Hi! I'm Lou.
WELL ACTUALLY, MY NAME IS DELANEY.
But the ones I love most call me Lou!
Who knows where it originated, yet it has been my most beloved nickname since I was a wee thing.
I've been called tender-hearted, a crybaby, and hopeless romantic countless times over the years.
What can I say, I wear my heart on my sleeve!
I've come to pursue a line of photographic work that leans on these sensitivities and sees them as strengths.
Working professionally for 10+ years, I have captured more moments of love, life, and laughter than I could have ever imagined. My passion began in journalism, and my fascination with storytelling has only deepened since transitioning to photography and film.
A photograph gives us what nothing else can – the stopping of time. It allows us to linger, observe, relive, and cherish something that we cannot otherwise access. They are heirlooms in their own right. A window in time we can come back to, over and over again. A physical place to store our love for what is no longer here.
Grief is my constant companion.
I've carried it with me from childhood, heavy on my heart, into adulthood. It has met me with it's challenges in every season of my life. Great loss, especially from a young age, deeply shapes you as a person. In my experience, my grief is in part what steered me towards photography.
On film the memories were protected, guarded from the unforgiving passage of time. My people, preserved as I remember them in my minds eye. They may no longer be in my arms, but with photographs they can be an arms length away. A physical crash pad for love to land on when it can no longer be contained in the head and the heart.
Grief is said to be love with no place to go. A lifetime of love reserved for someone who is no longer around to receive it. It's this heaviness that fuels my determination to seek out, create and document the beauty of the human condition. The joy, the pain, and everything in between.
We're a bit non-traditional over here, but that's what makes us special.
As the daughter of an incredibly hard-working small business owner, I grew up in an environment that was proof of the power and importance of community. I was fortunate to be raised in a diverse, working-class town that molded who I am. Shout out to the Fed!
I'm thankful for what I have and how I got here, and it wouldn't have happened if not for the army of incredible people behind me. Being granted the honor of a seat at all kinds of tables in life – literal and metaphorical – has taught me a deeply important lesson. Without each other, we have nothing. If I'm eatin, my people are eatin too. I don't want any part in elitism.
These friends, family members, and neighbors have welcomed me into their homes, their cultures, and some of the most important moments of their lives. Trust has been given to me, and I feel that can only be held through focused, continued action.
It is important to me to clearly state the values and principles of my business. I am proudly queer and from a multi-racial family. BIPOC, immigrants, disabled people, the LGBTQIA+ community, and our other marginalized friends are welcome here. You should be able to enjoy the most important moments of your life with the confidence that you are in good hands, and I hope to provide that for you.
Racism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia and every other cockroach of bigotry will not be tolerated by myself or the associates I employ. If you take offense to this statement, we are not a good fit. If you could kindly show yourself out, here is the door!
Every moment matters.
It's your story. Let's illustrate it together.
The first kiss at a wedding,
a father's tears at graduation,
laughter between a grandma and her grandbabies,
the unwavering pursuit of self expression –
I am lucky to bear witness to these moments with an honest eye and an open heart. I would be honored to capture it all for you.