danielle pasternak, wedding coordinator, wedding planner, scranton

Greetings everyone!  I’m so excited to be starting my Vendor Spotlight, which I hope to continue each week.  I have to say that I love how this blog has allowed my business to grow and I’m hoping it can continue to do the same for those spotlighted.  They are such good people.  :o)

Chances are, if you’ve visited this site before, you’ve heard (read? seen?) this girls name several times on many of her beautiful pictures.  She has an amazing heart and a true eye for photography.  I have personally worked with her for two completely different weddings this year, and each one has produced such unique photos that showed the couples personality beautifully.  So, without further ado, I would love to introduce you to Lauren Brimhall of Lauren Brimhall Photography.

Who are you and what’s your company?

Hello everyone! I’m a Northeast-PA based photographer and owner of Lauren Brimhall Photography. I’ve always been an artist at heart, from winning my first art contest in second grade to having the privilege of teaching some of these media at my alma matter, Hofstra University in NY. With the support of my absolutely amazing husband, Sean, I was finally able to put aside the “realist” in me, and pursue my true passion. Funny how that worked out, as it turns out making a legitimate living as an artist wasn’t “unrealistic” after all. Go figure.

When and how did your professional journey begin?

I suppose my initial contact with photography dates back to the classes I took for my Fine Art Minor at Hofstra. My first job out of college was actually working as an editor for three photography magazines on Long Island, NY — Studio Photography (SP&D), Digital Imaging Techniques (DIT) and Photo Trade News (PTN). I was obviously aware of some of the technical information I was gaining from reading/editing all the articles, but what I wasn’t aware of was the “eye” for imagery I was acquiring, inspired by extensive contact with the work of some of the best photographers of 2005 and 2006.

Apart from that, I made some amazing contacts in the industry, including Mike McNamara and David Jay, who I later called upon to help me on my journey to becoming a photographer. After completing several post-graduate classes out here in Northeastern, PA, being mentored by Jared Wilson (www.jaredwilsonphotography.com) and being given private lessons from some of NY’s photographer greats, I officially began my professional journey in 2009.

In your opinion, what sets you apart from other business in your profession?

The hardest thing about being a photographer today is that with the digital revolution everyone with a consumer or prosumer SLR is out there on the weekends trying to make an extra buck doing wedding photography on the side. Many of these “weekend warriors,” while passionate, have no professional education, equipment, or technical skill to back up their creative eye.  Aside from my formal education, I believe my dedication to mastering the technical side of photography and my over-achiever mentality are what set me apart the most. I will always push myself harder than anyone else could possibly push me, which is why I believe I have the perfect personality type for owning and operating a successful business. Speaking of personality, I believe this has also been a factor in why many brides choose to hire me over the competition. This is mainly because, having done some professional modeling myself, I understand EXACTLY how nerve-racking it can be to be in front of a REALLY BIG camera.  From this experience, I also learned how to pose a woman and the importance of relaxing the subject. You can’t put a value on being able to make people laugh in this industry. Let’s just say it’s kind of hard to be nervous when your photographer is making more of an a$$ out of herself from behind the camera than you could possibly be making out of yourself in front of it ;-)

Besides weddings, are you involved in any other special events?

I’m mostly a wedding kind of girl. Now, I’m no Danielle Pasternak who has been planning mock weddings since childhood with a Ken doll that’s been remarried more times than Henry the 8^th, but I do love weddings. I do the occasional children’s portraits, and once-upon-time did pets, but the wedding work primarily consumes all of my available time during the summer months.

One of my favorite colors is yellow, what’s yours?

Deep Purple! Yep, it was one of my colors for my own wedding and now it’s my business color. I’m still looking for disc packaging in that perfect shade. Can someone please tell me what’s so much better about Pomegranite than purple?

Whether you’re single, married, divorced, or in love – we all have wise words we can share when it comes to relationships. What’s your advice to couples?

Get married and spend lots of money on wedding photography! I kid, I kid. Seriously, I’m no expert because I haven’t been married as long as some, but I’m pretty sure I can sum up my take on this in one word: tolerance. No one will ever be perfect, and too often we dwell so much on the bad that we take for granted the good. To those couples currently engaged, take just a second to make a mental note of exactly how you feel about your significant other right now and the reasons for which you are committing the rest of your life to him or her. Then later, when he leaves the seat up and she leaves the roll empty for the 100^th friggin’ time in a row, remind yourself of these reasons.

Finally, what’s your favorite part about your profession?

My favorite part about being a wedding photographer is ALL PARTS! Anyone who talks to me for more than five seconds won’t be able to miss the passion I have for what I do. While the Style Network is out there telling us about all the “Bridezillas” we should expect to encounter, my own experience with engaged women has been quite the opposite. For most women, this is the happiest time in their lives, and if you can’t deal with women when they are happy, well you probably just can’t deal with women.

While my special day has come and gone, I personally never get tired of celebrating this momentous occasion over and over again with my brides. I’ll never be that photographer who forgets that while I might be at a different wedding every weekend, it is this particular bride’s one and only. Congratulations to all the brides-to-be out there!

Just in case you haven’t seen… here is some of my favorite work by Lauren.

{photo source: Lauren Brimhall Photography}

UPDATE:  Apparently this blogger forgot include one of Lauren’s faves… {below}

Feel free to contact Lauren at (570) 369-5655 or email here at LaurenBrimhall@gmail.com.  Also, don’t forget to visit her website to view all her beautiful work!