By Emely Zepeda | Photos by Lily Rose Photography
Photography has always been a part of Debbie Labrot’s life. Her father was a photographer, and she was developing film as early as sixth grade. As a child, Labrot was most interested in capturing real moments, real people, and the stories behind them. When she was fourteen, on a road trip with her mother, sister, and grandfather, Labrot caught the moment her grandfather blew his first bubblegum bubble after she’d spent hours trying to teach him. It’s a sweet moment made all the sweeter because it’s one of the few pictures her mother now has of him.
Though she had a deep interest in becoming a professional photographer, her mother encouraged her to pursue business instead. Thus her first career was as a nursing home administrator. But even there, Labrot found a way to incorporate photography, taking pictures of the residents to attach to their medication sheets. And she never stopped photographing for friends and family
In 2006, Labrot opened her own photography studio, Lily Rose Photography. In 2007, she met fellow photographer Larry Labrot at a bridal show, and after a yearlong mishap involving a lost phone number and a name mix-up, they became the photography team behind Lily Rose Photography. Together, they employ a variety of photography styles, including contemporary, photojournalistic, natural, fashion, and traditional, tailored to the event and the moment, be it a wedding day, engagement session, boudoir session, or other special event. The couple’s specialty is photographing weddings; since 2006, Lily Rose has photographed over 800 weddings, including a wedding with 750 people that lasted approximately 17 hours.
Labrot loves the energy and unpredictable nature of weddings and how different each wedding and couple are. No matter the details and needs, Labrot remains calm, flexible, and, using her people skills and ability to quickly read people and situations, stays in tune with the wedding couple. Keeping them engaged with each other and present in the moment is what’s most important for Labrot.
“Photography is all about memory,” she explains. “If a couple is present in the day, they’re creating their memory. The image is just a trigger. What I hand them is a trigger to a story. And if you keep somebody present in the story, they have a better experience, they have a better memory.”
For more information, visit lilyrosephotography.com.
