Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddy Lara.
Maddy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
For my twelfth birthday, I begged my parents for my first camera. Never did I anticipate, it would evolve from a middle school hobby into the start of a career, especially at fifteen. This once leisurely hobby has brought many opportunities and people into my life; broadening my perspective on the world. In many ways, it was the best thing to ever happen to me. Up until March of this year, I had only done shoots with friends who had little to no modeling experience. School moving online allowed me to put the time and work into taking photography seriously. As of now, I mainly work with social media influencers from platforms such as Instagram and Tik Tok. I’ve gotten to experience things I’ve only ever dreamed of as a kid in such a short span of time this year, and I’m grateful for all the people who’ve helped me grow over the past eight months.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey over the past eight months has been a blessing despite the challenges that have come with being fifteen. As one would expect, I have school obligations from 8:00am-3:00pm on weekdays, household chores as most kids do, and limitations on events and trips I can attend. Balancing the obligations of being a teenager and trying to put 100% of my energy into my dream can feel overwhelming at most times, but I’m willing to put in the work because I know one day I’ll be glad I did. Some days, my life feels like an episode of Hannah Montana. I’ll be at an event for work until 4am one night, and the next morning I’ll be up at 8am doing jazzercise on my PE zoom call.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I do portrait photography. As of now, I’m mainly known for my work with social media influencers. I’m proud of how much I’ve grown and improved upon my skills and connections. Being that I’m so young, it can be intimidating working with adults at times. I’ve grown accustomed to always being the youngest in the room when working, and It feels that much more rewarding knowing that I earned my place working amongst older, more established people.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
My proudest moment was when I met a photographer whose work I’ve admired for months, and she told me she had seen my work prior to our encounter and wanted to work together on potential projects in the future. It completely took me by surprise. I was pleasantly shocked to say the least.
Do you feel like our city is a good place for businesses like yours? If someone was just starting out, would you recommend them starting out here? If not, what can our city do to improve?
Los Angeles is the heart of everything for entertainment and social media, so it made breaking into this industry much easier after I found the right people to connect with. This industry is mainly about who you know and who you work with. Although LA is a very big place, everyone knows everyone here and you’re always just a few people away from your next big opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @madisonlaratran
- Other: Tiktok: maddy.lara.tran
Image Credit:
IG: @madisonlaratran
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