Photographer Spotlight: Lori Naumes

She never leaves home without her 100-400. Distance, for her, is how intimacy actually happens.

Lori Naumes came to photography through encouragement rather than obsession. Positive feedback on her early images on social media, and family and friends pushing her to buy a real camera, gave her the push to actually try. What she found once she started was a genuine focus on people, emotion, and the stories a single frame can imply without ever spelling them out. Her black and white work developed gradually rather than as a deliberate style choice, she gravitates to monochrome simply because it lets her see more clearly, without color pulling focus from what actually matters in the frame.

She shoots almost entirely scheduled sessions with a Sony A7R3 and A7R5, favoring her Sigma Art primes and a long 100-400mm zoom that lets her step back and observe families and couples from a distance rather than staging them up close. She edits almost entirely from her phone, delivering every session in both black and white and color. We asked her about the morning she set out to photograph a sunrise and came home with something better instead.

Here is our interview:

There's always a moment that pulls someone into photography for good. What was yours?

The feedback I was receiving from my images on social media pulled me in. The encouragement I received from family and friends motivated me to buy a ‘real’ camera and give it a shot… pun intended.

What subjects are the focus of your work and why?

My photography focuses on people, emotions, and the stories that can be told through imagery. I love capturing meaningful moments, genuine connections, and creating images that make viewers feel something or imagine a story behind the scene.

Your black and white work has a particular feeling to it. How did you arrive at that? Was it deliberate or did it emerge over time?

I think it emerged over time, finding my voice in photography. I’ve always gravitated toward black and white because it’s easier for me to see what I’m looking at rather than being distracted from colors or tones. It’s timeless and elegant.

Tell us the story behind one of your favorite photographs.

The relationship between a close friend of mine and her father was incredibly inspiring to me. She had asked me to take their family photos one year and in turn I asked for her dad to join. I knew exactly what I wanted to capture, both of them, hand in hand and walking toward the sunrise.

He’s a musician, that morning he played a few songs for his grand daughters. I shot around them and listened to him play. I didn’t get the sunrise shot I was aiming for but I was able to capture him in the most beautiful light, in all his artistic glory.

What is one thing that you are working to improve in your photography and how are you going about it?

Diversity. I’d like to diversify my portfolio and shoot street photography. I’ve been learning the etiquette and studying a few photographers, I just need to get out more and do it instead of waiting for the “perfect” opportunity.

How much do you plan vs. shoot spontaneously?

All I of my shoots are scheduled in advance… for the most part. 90% scheduled, 10% spontaneous.

What gear do you bring when you go out to shoot?

I shoot with my Sony A7R3 & A7R5. I take both bodies to each shoot with a fixed and zoom lens. I’ve fallen in love with the bokeh from my Sigma Art 50 1.2 & 85 1.4 lenses and I never leave home without my Sony FE 4.5 - 5.6 100-400 GM. I’ve found having a zoom lens enables me to step back and observe the families/couples by shooting thru movement far away as opposed to staging and being in the mix.

What does your editing process look like? What tools do you use and how do you approach it?

I upload my images to Lightroom Classic and cull from LR Mobile my phone. I do most of my work on my phone. It works for me. I cull on my iPhone 16 Pro by choosing the images that are most emotive. I’ll edit in B&W, duplicate all of the images and edit those in color for my subjects. The only work I do from my desktop is upload, duplicate images, export and import into an online gallery (after double checking the edits from desktop). I use Pixieset for my subjects galleries. I give every image in both black and white and in color.

Who are some photographers or artists that have influenced your style and why?

Lee Jefferies and Harry Williams. I am infatuated with the way both men shoot their subjects and the emotion the work evokes in me while viewing their images.

What would you tell yourself when you started in photography? The thing nobody said to you that would have changed how you photographed?

It’s not what you see, but how you see it.

If you would like to see more of Lori’s work you can find her on foto @soulrendered