Meet Chloe Lampasas | Photographer and Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chloe Lampasas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chloe, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always been obsessed with creating and making up small businesses. Whether it was creating spa treatments, baking, painting, or even writing short stories, I would decorate a small space in my family’s living room and would make each of my family members come in and be my customers. I guess I’ve always been fascinated with creating my own business for something that I’m passionate about from a young age, thanks to the wonderful role model I have of a father. My Father started his own business at the young of 26 years old. I’m proud to say that my Father is the owner and creator of Ciros Italian Grill, which has been in business for 38 years. I am tremendously grateful for not only having my father support me and my photography business but also for showing me that if you are truly passionate about your dreams you can bring them to life! In a way, it was also because of him, that I found my love of film photography. I’ve always been into the arts, all art forms really, for a long time I thought I’d become a painter or graphic designer, but it wasn’t till COVID that I found photography has always been something I truly cared about. I taught myself how to take photos for reference photos to paint, but I didn’t fully dive into photography till 2020. During COVID there was a two-week period where restaurants had to be shut down, within that time I was asked to help redecorate the inside of my dad’s restaurant. Since Ciro’s Italian Grill is all about family traditions, I went searching through our family’s attic and found hundreds of old family film rolls. With these film rolls, I decided to restore and scan these images to bring them back to life for not only decorating the restaurant with family memories but to also give these moments back to the members of my family. From there I fell in love with film, I love the old-school feel it brings to capture moments, and I love the authentic colors and tones only film can make. My love for film started my journey to creating my photography business, I wanted to use my talents as an artist to create beautiful images that last a lifetime. Whether that be creating charming family portraits, gorgeous couple portraits, or exquisite creative/ editorial shoots, I want to use my creativity to develop photos that will mean something to people. “Photos can speak when words are not able to” and that is something I live by. Film and digital photography is not just a job for me but it is also my creative outlet and my dreams, I am excited to see where photography will take me because I have big goals ahead!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started out as an artist, painting, drawing, digital illustrating, etc. I took reference photos to paint from but always found myself frustrated as a perfectionist that I wasn’t painting the true representation of the photograph, maybe subconsciously I was looking at the details like a photographer and not a painter. When my love for photography started to come out, I fully dove into taking it upon myself to teach myself in any way I could, so of course being in the digital age I turned to Pinterest and YouTube. Truthfully though there is no better way to learn photography than by trail and error, as photography is its own art form, I believe that besides the fundamentals, being a photographer isn’t something that can truly be taught by someone else. Photography requires having a creative eye, using your imagination to create images out of the mundane things that surrounds us. Photography is also something you have to find your own style of, you come to realize what colors or objects catch your eye, and what framing and editing styles most aesthetically please your own eye. As a photographer you have to develop your own confidence in loving the images you create and not focusing on pleasing the whole worlds view of your art, because if everyone focused on pleasing everyone, all photos would end up looking the same and that is not the point of creating art. Art is created to be different, to showcase the individuals creative personality and differences.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Best restaurant in town is Ciros Italian Grill! Ciros has great authentic Italian food, great cocktails, and even a big green space outside for families for their kids to play! For fun activities for the creative lovers out there take a trip to the ‘color factory’, it’s a fun interactive art installation that immerse you into colors! Other fun creative activities I would love to try would be ‘Shot Of Art’ a fun art spinning experience that you get to shot at balloons full of paint to create fun art! Another fun creative activity I want to try is at “528 Entertainment Houston’, it’s a tufting workshop to build your own fun colorful rugs! I love going to Eleanor Tinsley Park and having a fun picnic with friends! Going to Rooftop Cinema to catch a movie in a fun environment or going to an Astros game at minute maid! To grab drinks the heights has a great street lined up with bars! to grab a good cocktail with friends try Z on23 Rooftop or SOHO Garden. for a fun bar experience try Wonder Bar.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents have always encouraged my dreams and goals, to them I am forever grateful. I idolize their own accomplishments as business owners. My mother had created her own boutique at a young age, for her passion for fashion. My father created his own restaurant to honor his dream and love for family tradition at just 26 years old. I am proud to have grown up with two parents that are creative enough to dream and bring these dreams to life. They have shown me to never settle in life, but to keep dreaming and persevering to reach my own personal goals ahead.

Website: https://Chloedanielle.org

Instagram: https://chloedanielle.film