Featured Follower: Lauren Miller, Photographer

Our featured follower series is the chance for us to show you the outstandingly talented members of the #khoollectcommunity. They’re the small businesses, the makers, the digital stars dictated by genuine talent and an interesting story.

This week we caught up with Toronto based food and lifestyle photographer Lauren Miller to talk her inspirations, RuPaul and her Toronto travel picks.

Website: http://lauren-miller.com/

Instagram: @lomillerphoto

A little about yourself & what you do?
“I’m a freelance photographer, working mostly on interiors, food and product projects for commercial & editorial clients. I’m really into rustic modern design, a good backyard dinner party and; classic jazz.”

Where in the world do you live?
“I spend most of my time in Toronto, Canada with my husband Sebastian at our live-work loft, and I’m lucky to spend weekends and summers at our family farmhouse in Prince Edward County, Canada.”

One or more places you have to visit there?
“My top Toronto recommendations are OddSeoul for Korean-style street food, the Broadview Hotel rooftop for great views & cocktails, Italian fare at Buca & a trip to Toronto Island to hang out on the beach & relax.”

What do you khoollect?
“Beautiful cookbooks, hand-thrown ceramics & vintage quirky art pieces.”

Favourite recipe?
“It’s a toss-up between a killer mushroom risotto or a super olive-y penne puttanesca.”

Favourite book?
“Another toss up between Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which I first read in grade 12 English and pretty much changed my perspective on art & life or Stacy Schiff’s biography of Cleopatra.”

Favourite local coffee shop?
“Neo Coffee Bar in Toronto is the absolute best – I’m there more often than I’d like to admit. It’s right around the corner from our place & the coffee is just really exceptional, the interior is gorgeous. The owner Masashi always remembers / makes fun of me for my quad-shot Americanos (usually reserved for shoot days).”

One item you can’t live without?
“Sorry to be cliche, but definitely my cameras. Also, Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.”

Perfect day off?
“It would definitely start out with some great coffee, listening to the radio & reading the paper at home – followed up by a hike with friends – then hitting up a local market for some great cheese, produce & stuff for a big family style dinner. Things would wind down with a dinner with friends, enjoyed at our place with lots of great wine.”

Who inspires you?
“In terms of photographers – Nicole Franzen, Johnny Miller, Luisa Brimble & Alice Gao are pretty much the gold standard for me. They all shoot a mixture of interiors, food & other commercial work, and I’m really inspired how they’ve made a diversity of work a strength of their portfolios. They also all consistently produce just pure magic, so there’s that too.”

In terms of blogs, Mimi Thorisson of Manger is essentially living my dream pastoral life, her two books have pride of place on my shelf – and in terms of the larger world, I’m really inspired by tenacious, adventurous women, including journalist Martha Gellhorn, Gloria Steinem & my mum Sue – a former paediatric oncology nurse.

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?
“If I wasn’t a freelance photographer I think I’d work for a magazine in art direction or something else creative. I can’t imagine my professional life without that outlet.”

Celebrity/icon you’d most like for dinner?
“Hands down RuPaul. We’d have really good fish tacos, with homemade tortillas, fresh guacamole and margaritas.”

Best advice you’ve ever received?
“At the beginning of my career, I was working as a journalist for Bloomberg News & had made a small mistake in a story, so it was likely we’d have to issue a correction. I was super young, really eager to prove myself and it definitely felt something close to the end of the world. My co-worker Gerrit noticed how upset I was, and brought a copy of the New York Times over to my desk and opened it to their corrections page. He pointed out some significant errors made by some really experienced and amazing journalists, and reminded me that even people who we think have it all figured out, and are at the absolute peak of your field, are messing up, stumbling and making mistakes. I find myself thinking about that conversation when I have moments where I feel like the sky is falling or I fall into a bit of a comparison spiral – we’re all just figuring it out and messing up as we go.”