The journey of Loryn Homan (formerly Eaton) originated from the moment her grandma handed her a camera one day and told her to have fun with it. Homan’s grandma took young Homan on a senior citizen trip with her, and while on a guided tour, Homan got bored, started taking pictures, and instantly fell in love with taking photos.
That passion followed her throughout school as she went to Harrington College of Design with an associate degree in applied science and digital photography. While in school, Homan decided to launch her very own photography website and business, Loryn Eaton Photography.
Her business started blossoming quickly as she went from doing weddings to senior pictures to working full-time.
“I posted on Facebook and had connections with where I worked at the time and then had my friends,” said Homan. “All of a sudden, I had a decent amount of clients, and it was definitely through word of mouth.”
Homan never thought weddings would become her favorite to photograph. In college, she always told herself she would never photograph weddings but one day she took them. She instantly fell in love with capturing the couple's special day.
For Homan, it is crucial to have a connection with the soon-to-be-married couple. This means getting to know the couple as much as possible and having them be comfortable with Homan as she captures their big day.
“It's a very big day for both the client and myself. That's something that you know you can't redo,” said Homan. “I've built many friendships with the brides and grooms.”
During the pandemic, Homan covered around 30 weddings. It was harder and more challenging because of the pandemic, but that just called for smaller, more intimate weddings. For her, the best part of weddings was the positive stress and having to think quickly on her feet.
“I get to spend a full Saturday with some amazing vendors,” said Homan. “I get to go to a party and take pictures for somebody and capture their biggest and greatest memories.”
Homan is so dedicated to her clients that she travels for them, too. She will go anywhere to take pictures as traveling is a passion close to her heart.
“My grandma is fantastic. She loves to travel, so she gave that to me as well,” said Homan. “She gave me the push to do this and never doubted me. My bond with her is very strong; she helped me find this passion, so I owe a lot to her.”
The experience of going to places such as Africa, Costa Rica, and Colombia has been both life-changing and mind-blowing to Homan. She loves the opportunity to see how other people live. After capturing their special moments, she enjoys hanging up the particularly memorable photos on the walls in her home.
“I'm just grateful and super blessed to be able to have those experiences because not that many people get to go to Africa on safaris; it's just insane,” said Homan. “I definitely enjoy traveling, and it's also a passion with photography, they kind of go hand-in-hand.”
Through Homan’s photography business, she has an associate photographer along with an intern that she hopes one day will be able to let Homan relax after hustling for seven years.
For aspiring photographers, Homan discussed how learning and growing as much as you can, reading beyond your camera manual, watching YouTube videos, taking online classes, and learning the lighting side of photography are huge aspects of improving in the industry. Homan knows it can be overwhelming, but the more you work at it, the better you get at it.
“If you are feeling discouraged, write those feelings down and just keep moving forward, but make sure to keep looking back on it and just grow.”