Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Widener.
Hi Lauren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
It’s funny when I think back now. A photography career was always chasing me.
As a kid, I’d sit on the floor surrounded by my family’s old photo albums, flipping through yellowed pages and asking, “Who’s this?” or “What was happening here?” I loved how a single photo could make me feel connected to people I had never even met. Even then, I think I knew that photographs weren’t just pictures. They were proof that someone was here and they mattered.
In high school, I joined the photography club just for fun, but by senior year I was president and completely hooked. While studying education and art at LSU, I learned how light could tell a story and stir emotion. Still, it wasn’t until later that I truly understood how powerful family photography could be.
After Hurricane Katrina, I was a 25-year-old new mom watching my hometown of New Orleans rebuild after unimaginable loss. Photos were often the only things people had left, and that realization inspired my first business, NOLAbet Prints—a love letter to my city. I photographed New Orleans’ wrought-iron architecture shaped like letters and turned them into family name art that celebrated strength and belonging.
Years later, after moving to Houston, I focused on raising my four girls while still documenting their everyday moments. When I photographed my parents one summer, I had no idea those photos would soon mean everything. My dad passed away just months later, and those images became our most cherished keepsakes. They reminded me that family photography isn’t about perfection. It’s about preservation. That experience became the heart of Lauren Widener Portraits. While homeschooling my girls, I built a photography business that blends fine art with genuine family connection. My goal was simple: to make people feel comfortable, cared for, and proud to see their family portraits displayed as art in their homes.
Because I know how stressful photo sessions can be, I created a process that removes the overwhelm. From wardrobe styling and location planning to posing and artwork delivery, every detail is handled. My sessions are all-inclusive and include both digital images and heirloom pieces such as framed prints and albums that can be passed down for generations.
For me, family photography is a blend of art, legacy, and love. I call it The Art of Family. After photographing hundreds of families, the best compliment I hear is how comfortable and relaxed they felt and how surprised they were that their portraits look like true art for their walls.
At the end of the day, I want families to be able to cherish the beauty of who they really are every day. I believe that can change the world in some small way.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Gosh no. Don’t we all wish? There have been many twists and turns in this journey: Moving away from New Orleans, becoming a caregiver for my mom with disabilities, raising kids without family nearby, serious health issues, you name it. However, my firm belief that family comes first and all good things take time guided me to where I am today. So many of the things that the world would call “setbacks” in my career were just a choice I made to be in the moment with my family. It was very hard, and still is at times, to silence the noise of hustle culture. To be honest though, I think it has made me a better family photographer because I am not unfamiliar with the highs and lows of family life. I have lived them myself and my clients feel comfortable knowing I can relate to their struggles.
Perhaps the hardest challenge I face is battling an auto-immune disease. Sometimes it is really hard to show up in my business the way I want to because of chronic pain and fatigue but I think that is why it is important to do something you love! On the hardest days I still want to be a mom and photographer. Those things actually help me keep going.
We’ve been impressed with Lauren Widener Portraits, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At its heart, Lauren Widener Portraits is about The Art of Family. There’s so much beauty in family relationships, laughter, inside jokes, and the stories that connect us. I specialize in family and extended family portraits because capturing grandparents, parents, grown siblings, cousins, and grandbabies all together is truly priceless. A moment frozen in time is the greatest gift we can give our future selves.
My clients often call me a “magician” because I make them feel comfortable, capture their families exactly as they are, and even win over the grumpiest toddler, teen, or dad. What sets my business apart is the experience itself and the heirloom artwork I deliver. I know how stressful planning photos can be, so I’ve created a process that takes the pressure off. From wardrobe styling and location planning to posing and artwork delivery, every detail is handled. Each session is all-inclusive and includes digital images along with custom designed keepsakes families can hold, frame, and pass down. Most people leave my photo sessions asking when we can do it again!
I take great pride in being part of my community and helping people thrive. I partner with local businesses for venues, client gifts, and my own business services. I was published in The Front Steps Project during COVID-19, which raised funds for the Houston Food Bank. I’m a Gold Hope Project photographer for local children battling childhood cancer, a Houston Girls on the Run sponsor, a published children’s book author (The Time We Did Nothing), and I often volunteer my photography for local families and nonprofits. Every fall, I host a pumpkin patch event that benefits a nearby animal rescue farm and participate in local fundraisers as much as possible. Giving back is a fluid part of my business. Houston has given me so much, and I’m grateful to use my art to return that love. I want every family I photograph to feel cared for, seen, and celebrated. Years from now, I hope their portraits will remind them not just of who they were, but of the love and community that surrounded them.
Huge thanks to my community partners The Good Vibe Farm, Chandelier Grove, Magnolia Acres, and Life in Rose Farm for sharing their beautiful properties with us.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
One lesson that I love to share with students I mentor is that “Honing your craft is better than hustling your product.” Silence the noise of hustle culture, slow down, and take the time you need to connect with the people you serve. Focus on doing a quality job that makes you both proud to work together. In the long run you will gain loyal customers that can trust you and feel like family. If you do this right, you will never need to hustle and you will love your job!
Pricing:
- All Inclusive Family Experience Portraits start at $1225
- All Inclusive Extended Family Experience Portraits start at $2475
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.laurenwidenerportraits.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenwidenerportraits/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurenwidenerportraits
