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From Caledonia, Minnesota to Nashville, Tennessee and back again to Minnesota, Laura Rae Roesler has followed her faith and love for photography all over the US. However, for Laura Rae, the beginning of her journey was not in photography. I was lucky enough to chat with Laura Rae and hear her inspirational and powerful story of how she found love with her camera and the people behind the lens.
Laura Rae attended Winona State University intending on completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Nothing had made her happier than being around kids and teaching, until she picked up a camera in the summer of 2010. She had never used a camera beyond a typical point and shoot camera to take candids and posed photos of friends in high school, sporting events and social gatherings. She was just a girl with a camera determined to show her aunts how beautiful they were with an impromptu photo shoot on her grandfather’s beach in northern Michigan. The shoot began with her aunts timid and shy not wanting to look into the camera, but when their personalities evolved, in front of her was something amazing. As she kept clicking the shutter and showing them images from the viewfinder, they began to smile larger and eventually tear up. “Laura,” said her aunt, “I’ve never felt this beautiful before. You’ve helped me love my body again.”
From this moment she realized the power photography had and the impact it could have on people including herself. She ended her summer vacation and started classes again for Elementary Education but she just couldn’t shake the amazing feeling from the shoot that summer. Unsure of her future endeavors, she prayed about what to do. She needed to decide if photography was the right path, but to change her major, she needed a sign to take such a big leap.
Laura Rae came across a National Geographic competition online and she decided she would submit an image from the shoot with her aunts—if it was not chosen to be published, she would stick with Elementary Education.  A month passed and she had received an email. “At first belief I thought it was spam,” Laura Rae said, “but inside the email read: “Congratulations, you have been chosen out of 20,000 entries to be published in National Geographic.” Followed by a happy dance and a scream, Laura Rae called her parents and ran to school to change her major to Mass Communication with an emphasis in Photojournalism and never looked back.
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Laura’s photo that was submitted to National Geographic
Winona State was home for Laura—she loved it. With the small class sizes and quaint campus, it felt like she was part of a community. She found herself studying at Acoustic Café, with a large chai tea latte listening to Ray Charles and studying or editing photos—her favorite. Laura’s recipe for her success was made up of hard work, passion, luck, patience, hustle and a lot of faith; striving everyday to be closer to her dream of traveling the world doing destination photography. As for now she continues to build up her own photography business (Laura Rae Photography), still making time to bake with mom and watch football with her dad.
Laura Rae offers her advice to current Winona State Students;
“Choose a career you’re passionate about—something that lights you up inside. Something that makes you excited to get out of bed in the morning. Anything less that that is a waste of this wonderful life you’ve been given! If you’re passionate about something, you will succeed.”
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Check her out at:
Website: www.lauraraephotography.co
Blog: www.lauraraephotography.com
Instagram: Laura Rae Photography
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraRaePhotography
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