A Conversation with Laure Joliet

Laure Joliet is an interiors photographer based in Los Angeles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, West Elm, The Ace Hotel, Dwell, Domino Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Anthology, and more. Upon looking at her work, her interior shots trigger a sense of peaceful wanderlust and I’m struck by the beauty of them every time. When she agreed to this interview, I was over the moon. She is one of my favorite creatives and photographers. Below, she talks about traveling in between Los Angeles and Paris as a child, the moments she realized that photography could be a full-time career, essentials that she packs for the road, and three of her favorite photos from summer.

What place do you call home?
Los Angeles has almost always been my home base but I think that’s only because I get to leave so frequently. I’m third generation native Angeleno on my mom’s side and I think that keeps me planted here. My dad’s side fills me with wanderlust and that keeps me moving through the world and accepting assignments that put me on planes all the time.

How old were you when you picked up your first camera?
My dad was always taking pictures as a hobby so he probably let me shoot his film camera when I was five or six but he gave me my own point and shoot when I was nine. It was red and black and shot film and I loved it. My parents were divorced and I spent summers with my dad in France so I would document everything that we did so that I could share with my mom in LA when I got back. I still have all of those photos organized in shoe boxes!

What do you love most about photography?
I love how quick it can be. I come from a photojournalistic background so I am not normally working on elaborate setups, I am in a space or situation where I am paying attention and trying to grab the shots I need to tell a story and convey a mood. It means putting myself in a certain creative flow where I am very sensitive and aware of my surroundings, but I am also building up little bullet points in my head to make sure the images are telling a bigger story.