Photographer Behind the Lens {Laura K Photography}

This week we are featuring the amazing Laura from Laura K Photography as our Photographer Behind the Lens!

Share a little about you...

I am an AIPP accredited family portrait photographer, specialising in Newborns and children located in far South-West Queensland. A wife and mother to two beautiful boys, photography has been my passion through-out my life.

I recently swapped the beach for the bush after relocating from Airlie Beach in the Whitsundays to Dirranbandi, a small rural town of around 700 people. I travel to surrounding towns and properties capturing rural families where they live. This is both a challenge and an amazing adventure.

I often spend hours on the road to reach my clients. I travel dirt roads, do my best to avoid Kangaroos, juggle everything to book sessions to use fields before the start of harvest and battle 4000 flies every session....my fly swatting skills have also improved immensely.

This is to mention only a few of the challenges...we won't talk about taking wrong turns and heading down the wrong dirt road for 20 kilometers. Or travelling 2 hours to get within 10 minutes of your clients property only to watch the storm roll in and have to turn around so I don't get bogged.

But....I love it! I love the adventure of it, the unknown and the discovering of places I wouldn't otherwise have any reason to travel to. Best of all is the people. My clients are down to earth, friendly and welcoming. I often get offered a beer!

The best part is creating portraits for rural families where they live, work and spend most of their time. I love that I can create images for my client that I cannot reproduce for anyone else. It is their property, their pets, their shearing shed. I have had items such as vintage bikes and wool scales for use during sessions. This creates truly unique portraits that are personally significant to that family.

A little back story...

My interest in photography started in my childhood. It was always there and I remember staring out of the car window on long road trips as a very young child and shooting the landscape in my mind. I can also remember taking my little Kodak Instamatic camera that my Mum had given me to school camp in Grade 7. I got my girlfriends to dress up and put on a fashion parade for me while I took their photos.

Much of my skill and experience comes from on-the- job training in various roles within the industry, including; sales, print lab, photographer, studio manager. My career spans over 15 years with the past 6 years running my own business. 

I spent a glorious 4 years as a busy Wedding Photographer in the Whitsundays. I have been published in several Bridal magazines and also had an image of one of my own beautiful babies in a Parenting Magazine & online. My images have appeared in both print & online marketing for a High Profile Whitsunday Island Resort as well as a Wedding Planning Organisation.

How did your photography career begin? 

I first officially studied photography during high school and my first experience in the Darkroom cemented my love for the art. The first demonstration by the teacher of using the chemical baths was like magic to me. Seeing the image appear on the paper was the best thing I'd ever seen and I knew I wanted to do that.

Straight out of school I got my first photography job travelling around photographing babies in one of those mobile studios that sets up in shopping centers.

Those years travelling were hard sometimes but also so much fun! A bunch of young ladies travelling all over Queensland is a recipe for fun. Plus I felt so happy to be a photographer. I got to do a job I loved.

I spent a few years doing that and later moved onto being the permanent full time photographer in a Pixi Studio and later to managing a studio. I also spent a couple of years doing school photography.

What do you love most about photography? 

The capturing of a moment in time. I love the thought that my images will be looked upon by the generations to come. I love history and like to see old photographs myself. I feel privileged to think that one day someone will be looking at a photograph I took and think, "Wow! that's my Great Great Grandma". I feel I am making a small contribution to my clients legacy so the next generations will know who they were.

How would you describe your style? 

Semi-formal - I have a somewhat posed style but with a level of candid thrown in for good measure. I aim to have portraits that are posed and follow the "rules" to a point but strive to include the candid nature of families interacting with each other. I want to show that connection between loved ones and sometimes rules need to be broken. I can live with a hand out of place if the expressions are true and the moment captured.

Share with us your all-time favourite image, and why? 

Oh my! how could I ever pick one! So many favourites for so many different reasons but to narrow it down to one, I have to say this one of my two boys together. It isn't my favourite because its technically perfect (far from it actually) but because it is my true loves. Having children gave me a far greater appreciation for family photography. The progression of my own life and values has pushed my passion for portrait photography towards family, especially children.  

Share a sneak peek inside your camera bag! What is your favourite lens and why? 

This is an impossible question! I love different lenses for different purposes. If I had to pick one, I would say my Sigma ART 50mm 1.4. This lens I can put on my camera and have nothing else and be ready for nearly any session.

In my bag I also have a 24 - 105 f4 - I will be upgrading this soon to the 24-70 2.8.

I also have the 70-200 2.8, a 100mm 2.8 macro which are both gorgeous lenses for portraits.

I recently purchased the Samyang 14mm 2.8 ultra wide angle lens to dabble in a little landscape photography. The scenery out here is just too good to resist.

Share a sneak peek inside your studio.

I have a mobile set up for newborn shoots that I take into my clients homes. I use natural light so no lighting set up but I do own every prop ever...haha! I am addicted to newborn props like every other newborn photographer in the world. My husband likes to remind me that when we moved house, the entire front section of the truck was full of baskets, buckets and crates.

What’s inside your editing toolbox? What post processing tools do you love the most?

For editing I use Bridge and Photoshop in my workflow. I use a mixture of hand editing and some actions. My favorites come from Greater than Gatsby and Little Lusker.

For a bit of fun…. share an image from your first paid session and from your most recent session! What has contributed most to your development as a photographer? 

My first proper paid session was my Best Friend's wedding...yep! Let's start this story by saying we are still best mates today.

I probably had too much confidence and not enough experience because now I cannot believe I took that responsibility on. I had been working as a paid photographer for other companies but this was my first gig of my own and my first wedding. I am still proud of what I achieved but have come a long way since then.

Now this was back in the film days and I do have the negatives tucked away somewhere!

Newborn photography is a genre I have always been passionate about. It was my "thing" way before it became so fashionable. I am always striving to do better and I invest a lot of time, effort and money into my newborn photography.

The first image is from one of my early newborn shoots and the second from my most recent.

The single thing that has contributed to my development the most is the desire to be better. I am my toughest critic and constantly striving for improvement. Online tutorials, workshops, model calls, trial and error. However you do it, just keep learning and building your skill set.

What would be your #1 tip that you would give to new photographers?

Learn, Learn, Learn! We all start somewhere and I wish I could of had a mentor back when I first started. I love where I am now but it has taken me over 15 years. I didn't have access to online tutorials, YouTube etc. Now, if I am not sure how to do something I Google it! My skill set has gone up in leaps and bounds over the past few years as I have a wealth of knowledge accessible any day any time.

To see more amazing work from Laura Kubiek Photography:

Website: www.laurakphotography.com.au

FB: www.facebook.com/laurakphotographer

Insta: www.instagram.com/laura_kphotography

Sending out a BIG thank you to Laura for featuring on our Blog!

With love ~ Wood & Lace xx