Great Exposure

How social media savvy and lighting know-how drive Craig La Mere’s success

- Steve Bedell

THE FIRST TIME I MET CRAIG LA MERE was at an ice cream shop in Brunswick, Maine, at about 11 p.m. Really. It was the night before the Maine Professional Photographers Association conference was going to kick off. I was there as a print judge, La Mere as a speaker. I recognized him from his Moz (his studio name) logo hat, although he didn’t know who this stranger was who was accosting him.

Over the next couple of days I gained a little insight into who this guy was. His public persona comes across as gruff and unpolished. But don’t be fooled, he is intelligent, driven, and basically a big softy who loves sharing his expertise with others.

La Mere has become known for his meticulously-crafted, fashion-oriented images of women. His signature look is based on the careful attention to lighting displayed in all his images, even though many are accomplished with just one light.

La Mere has become widely known in photography circles in a pretty short amount of time. What follows is some insight into how that all happened plus how he uses light to create his images.

Shutterbug: How does a guy from Pocatello, Idaho, make a name for himself as a beauty/fashion photographer?