Daily Inspiration: Meet Stacey Lamb

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Lamb.

Hi Stacey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on the island of Bermuda, where I fell in love with color, nature and sunshine. Since then, I’ve always felt a strong desire to create. I was definitely (and still am) the weird artsy one in my family. When I was a kid, I loved taking photos with any camera I could find. In high school, I took a film photography class and started posing my friends for photoshoots. They weren’t cute (i.e., togas made of sheets and fake leaves in our hair), but they definitely sparked my love for fashion photography.

Ultimately, I decided to go to Florida State University and major in Studio Art. I focused in Photography and Printmaking, taking every photo class my school offered. I was also lucky to find an amazing and creative group of girlfriends. We were constantly adventuring to new places and taking photos for really no reason at all except the pure fun of it. This was at a time when Instagram wasn’t really a thing, and honestly, it was amazing. During my summer breaks, I did as many internships as I could find including my favorite at the Free People home office in Philadelphia. That was and still is a dream brand for me — a definite pinch me moment! Though I had a great time and learned a lot during my undergrad, my school was a lot more conceptual than technical. So after I graduated, I went to Paris for a year to study studio lighting at Speos Photographic Institute. I loved my time there but it never felt like home to me, so eventually I moved to Brooklyn.

New York was my first real taste of the fashion industry and I loved it. I shot for a lot of bloggers, small brands and models. I waitressed on the side for a few years before getting a part-time job as a photo assistant for a travel magazine. I loved that job but knew deep down that the travel industry was more of a lifestyle choice for me and less of a career path. In the end, New York winters were too brutal for me and the city was a bit too fast-paced. I decided to move to LA in 2018 and have been here ever since!

When I first moved here, I got a job working in-house at a modeling agency. I worked there for three years shooting the models’ digitals, creating comp cards, putting together casting videos, etc. I’ve been freelance for about a year and a half now and I absolutely love it. I shoot Campaigns, Lookbooks, Ecom, Paid Tests and Digitals. Last year, I also launched my first online course — Testing 1, 2, 3, a Photographer’s Guide to working with Modeling Agencies. It essentially covers everything I learned working at an agency and is designed to help photographers further their careers in the fashion industry. I love being an educator and hope to launch more courses and products in the future!

Last year was really great for me, I still can’t believe I get to do what I love every day and create a life on my own terms. It hasn’t been easy but it’s been worth every challenge. I’m so excited to see what 2023 has in store!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A career in fashion photography has a lot of ebbs and flows. I was quite busy last year, but there were naturally some months that were slower than others. I’ve had to learn to accept this and trust that it will work out in the end because it always does.

One of my biggest struggles is constantly being asked to work for free or for less. It’s never easy to hear, but I remind myself that I will always be too expensive for someone and it’s not my job to please everyone. Know your worth!!

Something else I’ve learned is how to balance my work and personal life. When you are your own boss, it’s easy to feel like you need to be productive all the time. You don’t. Breaks are healthy!

Last piece of advice — If you want something, you need to put in the work to get it. Fear & self-doubt will try to stop you, but you need to learn how to push through it. We are all capable of the life we dream of if we’re willing to push our egos aside and put in the work to get there.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a fashion and portrait photographer who specializes in Campaigns, Lookbooks, Ecom, Paid Testing and Digitals. Working with brands is ultimately what I love the most and hope to do more of in the future!

I’m known for my clean lighting, natural aesthetic, soft colors and fluid movement.

I’m proud of myself for getting to where I am today. Being a freelance photographer has been a goal of mine for years and it feels amazing to finally come to fruition.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Honestly, every job I’ve had and every client I’ve worked with has helped me get to where I am today. It’s hard to pinpoint one because everyone helped me in different ways!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.staceylambphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/staceylambphoto/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@staceylambphoto

Image Credits
All photos are shot on 35 mm by me, Stacey Lamb. Models pictured: Audré Marvin, Bailey Hornacek, Tamara Dominic, Andy Lua, Zoey Kay, Alayna Licardi, Ally Rossel, and Michal Idan.