Laura Fowler Massie Captures Authentic Moments

Laura Fowler Massie grew up in a house where the second bathroom functioned as a darkroom. Her father, a professional photographer, made photography a constant presence in her daily life. Every time the family left the house, the camera was always an equal participant. This early immersion meant that she was familiar with the equipment and the technical demands of the medium from her earliest years. By the age of eight, she had already acquired her own small camera and begun the work of capturing her own images.

Today, Laura works primarily as an outdoor portrait photographer, though her practice extends into the high-energy environments of live music and the patient observation of street photography. She views her camera not as a barrier, but as a buddy that accompanies her into large crowds. This relationship with the device allows her to move through a music festival or a city street with a sense of companionship. In the city, she often parks herself on a bench and simply waits to see what interesting or authentic moments might pass by her lens.

Her recent shift into live music photography was a calculated move to challenge her own technical boundaries. She shoots for local music festivals like the Gatineau Hills Fiddle Festival and events for La Fab sur Mill. The difficulty of live music photography attracts her: the light changes constantly and the stage is cluttered with equipment. She sought out these conditions specifically to push herself and learn new skills, believing that a difficult environment is the best place for professional growth.

In her portrait work, her challenge is to not let the camera intimidate her subject. She’s seen that while a few people are naturally relaxed, the majority of people feel a sense of fear when faced with a camera. To counter this, she employs an organic process that prioritizes activity over static poses. When working with families, she directs her energy toward the children first. She finds that when children are laughing, dancing, and engaging with her, their parents naturally begin to soften. She often gets the entire family running together. Her philosophy is simple: it is physically impossible to remain stiff and anxious while you are running around and laughing with your family.

Laura’s creative identity is tied exclusively to the villages of Chelsea and Wakefield. She refuses to do portraiture anywhere else because she wants to shoot within the environment where she feels most connected. She believes this connection to the local landscape is the primary value she offers to her clients. Each season in these villages provides a different emotional tone and a different visual feel for her work. Before a shoot begins, she scopes out the location to plan for the impact of the weather and the position of the sun. She avoids high noon, preferring light that helps her subjects appear casual and relaxed rather than staged.

Laura views her role as a photographer as a form of guardianship over a family’s history. She acknowledges that while everyone has a phone to snap pictures, a dedicated portrait session holds more significance. It’s an investment in marking a specific point in time. She admits to feeling a heavy responsibility to do her subjects justice and to capture something that will become a treasure. For her, the job is about more than taking a high-quality image. It’s about finding those small, treasured moments and securing them before they pass you by.