Well Hello, You!
[ ^ If you read that in a Moira Rose voice, we can be friends ]
I’m Lauren from Michigan.
My pronouns are they/them.
Sagittarius Sun, Pisces Moon, Cancer Rising.
I’m Queer.
And I want to take your photo!
{I also have a passport and am on board to adventure with ya}
Why Cockroaches?
My Mom always called me her little cockroach. <3
We can go one of two ways for why:
1. She wanted me to scurry off somewhere and hide
2. Life could throw an atomic bomb at you and you’ll still survive, stay strong.
She passed away in 2008 so I can’t ask her to confirm, but I think option 2 is nicer.
And What About the Tattoo?
While on a road trip with a friend of mine a few years ago we decided to take a side quest to a tattoo parlor. As cockroaches have always been near and dear to my heart, I decided to get it tattooed on my chest.
How’d Ya Get Here?
I am incredibly lucky and fortunate to have supportive friends and family. Or, friends who have become family.
I originally attended Mott Community College fresh out of high school for Photography in 2010. At some point though I lost my passion for it and put the camera down for a long time.
In 2013 my Father passed away and I decided to go out on the road and travel with renaissance festivals on the circuit. It was an interesting time to say the least! I decided to bring my camera with me for that adventure.
During the Colorado Renaissance Festival I met a lot of cool people and we started a group called Photoshoot Wednesday. It was totally a spark in the right direction for my brain!
… But then I stopped traveling, the camera was broken and I couldn’t afford to fix it or get a new one, and I was not a happy cockroach for a long time.
In 2017 I took another step towards something creative: burlesque. I attended the Detroit School of Burlesque with Headmistresses Holly Hock. During my time as a performer I am happy to share that I won Master of Lip Sync and Master of Vocals at the Michigan Burlypicks two separate years.
At this time as well I met Josh Justice! Josh is one of my favorite photographers ever. He has a group of other awesome people and they work together forming Shots From The Show.
Welp, in 2022 one of my favorite bands was going to be coming to Detroit [Apocalyptica!]. Josh knew that and asked if I wanted to try concert photography if he was able to get another photo pass.
And he did! He kindly let me use his spare camera and gave me a lesson on settings since I had been out of the game for so long.
And now I am happy to say that since that night I am a contributor.
