Today we’d like to introduce you to Chase Mazur.
Hi Chase, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Photography actually started for me on the sidelines of my sister’s soccer and softball games. Growing up, my dad always had a camera in his hand. He documented pretty much our entire childhood from the time we were born, and once my sister and I got into sports, he was constantly taking photos and videos at our games. There was always a camera around, so photography was something I was exposed to long before I ever thought of it as something I would pursue myself.
I was the younger brother who was constantly being dragged along to my sister’s games, and one day I picked up my dad’s camera and started playing around with it. I began taking photos from the sidelines, figuring out different settings, experimenting with angles, and slowly teaching myself how everything worked. What started as something to do while I was sitting at another one of her games quickly became something I genuinely loved.
From there, I started taking photography more seriously and wanted to learn everything I could. Sports photography eventually turned into photographing friends, seniors, couples, and people around me. I started sharing more of my work on social media, one session led to another, referrals started coming in, and eventually people I had never met before were reaching out to book with me. Somewhere along the way, what started with me picking up my dad’s camera on the sidelines turned into Chase Mazur Photography LLC.
A huge part of getting to where I am today has been learning as I go. I quickly realized that building a photography business meant learning a lot more than how to take a good photo. I had to teach myself marketing, branding, client communication, websites, contracts, finances, taxes, and all of the behind-the-scenes pieces that come with turning something creative into an actual business. I officially formed Chase Mazur Photography LLC in 2025, and since then, the business has grown into primarily photographing seniors, couples, brands, and weddings throughout South Louisiana and into the Houston area. More recently, weddings have become a major and incredibly exciting area of growth for me!
At the same time, photography is only one part of the story of how I got to where I am today. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2019, and living with T1D from a young age has shaped so much of the person I have become. It forced me to become independent and responsible very quickly, and it taught me how to manage something that truly never gives you a day off. As I got older, that experience grew into a passion for advocacy and a desire to use my own story to help make a difference for other people living with Type 1 diabetes.
That passion eventually led me to Breakthrough T1D, formerly JDRF. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to serve as Fund A Cure Chair for the Louisiana chapter’s Imagine Gala in Baton Rouge. I was able to stand in front of more than 450 people, share part of my story, and help advocate for funding toward Type 1 diabetes research. Not long after the gala, at just 18 years old, I was invited to join the Breakthrough T1D Louisiana Board of Directors. Serving on the board at such a young age, especially for an organization and mission that are so personal to me, has become one of the things I am most proud of.
I graduated high school in May 2026, and I’m now pursuing my degree through LSU Online. Going to school online gives me the flexibility to continue building Chase Mazur Photography, travel for my work, and stay actively involved with Breakthrough T1D.
When I look back, it’s pretty surreal that all of this traces back to being the little brother sitting on the sidelines at my sister’s games and deciding to pick up my dad’s camera. There wasn’t one big moment that suddenly got me here. It has been years of learning, taking chances, making mistakes, late nights editing, saying yes to opportunities before I necessarily felt ready for them, and constantly trying to figure out what I could do next.
I’m extremely proud of what I’ve been able to build at 18, but I also feel like I’m just getting started. Photography, entrepreneurship, and Type 1 diabetes advocacy might seem like completely different parts of my life, but they have all taught me a lot about connecting with people, telling stories, taking opportunities, and creating something meaningful. I’m excited to see where all of it goes from here.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would honestly say yes and no. I’ve been incredibly fortunate with how quickly Chase Mazur Photography has grown, especially at my age, and I don’t want to create a struggle story where there isn’t one. I’ve had amazing clients, a great support system, and opportunities that I’m extremely grateful for. At the same time, building a business at such a young age has definitely come with challenges and sacrifices that I had to learn how to navigate.
I started seriously growing my business while I was still in high school, and that taught me time management very quickly. In some ways, I think it made me grow up a little faster. I was balancing classes and everything that came with being a high school student while also having clients, deadlines, contracts, emails, sessions, editing, finances, and people genuinely depending on me to show up and deliver what I had promised.
There were definitely times when that meant giving up parts of the typical high school experience. I missed school dances, parties, events, and weekends with friends because I was working or had a session booked. At football games, there were nights when my friends were all together in the student section while I was on the field with my camera working. In the grand scheme of life, I realize those are very fortunate problems to have, and they were also choices I made. Nobody forced me to build a business in high school. I wanted it, and I knew that if I wanted the business to grow into what I envisioned, there were going to be times when I had to choose it over something else.
I think what made that adjustment harder at times was that, because I was young, some people naturally viewed photography as something I was doing for fun or as a hobby. From my perspective, though, it had become a legitimate business. When I missed something because I had a shoot, I wasn’t just choosing to go take pictures instead. I had a paying client who had hired me, a commitment I had made, and a business I was intentionally trying to grow. Learning to be okay with people not always understanding that was probably part of growing up too.
There were also all of the normal challenges of learning how to run a business. Being a photographer is only one part of my job. I’m also answering emails, managing finances, writing contracts, marketing, running social media, maintaining a website, scheduling, planning, editing, communicating with clients, and making decisions about where the business goes next. A lot of that I learned through experience, which naturally means there have been mistakes and plenty of lessons along the way.
Type 1 diabetes adds another layer to everything. T1D doesn’t care if I have a ten-hour wedding day, a sunset session, a meeting, a flight, or a deadline. It is something I’m managing in the background every hour of every day. Most clients will never see the extra planning that goes into making sure I have insulin, supplies, food, and everything else I might need while working. I’ve never wanted diabetes to dictate what I can or cannot do, but managing it is still a reality that exists alongside everything else.
Now that I’ve graduated high school and am balancing college, photography, travel, clients, and my involvement with Breakthrough T1D, time management is still something I’m constantly working on. I’m also someone who always wants to grow faster and do more, so I’ve had to learn that progress isn’t always linear. There can be an incredible month followed by a slower one, and that doesn’t mean the business suddenly stopped moving forward.
So, I wouldn’t necessarily call it a completely smooth road, but I also wouldn’t trade it. A lot of the sacrifices I made were intentional. There are experiences I missed, but in their place I gained experiences, relationships, opportunities, and responsibilities that I probably wouldn’t have had otherwise. Building a business while growing up has shaped me just as much as I’ve shaped the business, and I think I’m better because of it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Chase Mazur Photography is a portrait and wedding photography business serving clients throughout South Louisiana, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and the Greater Houston area. I photograph a little bit of everything, including seniors, couples, families, events, brands, and weddings, but senior portraits and weddings have become two of the biggest parts of my business.
My approach to photography has always been centered around creating images that feel elevated and intentional without losing the personality of the people in them. I love a clean, true-to-color look, but I also love incorporating creative compositions, movement, interesting locations, and editorial elements when they fit the person or moment I’m photographing. I never want someone to look at their gallery and feel like they were placed into the exact same poses I used for everyone else.
Senior photography especially gave me an opportunity to develop that approach. Every senior is completely different, so I spend a lot of time before the session learning what they want, helping with locations and outfits, and figuring out how we can create something that actually represents them. One senior might want something classic and timeless, while another wants something much more editorial or creative. I think being relatively close in age to many of my senior clients has also helped me understand what they are looking for and create an environment where they feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Weddings have become an incredibly exciting area of growth for Chase Mazur Photography as well. What I love about weddings is that they bring together almost every aspect of photography. There are portraits, details, candid moments, family photographs, movement, emotion, and constantly changing environments, all happening within the same day. My goal is to document all of that in a way that allows my couples to look back and not only see what their wedding looked like, but remember what it actually felt like.
One thing I really want Chase Mazur Photography to be known for is the experience surrounding the photographs. I don’t think great photography starts when I take the camera out of my bag or ends when I deliver the gallery. Communication, planning, helping someone choose a location, building a wedding timeline, making someone comfortable in front of the camera, delivering sneak peeks, and creating a polished final gallery are all part of the experience. I want my clients to feel taken care of from the first inquiry through the final delivery.
I also think one of the things that has helped set my business apart is that I genuinely enjoy the business side just as much as the creative side. I’m constantly thinking about branding, marketing, client experience, my website, new offerings, and ways to improve what I’m doing. I’m currently pursuing a business degree with a concentration in digital marketing, so I’m able to take what I’m learning academically and apply it directly to a business I’m actively building.
Brand wise, I’m probably most proud that Chase Mazur Photography has grown without losing the personal aspect that it started with. My name is on the business, and I want people to feel like they are working with an actual person rather than being pushed through a process. As the business continues to grow, maintaining that relationship with my clients is extremely important to me.
I’m also proud that I’ve been able to build a brand that isn’t confined to one place or one stage of someone’s life. A senior I photograph today may eventually come back for graduation photos, an engagement, a wedding, or a family session years from now. I love the idea that Chase Mazur Photography can grow alongside the people I photograph.
More than anything, I want people to know that I take what I do extremely seriously while still wanting it to be fun. I may be 18, but this isn’t something I view as a temporary hobby or something I’m doing on the side. I’ve built Chase Mazur Photography very intentionally, and I’m constantly looking toward what it can become next. I want to continue expanding throughout Louisiana and Texas, photograph more weddings and destination work, and build a brand that people trust not only because they love the photographs, but because they know they are going to have a great experience creating them.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think the quality that has been most important to my success is probably conviction, but with a lot of gratitude behind it. I’m a very driven person, but I’m also very much a people person while still not being afraid to have an opinion. When I genuinely believe in something, or when I know something to be true, I will stand behind it, defend it, and probably argue my point until someone makes me see it differently. It’s just naturally who I am. I’ve joked before that I probably could have made a pretty good lawyer.
That has helped me tremendously in business. Building Chase Mazur Photography has required me to trust my own judgment, even when I was young and other people may not have viewed what I was doing as seriously as I did. I’ve had to learn how to advocate for myself, communicate clearly, set boundaries, make decisions, and stand behind the value of my work. At the same time, being a people person has been equally important. Photography is such a relationship-driven business. Being able to talk to people, make them comfortable, understand what they want, and genuinely connect with them is just as important as knowing how to use a camera.
I think that same characteristic is a huge part of why Type 1 diabetes advocacy has become so important to me. When something is personal to me and I believe in it, I have a really difficult time sitting quietly on the sidelines. If sharing my experience, speaking in a room, having a difficult conversation, or advocating for something can make even a small difference, I want to do it. That mentality has played a major role in my involvement with Breakthrough T1D and ultimately in joining the Louisiana Board of Directors.
But I think conviction without gratitude can very easily turn into always wanting more and never appreciating what you already have. Gratitude is something Type 1 diabetes has given me a lot of perspective on. Living with T1D makes me very aware that, even on the frustrating days, I am incredibly fortunate to have access to the insulin, technology, medical care, support, and resources that allow me to live the life I do. There are people with diabetes around the world who do not have access to many of the things that I can easily take for granted, and I try to remain conscious of that.
I feel the same way about my business. I’m ambitious, and I’m probably always going to want the next thing. I want more growth, more opportunities, and to constantly improve what I’m building. But I also know that none of Chase Mazur Photography exists without the people who trusted me before there was any reason for them to. Every inquiry, referral, booking, client who comes back, and person who recommends my name to someone else is something I’m genuinely grateful for.
So I think my success comes from a combination of being willing to speak up, standing firmly behind what I believe in, connecting with people, and having the drive to keep pushing forward, while also trying to maintain enough perspective to appreciate how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to do any of it in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chasemazurphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasemazur.photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093128154556
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chase-mazur-01044a364?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios&original_referer=
