One glance at the Instagram gallery of photographer Lauren Naylor (@lnaynay) and you might think you’d stumbled upon the work of someone with a well-thumbed card in the Rolodex of fashion editors worldwide. Naylor, who hails from Palm City, Florida and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography and Studio Art from Florida State before relocating to her current home city of Los Angeles, specializes in female portraiture and prides herself in carrying through her focus on empowering and creating for women to projects that extend beyond photography.
Still, it’s her images that pay the bills. The 29-year-old has posted fewer than one thousand images on the app, and yet has amassed a following of more than 27,000 people. Her client work is chiefly magazine print and digital editorial, although brands such as Urban Outfitters, Sam Edelman, and Levi’s have collaborated with Naylor to employ her talent for portraiture to their campaigns.
Adorama caught up with Naylor for her top tip on easing into nude self-portraiture, and to hear the latest on her newest project, a community for female freelancers and entrepreneurs in LA.
Adorama: First things first. What is your gear setup and your usual editing workflow?
Naylor: I use a Canon 5D Mark III with a Canon 24-105mm L lens for my wider shots. Other lenses in my bag include a Sigma 50mm 1.4mm Art lens and a Canon 85mm 1.8mm.
To edit, I bring everything into Adobe Lightroom and then make my selects. I usually use my own Lightroom presets to adjust color tones (available online on my website). Next I bring each photo into Adobe Photoshop and do more detailed work, retouching and editing colors. I don’t do manipulative Photoshop work in my images, however; I stay away from adding post lighting effects or compositing. All of the sets and effects seen in my work are all as it is in-camera, since I like to keep the image as real as possible.
“My goal is to provoke an emotional response, and make images my viewer can relate to on some level.”
Adorama: What would you consider to be elements of your signature style?
Naylor: I would say the most important element for me is the concept, or mood of the series. I typically shoot people, so it’s vital to me that I capture an emotional quality. My goal is to provoke an emotional response, and make images my viewer can relate to on some level. I also really enjoy creating unique settings that bring the concepts to the next level. This involves set design, prop styling, and location scouting.
Adorama: Was there a moment you remember first falling in love with photography?
Naylor: I used to shoot with an old 35mm camera in college. I started taking photos of friends in outdoor settings and I remember falling in love with capturing their subtle expressions and creating a mood and story through photography. It became addicting.
Adorama: How do you make a living right now, and how big a role does your photography play?
Naylor: I am a full-time freelance photographer, operating my own business. It’s quite scary at times, especially during slower periods. I love it regardless. When you run your own photography business, you work A LOT to stay ahead of the curve. The trade-off is that it’s so rewarding and it never feels like too much work. My art director partner, Claire Quest, and I recently launched our own photo studio: Nightdove Studio. It’s very exciting to no longer be completely on my own in this industry.
Adorama: How much preparation do you put into a creation? Can you give an example of an image which required a great amount of prep?
Naylor: Typically a series of work starts with an idea for the overall concept. Then I create a mood board with inspiration images, to have a visual reference. Next, I decide on the props and location that fit the concept, as Claire and I typically create handmade sets using different materials and backdrops. Then I usually bring on a stylist and makeup artist. During the shoot, a lot of the posing decisions are made on the spot; I don’t like to plan that aspect too far in advance. I like images to look “in the moment,” so there is quite a bit of impromptu creation and decisions happening during shooting.
Adorama: You occasionally share nude self-portraits, often shot in nature. What are some tips you can share for photographers who are anxious, but hesitant for one reason or another, to strip down and share their own bodies in front of the camera?
Naylor: It is definitely nerve-wracking when you first take your clothes off in a place where there is a possibility of someone seeing you. But, after a short amount of time, you start to feel this freeing sensation, and perhaps a carelessness that is very liberating. It sounds so cliche, but being nude in an outdoor environment, in the most non-sexual way, really connects you to your natural state. A tip for photographers interested in nude self-portraits, but anxious about it: Find an extremely remote location where you know you’ll be alone (or with a trusted companion). That way the fear goes away and you can focus on creating something beautiful.
“I think it’s important to embrace emotions compared to pretending they don’t exist.”
Adorama: You said in a previous interview that you’re drawn to photograph people as part of your hunt for meaning. How has making portraits enlightened you so far?
Naylor: Taking photos of people helps channel my own emotions. I’ve been struggling with anxiety and depression since my early teens, and photography has become a therapeutic way to cope with the darker feelings I sometimes have. Creative people often struggle with being overly emotional and what I’ve learned is that that’s okay. However frequently, we all share these feelings at some point in our lives and I think it’s important to embrace emotions compared to pretending they don’t exist.
Adorama: Your Instagram captions are typically followed by a block of hashtags, though the practice of hashtagging is seemingly falling out of favor. Do you find hashtags work to build your community, and which have been the most successful or integral to developing your following?
Naylor: To be honest, I am not a huge Instagram expert. I didn’t even know hashtagging is falling out of favor. I have just always done it since I started my photography account. All I know is that Instagram has changed a lot since I started years ago. It used to be more photography-based, focusing on the artistic qualities of photography. Now it seems to be more about the individual and selfies, and less about talent. I’m definitely ready to move on for the next platform to be developed for creatives.
Adorama: You recently announced a new project: “Supervirgo.” Can you explain your vision for Supervirgo and how you imagine it will fill the needs of female creatives?
Naylor: The goal for Supervirgo is to connect females across all creative industries in Los Angeles (and hopefully eventually everywhere). Essentially it’s a community and movement I think is missing from LA right now. There is still a large gender gap here among various positions, positions primarily dominated by males for many years. I’d like to see that change with more women leading in high roles. Not only will Supervirgo stimulate more female-driven work, but it’ll be a supportive community especially helpful for women working freelance or with their own businesses.
Adorama: If you could make a portrait of any woman in history (alive or dead), who would you choose and why her?
Naylor: That is a tough question! I would choose Billie Holiday. She was so extremely talented and ferocious. I admire her strength to stand up against racial discrimination and sexism at a time when that was a very scary thing to do.
Adorama: What’s your single favorite photo you’ve captured and shared, and can you tell the story behind it?
Naylor: A self-portrait I took about five years ago stands out to me. It’s entitled “Deep Blue.”. I was going through a really long depression period when I took it. Now when I view it, I feel those feelings again. It means a great deal to me that I can look back on past photos and revisit my emotions during certain points in my life.
Check out Naylor’s full Through the Lens episode below:
