Meet Lauren Gaubert | Photographer

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

Hi Lauren, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
The saying “high risk, high reward” is one of my favorites. Many people may think that “risk” has a negative connotation to it, but I believe that it’s a good thing. You’ll never progress in your personal life or in your business if you don’t take risks.

For me personally, risk has played a major role in my photography business. I started my business in August of 2020. I also picked up a camera for the first time in August of 2020. Sounds risky and crazy, right? It was! I dove head first into educating myself and becoming the photographer I am today. I also dove head first in financially, which is where the risk comes in.

Here’s what happened. I borrowed my mom’s boyfriend’s camera for a shoot one evening, and that night, I went home, purchased the Adobe Creative Cloud products I needed, and started research on which camera to buy (despite everyone telling me to rent first). The next morning, I woke up, purchased my Canon 6D Mark II and the Canon 50mm lens and got to work on building my website.

As someone with ADHD, financially investing was a big deal for me because of the high risk that came along with it. My ADHD causes me to dive head first into hobbies, etc. and then quit them about a month later. This has happened more times than I can even count. I knew that if I financially invested, however, then I would be more inclined to stick with it and develop my business.

It’s now been over a year and I’m still here running my business, traveling for workshops and shoots, making new friends through shoots, and improving my skills every single day. My high risk got me a high reward!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I love to make people feel beautiful. I love to capture the love within a couple. I love to adventure and explore new areas and just have a good time while doing it. That’s why I do what I do.

What I’m most excited about is my upcoming trip to Utah for a workshop where I’ll get to travel to somewhere I’ve been dying to visit, meet 8 amazing new photographers, and get some amazing content for my business. I’ve recently transitioned my business to primarily focus on couples, elopements, and adventures, so this trip and new content will really elevate my skills for marketing this stage of my business.

Getting to where I’m at now was not an easy trek. With having to work other jobs to pay bills to my ADHD causing me to want to move on, I’ve had to work hard to overcome these obstacles. I work in a restaurant where weekends are the primary days and nights to make money. The most popular times for photoshoots are also on the weekends. This forces me to have to be creative in other ways to make money when I take weekends off for photoshoots and also in doing shoots during the week. I’ve also taken multiple months off of photography over the past year (typically always one month at a time). I’ve had to push myself to jump back into it because, at the end of the day, I love it.

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.
My favorite spots in Dallas… there are so many!!

Throughout a week long trip, we would go eat and drink at Chuy’s for some classic Tex-Mex, Trinity Groves for some amazing views, and Whataburger in the middle of the night for a HBCB. I’d also be sure to take them to Klyde Warren Park, Lower Greenville, Reunion Tower, and The Statler or Virgin Hotel.

Some other things I’d insist on including in the itinerary are the aquarium/zoo, going to the Galleria, spending a day in the Fort Worth Stockyards, and going to the Farmers Market downtown.

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?
My shoutout goes to my first photography mentor – Sarah Alvarez. I had followed Sarah, a local Waco photographer, on Instagram (@saraheliphotos) for about a year before I first reached out to her in August of 2020 about mentoring me. We met up for dinner one evening, did a few shoots together the next week, and we’ve been close friends ever since then. I learned so much about the basics (camera settings, what kind of camera to buy, how to edit, etc.) from her. Although it’s impossible to know how my photography journey would’ve progressed without her, I know it wouldn’t have happened as quickly or as enjoyable as it was without her.

I also want to shoutout my close family and friends who modeled for me at the drop of a hat during my first year of business to help me improve my skills. They’ve always been my biggest hype people!

Website: https://gobarephotos.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-gaubert/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gobarephotos?lang=en

Facebook: https://twitter.com/gobarephotos?lang=en