Laura Dark won our Best Photographer of 2016 award and we talked with her about the past, 2016, and the future.
How do you see the development of Laura Dark Photography from its conception through now?
Laura Dark : Surprising! When I started I was only doing this as a favor for friends, I had no idea that it would take off the way it has. Everyday I wake up and think, “well, this is it, this will be the last month, no one will book.” Then they book! It still amazes me how many people love what I do. I get a lot of alternative girls in, but mostly, I shoot mainstream women. My spookiness doesn’t seem to scare them away.
What do you think was your greatest achievement of 2016?
LD : My greatest achievement of 2016 was moving from a 900 square foot studio in a warehouse district to a 3,200 square foot commercial space. It took a lot of time to get there, but we did it!
What was the greatest obstacle of 2016?
LD : Staying in business and producing new content while moving into a new space.
To what do you feel you owe your success?
LD : Good marketing skills are everything. You have to find out what your niche is and perfect it and really get it out there. Also having a strong team backing you up, is everything. I couldn’t have done this on my own, my team is everything.
What’s one big goal you still hope to achieve?
LD : I would love to have a major magazine cover or get picked up by one of the big workshop groups to teach photography. Those are my main two goals.
What are your plans for 2017?
LD : I’m going to push for bigger and better packages for my clients. I want to be able to offer more on location shooting. I also am going to start offering underwater photography soon so I’m excited about that!
