed on single moments. I remind myself daily to take moments for what they are, not what I imagined them to be. We all know that comparison is the thief of joy, yet so often we ruin special moments by comparing them to something we imagined. That sort of pressure breeds dissatisfaction. Take moments, people, and circumstances for what they are. It may feel disappointing at first, but it will build greater long-term satisfaction.
One of the most important lessons I have learned is how much control I have over whether the challenges I am faced with are doable or not. As a result, doing away with my all-or-nothing mentality has been crucial. Before I shut something down because I am not able to take the leap it requires, I look at other routes. Can I just take a few small steps? One day at a time; one hour at a time. I am not stuck, I may just need another form of transportation. This is relevant to almost everything in life. Relationships, jobs, moving, and all forms of growth.
The entire challenge might be too much to tackle right now, but the first step is always possible. If you’re on a road trip across the country and have your map zoomed all the way out, you’ll feel like you’re not moving even at 90mph. Zooming out might give you perspective of where you’re headed, but fixating on such a large picture can make you feel like what you’re doing in the moment is fruitless. You’re more likely to get discouraged, miss a turn, and give up on the route. Placing one foot in front of the other is sometimes all we can do. Being in my early/mid 20s, it feels like everything I do needs to be a big next step. The truth is, now is the best time to be taking small steps. I am a scattered puzzle. There are pieces of my life that I see coming together, but there are even more pieces that don’t yet seem to fit or that I am still missing altogether. More than I believe life will bring me good things, I believe I will find the good in life. Joy can be scary because it can fade, but remember that sadness too will fade. There will be new joys and new losses; I just try to hold on a little tighter to the joy and not run away in the face of potential loss. I have always wholeheartedly agreed with Tennyson when he said “…better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Corny? Absolutely. Nonetheless, the things I have loved and poured my passion into I have not regretted near as much as the things I did not try at. I’d rather find out what good could come from something than spend my time avoiding all the possible bad outcomes. There are many distinctions to be made between being hopeful and optimistic, and being reckless and delusional. I think most of us are a little bolder in our retreat than our pursuit. Life doesn’t have to be figured out to be spectacular. I’m going to keep finding the good, acknowledging the bad, and working towards better things.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I started a photography business during college to help me financially support myself. I’ve loved taking photos for most of my life, but only began working seriously on my skills in recent years. I got to do so many graduation photos for friends and strangers on my beautiful campus. Side note: UGA has the best campus of any school. I got to photograph weddings, engagements, love stories, families, and more. Every single photoshoot I have done has felt so special to me. The honor I feel when capturing those moments never fades!
I recently made a move from Georgia to Washington, D.C. and it has been challenging to maintain the volume of photography work since my move, but it has also given me new inspiration and renewed creativity! I won’t necessarily be here long term and I would love to spread more of my work across the country. While the D.C. architecture gives me inspiration, I feel most myself around the mountain peaks!
I love finding out how to best capture each person or couple. I love that photography gives me the opportunity to connect with people I would never have met. Every person can and should be made to feel worthy of being in front of a camera. Getting to help someone feel comfortable and secure is the best part of my job. Most people like having good pictures of themselves; almost no one likes having the pictures taken. I do my best to change that. The process can and should be fun!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Empathy, doing things your own way, and time management.
Empathy is first because being able to genuinely care about who is in front of your camera is non-negotiable when it comes to making someone feel comfortable and valued. Photos are scary for a lot of people. You don’t have to know why each person may or may not feel comfortable in front of the camera, you just need to be able to capture them for who they are; that requires caring about them in a tangible way.
Secondly, doing things your own way is what allows you to keep your creativity. It is so difficult to fight off imposter syndrome, especially as you’re getting started. There is not a “right” way to be a photographer, to edit your photos, or to share your work. The competitive nature of the market is all the more reason to stay true to your vision. It is a lot easier to be yourself than copy someone else. Solicited advice can be hugely helpful, but remember that it is okay to do it your own way and trust your gut.
Thirdly, time management can make or break you. People ask all the time how many sessions they should aim to do in a month. That depends on so many things. Be careful as you build up your clientele. The actual photoshoot is the shortest part of the process, and some photos take far longer to edit than others. Sometimes less is more, and protecting yourself from burnout will preserve your quality and passion in the long run.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I always love connecting with other creatives! I would encourage anyone to reach out to me through my photography email or instagram. @lauraeleanorphoto // lauraeleanorphotography@gmail.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lauraeleanorphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraeleanorphoto/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Laura-Eleanor-Photography/100080346634120/
