Hidden Gems: Meet Natalia Allen of Lavender and Honey Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Allen.

Hi Natalia, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
i’ve always been drawn to photography, even during the years when I wasn’t actively doing it.

I grew up in Colombia and moved to Simi Valley as a child. I actually started college studying photography because I thought that’s what I would pursue, but life took me in a different direction and I ended up working in finance. What was supposed to be a temporary job turned into a 15-year career where I worked as an associate and advisor.

Finance gave me stability and taught me a lot about business, but it’s also a very structured world. I spent a lot of years in spreadsheets and numbers, and the creative side of me was always kind of waiting in the background.

In my late twenties I moved to Portland and lived there for a few years. When I moved back to Simi Valley, I realized I needed a creative outlet again. By that point my kids were a little older, and for the first time in a long time I had the time and space to explore something outside of work and parenting.

Photography was something I had thought about returning to many times in my life, but this was the moment where I finally decided to actually do it.

So I picked up a camera again.

What started as a creative outlet quickly turned into a business. Within the first year things grew faster than I expected. I was photographing families and newborns, meeting people in my community, and realizing how much I genuinely loved the work.

Eventually it reached a point where I had to decide whether photography was going to stay a side project or become something bigger. I ended up leaving my job in finance to do this full time, which was definitely a big leap but also the right move for me.

Today I run Lavender & Honey Photography, where I focus on newborn, maternity, and family photography throughout Ventura County and the Conejo Valley.

And recently, as if life with three kids and a photography business wasn’t busy enough, I partnered with photographer Michele Paniz to open The Arlen Studio in Westlake Village. It’s a curated studio space designed for photographers and creators — somewhere people can shoot, host workshops, and build community.

Looking back, photography has kind of been the thread running through my life the whole time. I stepped away from it for a while, but once I came back to it everything moved pretty quickly.

Sometimes the timing just has to be right. For me, it finally was.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Honestly, it’s been easier than I expected in some ways. When I was younger, I tried to pursue photography, but I didn’t really have the mental tools or confidence to make it work. After spending so many years in finance, I felt like I finally had the structure, discipline, and confidence to actually build something successful.

The biggest challenge has really been time. This kind of work can become all-consuming. I love what I do so much that it can easily take over, and sometimes my personal life ends up on the back burner. Finding balance has definitely been part of the learning process.

Like every photographer, I’ve learned a lot through trial and error. I’ve had sessions where everything went wrong, moments where I realized I can’t please everyone, and times where I had to learn to say no. Over time I’ve learned to be more intentional about where I put my time and energy and to be more curated about the work I take on.

It’s been a long road, but I’m still learning and figuring it out as I go.

As you know, we’re big fans of Lavender and Honey Photography. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Lavender & Honey Photography is really my baby. When I started the business, I didn’t want to build it around my name. I wanted something that felt more like a brand and an atmosphere. The name was inspired by elements of my time living in Portland and the kind of feeling I wanted the work to have — warm, natural, a little soft, but still grounded.

I’m also someone who sits a little bit on the spectrum. Nothing extreme, but I experience things in a very particular way. I have moments where I’m incredibly focused and creative, and other moments where I feel a little disconnected. I tend to feel things very deeply, but sometimes I also feel very matter-of-fact about them. It’s an interesting place to exist, especially when your job revolves around connecting with people.

But in a strange way, I think that’s actually helped me build what I have now.

When my brain locks onto something, I dive all the way in. I need to learn it, understand it, and get better at it. When I started photography, I tried a little bit of everything — weddings, couples, branding, events. But the work that really pulled me in was families with young kids and newborns.

That’s where I feel the most connected.

I relate really well to new moms. I’m very open and realistic about what motherhood actually looks like. It’s not always perfectly styled moments — sometimes it’s chaos, toddlers running everywhere, especially boys (I have my own), and parents just trying to hold it all together.

I think clients appreciate that I don’t pretend everything is perfect. I’m there to help people move past the insecurities, the stress, the feeling that things are messy or out of control. I just roll with whatever happens during the session. If kids are wild, we work with it. If things get a little chaotic, that’s part of the story.

I’m a real person, and I think that helps people relax. I’m very open, very honest, and I try to make people feel comfortable being themselves. And when that happens, that’s when the best photos come out.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
my husband deserves all the credit, he is the man behind the magic. He works incredibly hard and allows me to follow a job that isn’t always about the money

He supports me, he takes the kids on weekends when I have to work long hours, he is just amazing and I couldn’t do this with out him.

Pricing:

• My Newborn Sessions are $750
• Family Sessions $480
• Maternity $350-375

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Lavenderandhoneyphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lavenderandhoney_photography?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr