Meet Lauren Chappell | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Chappell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear more about your end-goal, professionally.
Photography has always been a stepping stone for me. In school when picking majors I felt as though a photography major would give me the opportunity to be my most creative. My end goal is to be a creative director. With projects in school, every detail in the way that I constructed the image mattered to me. So, that is where my love for creative direction came from.
I would love to be the artistic brain behind brand campaigns. Having projects that are more based off concepts is a goal while being able to work with a team that consist of set designers, stylists, makeup artists, and photographers. Working with Vogue and GQ would be the ultimate dream.
Although I have a strong love for Atlanta, doing work in LA and New York has always been a goal of mine as well.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I would say that I am inspired by femininity and the confidence of women. I like to bring soft neutral tones to life while being able to tell a story. My attention to detail is what sets me apart. I believe the attention to detail is what produces quality. I am really excited to see where my creativity takes me. And, where I am going to be in the next few years. I already see some things falling into place so I am excited to see whats next. I feel like I got where I am today because of perseverance and confidence. Some days I felt like I wanted to give up on photography because I felt as though I wasn’t where I was supposed to be or getting the recognition that I thought I deserved. But I also had to stop comparing my self to the photographers that I looked up to on social media and just be confident in the work that I was creating.
My biggest challenge so far has been trying to gain clients. I am new to the industry, and I have found it difficult getting my name out there. To overcome this, I have been reaching out to brands and potential clients myself rather than waiting for them to come to me. But, I have also been utilizing social media platforms more. Not just instagram, but linked in and Kavyar as well.
While starting my photography business, I have learned that every client is not a good client. When first starting out I used to want to work with everyone that would reach out to me but I began to get overwhelmed. The biggest lesson I learned was to also set boundaries. And having clients to realize that they do not have 24 hour access to me. This allowed to me make sure that I wasn’t being stretched too thin.
One thing that I would like the world to know about me and my brand is that I always strive for excellence and continue to work hard to reach my goals.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
– Monday Night Eat dinner at Tuk Tuk
– Tuesday
grab a coffee at Coma Cafe
Hang out at Ponce City Market for the day (Grab some lunch and look at the shops)
– Wednesday
Grab a coffee at Academy coffee
Ride bikes on the Beltline and grab some lunch
Cru Lounge for vibes and food
– Thursday
Breakfast at Barney’s for brunch
High Museum of Art
Clothing Warehouse in Little 5 points- I love jeans one of my favorites places to get vintage denim
Yebo Beach Haus for dinner

I love going to the Atlanta beltline and Ponce City Market. I feel like it is just a vibe when I go there. I love the food hall and walking around to all the shops. I love the Atlanta skyline, so sometimes me and my friends will go to the rooftop at Ponce city Market to see the beautiful view. There is so much to do up there. The restaurant, which has really good brunch and of course the carnival games. It is really cute for a date night or even a night out with friends.
I love to try new food, so that is what I spend a lot of my time doing. Thrill is a good Korean Bbq restaurant that I like. Tuk Tuk is also good, I love Bartaco (Tacos are my favorite food), and Bellina Alimentari is one of my favorite Italian Restaurants I feel like their pasta is so fresh.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out my mom and dad! They have been very supportive throughout my creative career. They would always come to exhibitions that I was featured in and be fully engaged even if they always did not understand the art. Right now I feel their support more than ever while I am trying to pick up my business. When I first told them that I wanted to start photography full time, they sat me down and helped me but a plan into action. They also always hold me accountable to make sure that everything is still on track.

Website: https://www.laurenashley.photos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/know_lo/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-chappell-18b93a185/

Image Credits
All images taken by Lauren Ashley Studios, LLC