Sometimes creativity doesn’t follow a straight path. Sometimes you step away from the thing you love, give yourself room to grow, and eventually find your way back to it with an entirely different perspective.
For Indianapolis photographer Lauren Colbert-Davis, that journey has brought her back to the same curiosity she had when she first picked up a camera as a kid. Today, through Lauren Colbert Media, she documents Indianapolis as it happens: people gathering at local events, businesses opening their doors, quiet moments in familiar neighborhoods, and everyday scenes that could easily go unnoticed if no one stopped long enough to see them.
As part of our Creators We Like series, we’re excited to introduce a photographer whose work is not only about capturing Indianapolis, but about encouraging us to slow down and notice what’s happening around us.
A Creative Journey That Started Early
Lauren’s relationship with a camera began around sixth grade, when she received her first point-and-shoot. Summers were spent running around the neighborhood filming videos with her siblings and friends, but even at 12 years old, there was something deeper behind the fun. She was already looking for stories in everyday life, a curiosity that would eventually become one of the most recognizable qualities of her photography.
In high school, that curiosity developed into a serious interest in photography through photojournalism, yearbook, and art classes. She discovered how much she enjoyed photographing people and began offering portrait sessions, booking her first paid shoot at just 15 years old. Photography followed her into college, but some of the most important lessons she learned about storytelling happened during her summers away from the classroom.
For four summers while attending Indiana University, Lauren worked on the Media Team at Camp Tecumseh, a place she had grown up visiting as a camper. Photographing camp life taught her to slow down and observe rather than always searching for the biggest or most obvious moment. Some of her favorite photographs weren’t necessarily of the high-energy activities. They were the quieter scenes happening in between: a child making their first camp friend, a group sitting together on a hill at sunset, or a fawn quietly appearing between the trees. Those experiences shaped the documentary approach she still carries with her today.
When a Passion Starts Feeling Like Work
After graduating from Indiana University in 2020, Lauren continued growing her photography business with a primary focus on portraits. She was booking sessions and doing what she had once imagined doing professionally, but somewhere along the way, photography began to feel different. Turning something she loved into something she depended on financially brought pressure, expectations, and eventually burnout.
It was an important realization. Lauren didn’t stop loving photography; she simply realized she didn’t want every photograph she created to have a business objective attached to it. She also wanted to explore more than portraiture. As the work began feeling more like a responsibility than something she was excited to do, she scaled back her photography business and pursued a full-time career in marketing, eventually returning to work at her alma mater. She continued taking occasional sessions, but for a while, the camera moved into the background of her life.
That period ultimately taught her one of the most valuable lessons of her creative journey: photography doesn’t always have to be productive to be worthwhile. Creativity can exist simply because it brings you joy. There doesn’t always need to be a client, a deadline, or a reason to post it.
Rediscovering Photography Through Indianapolis
Then came spring 2025.
A new remote role allowed Lauren to spend more time in Indianapolis, and something about being in the city brought back an urge to create that she hadn’t felt in years. This time, however, she approached photography differently. There was no pressure to turn every outing into a paid session or every photograph into something commercially useful. She simply picked up her camera because she wanted to.
Lauren began wandering through downtown, exploring different neighborhoods, attending local events, and photographing whatever caught her attention. In many ways, it brought her full circle to that kid with a point-and-shoot camera, curious about the stories happening in ordinary life.
Today, her work is rooted in documentary-style photography. She might photograph people watching the sunset at White River State Park, capture the excitement surrounding a new business opening in Fountain Square, or document vendors gathering for a farmers market on Monument Circle. Rather than relying heavily on posed scenes, Lauren looks for naturally occurring moments that reveal something about the character of Indianapolis—the things many of us might walk past without noticing.
Finding Stories in the In-Between Moments
Lauren credits her years at Camp Tecumseh with teaching her that some of the best stories happen between the obvious moments, and that philosophy continues to guide her work. She’s interested in Indianapolis exactly as it is, not an overly polished version of it. Her photography invites people to look again at places they may have passed hundreds of times and perhaps notice something new.
Inspiration also comes from the photographers around her. Lauren points to Indianapolis photographers Chandu Prem Lal and Jes Nijjer as creators whose work often motivates her to grab her camera and head outside. But the city itself remains one of her greatest sources of inspiration. Many of her ideas begin with no plan at all—a walk through a neighborhood, a lunch break, or a spontaneous stop at a local event. Some of her favorite images have happened completely by accident.
There’s something refreshing about that approach. In a creative world where we’re often encouraged to plan everything, Lauren’s work is a reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do is simply pay attention.
Building a Visual Collection of Indianapolis
Lauren is now taking the photographs she’s accumulated while exploring the city and turning them into something people can bring into their own homes. She’s building an online print shop and organizing her work into galleries dedicated to Indianapolis neighborhoods, including Fountain Square, Windsor Park, and Old Southside, with plans to continue expanding the collection.
She’s also interested in collaborating with more local businesses, artisans, events, and community organizations. Brand photography for restaurants and shops feels especially natural because many of the businesses she photographs are places she already visits and supports. It gives her an opportunity to combine documentary storytelling with another thing she values deeply: meeting the people behind Indianapolis’ local businesses and helping tell their stories.
Seeing Indianapolis for What It Is
Perhaps one of our favorite things about Lauren’s perspective is that she doesn’t believe Indianapolis needs to become another city to be interesting.
There will always be comparisons to places like Chicago or New York, but that’s not what Indy is trying to be. Its identity can be found in the independent businesses, artists, historic neighborhoods, architecture, food, trails, events, and people who create a culture of their own. For Lauren, becoming more involved with the creative community has only strengthened that connection to Indianapolis and motivated her to show others how much is waiting to be discovered here.
She’s also found inspiration in the diversity of Indianapolis’ photography community. Beyond portrait photographers, she’s discovered creators working across street photography, hospitality, sports, events, film, and countless other styles. Seeing the city interpreted through so many different perspectives has helped expand her own understanding of what her photography can become.
Ultimately, Lauren hopes her work does two things: introduces someone to a place or experience they didn’t know existed and encourages them to appreciate the ordinary moments happening around them.
That idea feels particularly meaningful in a city we’re all often moving through quickly. Sometimes discovering Indianapolis doesn’t require finding somewhere new. Sometimes it simply requires slowing down long enough to notice what’s already there.
Where to Find Lauren Colbert-Davis
Instagram: @laurencolbertmedia
Portfolio & Print Shop: laurencolbertmedia.smugmug.com
Through Lauren Colbert Media, Lauren continues documenting Indianapolis one neighborhood, business, event, and unexpected moment at a time. Her creative journey is also a reminder that stepping away from something you love doesn’t necessarily mean leaving it behind. Sometimes, coming back without the pressure allows you to see it—and the city around you—with fresh eyes.
Creators We Like is an ongoing WE LIKE INDY series highlighting the artists, makers, musicians, and creative entrepreneurs shaping Indiana’s vibrant creative community. Stay tuned as we continue sharing the stories behind the people making our state a more inspiring place to live, work, and create.
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