Lauren Withrow – FIND AND SEEK

How did you get into photography?

I’ve always been interested in photography in one way or another, I just never had the means to afford a camera earlier on, you know? (Not that you need a fancy camera) My MySpace days were probably the beginning. I would spend hours taking photos and animating them and trying to make the coolest profile picture. I used my flip phone at the time and cheap digital cameras from Wal-Mart. I didn’t really consider photography until after I graduated high school. My first younger sister was on the way and my dad wanted a nice DSLR to capture her birth. A couple of months after she was born, my dad didn’t pick up the camera much so he eventually gave it to me

You do a lot of black and white photography. Why the attraction to this type of photography?

I will admit that earlier on it was because of my frustration with colors, but now I’ve just fallen in love with black and whites. They have such a classic element. A good black and white image is so captivating to me. I also feel like I have more freedom with detail and contrast in black and whites.

What do you look for in your subjects?

I love models/subjects who bring a lot of emotion to a photo. I don’t like everything to be pretty. I love movement and intensity.

You do a lot of portraits. What do you hope to capture in your subjects?

I hope to capture emotions mostly. Those are always my favorite photos.

What inspires your photography?

I’m so inspired by faces. I love celebrating and focusing on the differences in features.

Who are some of your favorite artists/photographers?

Billy Kidd is definitely my favorite photographer. He produces such an effortless cool that I’m ridiculously in love with. He just seems to have a connection with his models and produces incredible results. I’m actually close friends with another one of my favorites, Lauren Withrow. Her work is incredibly inspiring, raw and beautiful.

Have a favorite photo that you have taken? Any projects?

I would say the photos I’m always happiest with are the photos I’ve taken of Angela Longton. She is just incredible at emoting and creating incredible images. She’s so easy to work with.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I’m in New York at the moment and I’m so excited about getting to work with other artists here. I want to start focusing on putting together more editorials. I would love to start shooting more men as well! I recently shot an incredible guy named Blake Ballard and he was so great to shoot with. I just want to keep shooting and creating photos that I’m proud of.