In 2018, we’re striving to bring you a little more insight into how we work… and well, we don’t “work” without awesome vendor friends who refer us and provide us wonderful faces to work on!! So… we want to share an occasional introduction to these wonderful people and their businesses!

First up- Laura Kuah of Laurentina Photography (Located in Northern VA)

Funny enough, Laura and I met about a year and a half ago through a vendor networking group, and since then we’ve become great friends and working partners! She actually sent a similar request to me, to intro our team to our audience, so it was only fitting we started in return with her!!!  Thanks for the fire under my butt to do this again (and more regularly) this time, Laura!! Hahaha!!! 😉 Enjoy!

~Kara

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Introduce yourself!! What do you do and how did you get into your field?

My name is Laura (people also know me as Lauretta) and I’m the owner/creative visionary of Laurentina Photography + Video. I am a photographer and videographer who believes that each moment is to be celebrated for years to come. And these moments, both surprising and intentional, paints the powerful story of your life.

I officially started my business in 2011 after several years of freelancing as an event photographer for an art gallery in DC, where the gallery director let me experiment with his Canon EOS 550D DSLR camera. My love for photography as an art form, however, initially started while studying abroad in Italy during college and graduate school. I was awestruck by the way light shaped every part of the day, both hitting the cathedral walls or cascading down a path of cypress trees in the countryside. As an introvert, photography became my creative outlet to observe the interactions of people and places around me.

For almost a decade, I taught Art and English as a Second Language to private school students from PreK – 10th grade and ran my business on the side. In 2015, I taught myself videography and video editing and decided to also add that to my business offerings. In fall of 2016, I finally made the decision to pursue my business more full-time and here we are in 2018… still living and loving the journey I’ve been blessed to venture on.

What do you love about your business? What makes you different?

As a wedding, event and portrait photographer, I love preserving emotion and creating an heirloom of memories that will last a lifetime. I know that my job is the most important one of the day and I take that seriously. After the reception ends, the decorations are taken down, the cake is eaten and the DJ has played the last song, what’s left is what is documented on my camera. And I want to make sure to capture it well, because every moment matters.

As a headshot/visual branding photographer, I am passionate about helping professional women and men look their best and feel confident in front of the camera lens. We all know the saying that “A picture is worth a thousand words.” (I like to also add – “So is your website bio photo/Linked-In profile photo.”) In this era of buying because you are attracted to the personality of the business, professional headshots (and in turn, professional hair & makeup for those headshots) can speak volumes.

Video is a fun medium for me, because it allows me the freedom and creativity to document your day from a variety of angles and use music, audio and motion to tell your story.

What makes me different? I definitely have an adventurous spirit. I like to take risks and think outside of the box — so there is no such thing as a “crazy idea”. I’m open to trying thing such as climbing a ladder to get the best angle (since I’m vertically awesome at 5’ 1’’ and a 1/2) or scaling the rocks of the James River for a fun landscape shot. And I absolutely love to travel around the world and experience diverse cultures through the eyes of a local.

If you could work with someone famous, who would it be and why?

I would love to spend a day with Dr. Brene Brown. Her TED talks and books (especially on the Power of Vulnerability) have really helped me grow as a small business owner this past year and a half. I love how real she is and how her message helps people understand not only themselves but also humanity at large. Her talks help me realize that self-care is so important, because how can we serve others when we are not our best selves? It would be amazing to document her passion of sharing her research at a conference, interacting with attendees and just picking her brain over a glass of wine.

What do you love to do in your free time?

I enjoy running, cycling and yoga — with friends and sometimes by myself! Fitness is so important especially when you are self-employed! Other than that, I love going out to eat and trying out new restaurants/food trends (poke bowls and fusion tacos are my latest fave!), visiting art museums and since my latest trip to Italy, watching Italian movies (with English subtitles) to better perfect my command of the language.

A little known fact about you?

I am conversant in both Italian and Mandarin Chinese! And I ran my first marathon in Rome, Italy about four years ago!

Your goal for this year??

I am hoping to book more destination weddings… specifically international destination weddings in Italy, Iceland or wherever the wind takes me!

Social Media so you can follow and get to know Laura!

Website: www.laurentinaphotography.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/laurentinaphoto

Instagram:  www.instagram.com/laurentinaphoto

Pinterest:   www.pinterest.com/laurentinaphoto