A mother, an artist,
and someone who sees what you carry.
Photography became my way of finding light again.
Not just in my own story—but in yours.
I’m Laurel Smith, a Bay Area portrait photographer devoted to helping mothers feel seen.
Hello
Before photography, I worked in finance—meticulous and structured. That same attention to detail still shapes how I serve my clients today.
I’ve stood where you stand now.
Feeling the weight of it all. Wanting to do it right.
And through this work, I’ve learned that sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is pause—and see ourselves clearly.
More Than A Photographer.
I know what it is to bear both
the beauty and the burden of becoming.
In the middle of it all—the weight of responsibility, the changing body, the uncertainty—you carry love with such care.
You show up with intention, day after day.
You want to hold onto these moments, and see yourself as you truly are: worthy, strong, beautiful.
That’s why I do this work.
To help you see it too.
- Kylie Raveston
Each time we walk away with beautiful pictures that perfectly capture our family.
Most recently, we trusted her to take our baby's newborn photos, and i'm so glad we did! she delivered gorgeous images of our baby that we cherish. Laurel is talented and professional. We look forward to using her services again in the future!"
- Madison Conlin
She's patient and has a wonderful eye for what she does. Can't wait to use her in the future!"
She's so great with every member of the family, bringing out our best qualities.
- Stacy Redd
We had such a wonderful experience working with Laurel! She took beautiful photos and made it such a fun yet professional experience.
Her vision as an artist made for the most perfect photos I could've ever hoped for!
- Malena Tanner
Laurel helped make each step so much easier.
Laurel is amazing! She was able to coordinate and pick out beautiful settings for pictures. While taking pictures she was able to adapt with my young kids' attitudes and wiggly bodies to create precious moments, which is not an easy job.
- Mary Johnson
Laurel did a wonderful job photographing my family with 2 kids under 5.
She was efficient with our time, knowing beforehand what poses and motions would get nice pictures, and how she wanted us to work with the lighting.
- Jessica Birk
She makes it fun for our kids and manages to capture everyone the way I see them as their mother. I cannot recommend Laurel enough! We will never use another photographer."
We have had 4 shoots with Laurel and each is better than the last.
- Alexa Linscott
Laurel captures light in such a beautiful way, I could not have been happier.
"We had a fabulous experience with Laurel in studio. My two year old was having a really hard day. Laurel was so gentle with her, and came up with great ideas to get some quality images despite the pout face. I was completely blown away when I received the images!!
Kind Words
