Lauren Hugo says she started doing photography as a hobby, but it has turned into an outlet of creativity for her. 

“I am a journalism major and photography has always just been something I did for fun. But I like it and I feel that’s been my biggest source of creativity,” she said.

When it comes to upholding a certain aesthetic, Lauren says she likes moody or romantic vibes.

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“I turn down the brightness on almost every photo even if it’s already dark because I love high contrast. At the same time I like bright colors so I like that to be the focus of the picture and use dark backgrounds,” she said. “I like really romantic looking photos too. Golden hour, flowers, colors of pink or white really earthy, super romantic.”

Feeling creative behind the lens is based on a few different things. Lauren explains the recipe for a good shoot: Location, lighting, angles, and of course the attitude of the subject. “The subject or whoever I’m with has to be really into it, in order for the pictures to turn out good,” she said. “I try different angles, different lighting, or different makeup [because] everything that is visual helps promote the creativity.”

Lauren said that right now, her inspiration comes from checking out what others are doing on their social media. 

“I love people who have a whole page that fits their aesthetic. A lot of wedding photographers have a filter they use for everything. It looks so uniform and pretty,” she said.  “If I just look at the explore page on Instagram, I get a lot of ideas. I don’t want to replicate it, but I think ‘Well, maybe I can do this even better.’”

You can follow Lauren on Instagram and Twitter.

Best,

Madeleine Rheinheimer