Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren D Zbarsky.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The first time I realized what I was meant to do was near the end of my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. I took an art photography course as an elective and my whole world changed. It quickly became very clear to me what I wanted to do with my life and how I would share my perspective and communicate with others. That was 13 years ago. Ever since then, it’s been everything photography for me. I spent my early years of photo school learning and assisting pro photographers, working in various studios and eventually started freelancing full-time. I built my career in Vancouver, Canada and have had incredible opportunities to work with global brands both in Canada and the US. In the past few years, I’ve started working more frequently in LA and decided to move my base here. I travel back to Vancouver for work whenever the opportunity calls but I’m definitely much happier in the sun
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road to where I find myself now has been all over the place – definitely lots of ups, downs and sideways but I wouldn’t change the path I took for any other. Every experience good and bad has taught me extremely valuable lessons that I carry with me in everything I do. I’m still learning as I go, as we all are with each new situation, experience, relationship we encounter. Following my intuition has never let me down. There’s a lot of power in listening to yourself and trusting that voice.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m most passionate about photographing people. In particular, characters. I think we’re all so interesting as individuals and there’s so much that can be communicated to the world through a portrait. So many stories can be told through one single image which is something I’ve always been so fascinated by. There’s the person in front of the lens, how they showed up that day, what’s going on in their life presently and what they’ve experienced in the past. There’s also the relationship between the photographer and the subject that I find holds so much importance in image-making. It can be something that develops in seconds or overtime when working with a subject for years. The rapport, collaboration and intimacy between the two of us I find so fascinating and is always uniquely special. I see my images as secondary or the end result of this relationship which fuels my entire practice. It’s what drives me to keep making images – the beautiful and dynamic humans that I get the privilege of experiencing in front of my lens. I’ll forever be grateful that this is how I get to make a living and communicate to the world.
What’s next?
I’m looking forward to getting to know LA better. I’ve been coming here for work for about three years now but I’m excited to be in the sun full-time and adventure around California with my husband and our dog.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurendzbarsky.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ldzbar
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-d-zbarsky-589b2137/
