ABOUT ME & MY WORK
Hi I’m Sara Lafleur-Vetter, Lafleur for short, I’m a Northern California-based photographer, videographer, documentary filmmaker, and audio storyteller with a passion for uplifting stories of the underdog, social justice, and personal transformation.
I came to photography & storytelling out of scouring family photo albums for information about my father. he died in a helicopter accident while working as a test-pilot for Boeing when I was two.
I spent a lot of time trying to piece together a story of him & myself through those few family photos. I think this is why I get so much joy out of creating memories for other families.
With my mother’s support, I started shooting film at 14 and never stopped. I travelled to Russia, Kyrgyzstan, uzbekistan, egypt, uganda, & the camera was my passport into other worlds & experiences.
I added video to my arsenal in 2015 when I earned my Masters in Journalism. After graduating, I went to document the Standing Rock Resistance camps in North Dakota for half a year, doing coverage for The Guardian, NY Times, and AJ+. I was humbled & transformed by my time there & the relationships that formed and that experiEnce has culminated into a feature-length documentary slated to wrap in 2024.
I became a mom in 2018 & added family photography to my tool chest with a heightened perspective of how important it is to capture the fleeting moments. I started shooting family portraits in South Lake Tahoe during the Covid Pandemic because I felt so isolated and I wanted to both connect with other families and capture how families were still thriving during an extremely trying time.
Why work with me?
FOR FAMILIES
I want to help you create a meaningful keepsake for you & your family & make your portrait session truly enjoyable. To ensure you’re comfortable & you get what you want out of the session, I always like to chat with my clients before & during the session to make sure I know exactly what you need, what not to do, & how we can get the best results for you.
Sometimes I’ll send a style guide to pinpoint the kinds of poses, styles, or palette you love so i can best prepare for our time together. If it’s a family session with kiddos, i’ll pull out all the charms, jokes, and toys to get big smiles. Usually the more fun we have and the more comfortable we all are the better the images.
My style is authentic and emotive. I capture people being themselves and then edit the images to amplify the emotion. From the selects you choose, each image is given a full make-over to make it as impactful as possible. I often give my clients a sepia-tone version of their selects to create that timeless feel. Last, I believe every family deserves family photos, so I’m always willing to adjust my rates and come up with a package that works for you.
FOR BUSINESSES
I want to help you tell the story of your business in a personal and impactful way. I also want us to have a longstanding relationship that’s mutually beneficial so I’ll put in the time to get to know you, your goals, and maximize our time together. Running a business can be brutal and I want to help make your life easier so you can get back to enjoying what you do and have time & energy outside of work to enjoy your friends & family.
What People Are Saying
Awards I’ve Won
IDA’s Pare Lorentz Award 2018
BAVC National MediaMaker Fellow 2018
Berkeley Film Foundation Saul Zaentz Award 2017
Spike Lee Student Filmmaker Award 2015
Dorothea Lange Fellowship, 2015