Meet Laura Polen | Portrait and Commercial Photographer

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

Hi Laura, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Authenticity. When I first started photography I followed photographers I admired. I built my pricing and business to look like theirs. Following their lead only felt like a shell of a business to me. Over the years I’ve made my style, my editing, my pricing into my own. I keep shifting to what ‘feels’ right. Longing to give my clients what I would want in the experience. In being authentic and open with them about my life, they open up to me about theirs. This allows me to capture their souls. I love telling stories or striking conversations through our sessions to distract my clients and get genuine looks and smiles. I am constantly aiming to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. I gently guide them in posing, angles and even what emotion I am looking for in their eyes. Authenticity is everything. Being vulnerable myself gives them a save place to be their true self. Being in front of a camera is awkward for most people…so getting that authentic self to shine through can be tricky. When people feel loved and accepted, they open like a flower allowing me to capture their soul. The best compliment I repeatedly receive from clients is that I capture their true self. Photos take you back to a moment with emotion and detailed clarity. Everyone deserves to have their souls shine in print.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Graduating with a Math major and Science minor, I never imagined I’d be a professional photographer. When I became pregnant with my first child I longed to do something from home. I bought a black and a white backdrop, a decent camera, two lenses and jumped in. Countless long nights of self-taught training and working through books one chapter at a time have got me to where I am today. Eventually our walk-out basement turned into a 6 station full blown studio and I was as busy as I could manage while being a mom. We moved to Colorado 5 years ago and once again, I found myself building my business after leaving a thriving business in Ohio. The mountains were calling…so we moved. It was a huge risk to start over with a young family, but out of the move my commercial side was born. I now have two branches of business and love the differences each brings. Portraits allow me to play with light and to build relationships with clients I adore. Branding sessions are super fun! I’ve worked a lot with high school seniors and love capturing such a pivotal time in life. The commercial side speaks to my analytical brain and allows me to capture the most stunning spaces! Not only am I a creative, I’m also very analytical. Having a fairly even spread between left/right brain allows me to provide photography that is artistic but also balanced and carefully framed. My clients love that I notice if something little needs fixed in the frame. I am happy to wait a minute before snapping the picture to be sure things are just right. When I edit images, I lose track of time. I delve in and live in their eyes, in the space, in the moment until the editing is done. I’m always so excited about the images of my clients that I can’t wait to share them! I feel beyond blessed to do something I love so much and am so passionate about. It’s a gift I am forever grateful for. One thing I’m not good at is selling myself. Building my business would’ve been much easier if I wasn’t such an introvert! My business has grown organically through recommendations, repeat clients and referrals. Perk of this is I have an AWESOME clientele base consisting of people I’ve met through my kids school, church, and the line at the coffee shop. Watching my clients’ kids grow up has been a great honor. I love that I am a small part of their stories. It is a privilege I cherish. When challenges arise, I work ON my business instead of in it. How has demand changed? What could I do to grow? When COVID-19 hit I did porch sessions. When my schedule changed from toddlers to school-aged children, I started my commercial side so I could do some of my jobs during the day (instead of portraits always at sunset on evenings/weekends). Taking time to think through challenges has been the best solution. The greatest lesson I’ve learned in doing photography is that you can capture the true beauty of someone but if they do not love themselves, they will not love the image. We are all our own worst enemies and critics. When this happens, I do my best to remind and convince them of how beautiful they truly are. We were not meant to all look the same. Celebrate yourself! Mostly, I want people to know that its important to take photos. Whether with a photographer or on your own. Capture the memories. Put them in a book. Take the time to document the important times in your life (and take the time to just sit and enjoy them, too). Get in the frame. My dad passed six years ago and was a great photographer, himself. He had a travel agency and documented the countless places/countries he visited. Going through his photo slides brings me the greatest joy! To see his life through his eye/lens…priceless. To have photos with him, the best! Photos are return tickets to moments otherwise gone. If people could know one thing about photography, I would want them to know that it is more than just taking a decent image. There are a lot of photographers out there…many great! What sets me apart? I follow the light. I look for locations that frame exactly where I want you to be. I will gently guide you into the most flattering pose. I will edit the finest details. I will do my best to capture your soul shining through your beautiful shell/body. I aim to tell your story in our session together. I want your images to be your legacy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We have a cabin we VRBO in Granby. It has grown to be my favorite area! We love to ski Winter Park. Fraser has a super fun skate park. The Foundry has a few bowling lanes and a 2-screen theater. The rec center has a super fun pool! The Hot Dog Stand is a fun outdoor spot year round. The BrickHouse 40 in Granby is a favorite…we LOVE their burgers! Granby Lake is stunning. We frequently hike the area. Grand Lake is a mecca for hiking, paddle boarding, sledding, snowmobile riding, and much more! Not to mention, Hot Sulphur Springs! From our little cabin we can travel 20 minutes in any direction and have a wealth of activities! We LOVE Grand County!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes to Jesus. My faith has been the foundation, the courage, the wisdom, the little whisper of direction and main success of my business. I would not have taken the leap to start my own business if I did not feel like it was meant to be (many people telling me to try photography and all the right doors opening at the right times). When things slow down, I send a prayer up for more business. Every. Single. Time….more business comes in. When I’m faced with a challenge, I’m guided with loving wisdom from a true servant’s heart. Before every session I say a little prayer that I can capture the beautiful soul the same way God sees them.

Website: www.footstepsphotography.com
Instagram: @footstepsphotography ; @commercialimaging
Linkedin: Laura Polen
Facebook: facebook.com/footstepsphoto ; facebook.com/commercialimaging
Other: I’ve been building a personal brand with all of my little business outlets. It consists of our VRBO link, our speleobox rental, PEMF therapy info, etc. It will eventually hold my photography pages, as well. It is LuceliaGrace.com and insta: @luceliagrace Facebook: facebook.com/luceliagrace1

Image Credits
Xaris Photography took the image of me, but I did the editing. The rest of the images are mine!