{"id":83869,"date":"2022-05-25T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-25T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/?p=83869"},"modified":"2025-04-28T12:52:19","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T16:52:19","slug":"mom-vlogger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/mom-vlogger\/","title":{"rendered":"The Age of the Mommy Vlogger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Having a successful vlogging<\/a> career is difficult but when you add kids and a family to the mix, and it\u2019s bound to get trickier. As a 30-something travel writer and photographer myself, I\u2019ve always struggled with that next stage of life. I can handle the next steps in business \u2014 reach for bigger goals, pursue grander projects, and plot more daring travel adventures to tell larger stories. To me, that\u2019s a piece of cake. Ask me whether or not I want to have kids, though, and panic ensues. Anxiety kicks in. The reason? I fear I\u2019ll have to sacrifice my career. Enter the age of the Mommy Vlogger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, many of today\u2019s leading travel vloggers<\/a> and creators have shown that having a family and a successful travel creator career isn\u2019t just possible, it\u2019s quite doable. To help myself ponder this major life decision, I spoke with one travel vlogger and mother doing both jobs: photographer and vlogger\u00a0LaRie Taylor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LaRie Taylor \u2014 Photographer, Vlogger, and Mother<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taylor, a\u00a0seasoned photographer<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0travel and lifestyle vlogger<\/a>, has been blazing trails since she embarked on this career journey in the early 2000s. She took a life hiccup \u2014 a layoff<\/a> \u2014 as the cue to pursue her creative dreams. Along the way, she\u2019s done more than show how mothers can experience two joys in life simultaneously: a fulfilling career and enriching motherhood. She\u2019s inspired other women, particularly Black women, to march to the beats of their own drums, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"LaRies
Photo provided by LaRie Taylor<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cAbout 10 years ago, I started sharing videos on YouTube hoping to fill a void in media. I wanted to make content featuring happy Black women enjoying their homes, motherhood, travel, and leisure,\u201d she said. \u201cToday, I still don\u2019t see many mainstream stories that center on our experiences [and us] truly enjoying our lives. I am a proof that Black women are multi-faceted and I want to lead by example.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I chatted with Taylor about all things creativity, vlogging, motherhood, and, of course, gear, to understand how she pulls off this multi-dimensional lifestyle seamlessly \u2014 and how other creators can, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Setbacks to Success<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Taylor didn\u2019t enter the work world with plans to pursue photography. She worked in the corporate world for a year after college. After that, she decided to explore photography as a side hobby for creative fulfillment. Soon after buying her first camera, she faced a crossroads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was laid off two months after having purchased my very first camera,\u201d she said. \u201cUp until that point, I had only shot a few rolls of film, but determined that photography was it<\/em>. I was hooked and had fallen in love instantly. I didn’t know how I was going to make the leap from accountant to photographer. But being laid off certainly gave me a kick whether I was ready or not. I was all in and I have not looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mommy
Photo provided by LaRie Taylor<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paving Her Own <\/strong>Path<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like many creatives we\u2019ve spotlighted \u2014 such as Rachel Rudwall<\/a> \u2014 Taylor didn\u2019t just wait for opportunities to come to her. She put herself out there and started through one of the best avenues possible: as an assistant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne thing led to another and I ended up fourth assistant to Steven Lippman on an advertising campaign for Target on a beach in Malibu,\u201d she said.  \u201cHowever, being as green as I was, there was no living to be made as a new photographer, so I headed east with plans of being closer to my family in Detroit while working in Chicago.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After time in Chicago, Taylor made her way back to California, where she landed an internship with renowned photographer Kwaku Alston. She also worked in a top LA film processing and photo-printing lab. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI got to see raw film and proof sheets for Annie Leibovitz, Mark Seliger, Patrick Demarchelier, Ellen von Unwerth, you name it,\u201d she said. \u201cAfter working in photo labs for way too long, I got back on top of developing my portfolio and landed an agent who believed in my work, so I moved to New York with big dreams.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agent she\u2019d signed with closed her agency within four months of Taylor\u2019s arrival in New York City. Throughout these setbacks, Taylor gained resilience and confidence to ultimately land in her current role. She’s a professional travel and lifestyle photographer and vlogger, with the ever-growing YouTube channel,\u00a0LoveLaRieXO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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