Hey there, I’mLasamoa and my superpower is freezing time

I’ll just dive right into some messed up stuff because there isn’t an easier way to do it.

I survived the Aurora Theater Shooting back in July of 2012 and my fiance at the time, AJ did not. At 19 years old, I got a second chance at life and I realized quickly I wasn’t going to let it get away from me. Such a huge lesson to learn at a young age.

My husband, Cody is a police sergeant and responded to the shooting as an officer at the time. After reaching out to him to see how he was doing during the aftermath and trial proceedings we became inseparable; best friends over a long lunch at Chipotle.

The theater shooting spearheaded my desire to capture life. I wanted nothing more than to remember the moments that made me laugh, smile, cry, and even broke my heart because those were the moments that helped me recognize how far I have come and how resilient we really are.

I am here to be your photographer.

The one who captures the moments that make you really take a step back and recognize the life you live is a great one, and you have the photographs to prove it.

Meet theLaniers

My husband, Cody is my rock. He may be my husband, but he has never stopped being my fiance, my boyfriend, or my best friend. I have the confidence to do the things I desire because I know Cody will be there in the front row cheering, clapping, crying supporting me through all of it. The Lord really knew what I needed in a partner for this life. I thank Him everyday for Cody.

My stepdaughter Mikayla is my sensitive soul. Everything about her heart comes from a place of true genuinity, passion, and love. She is such a peaceful and mindful young woman that everyday I am so proud to have taken part in her upbringing. She gets business done and still manages to take time to herself.

My stepdaughter Ashlynn is our wild card. She’s straightforward, bold, and outspoken. She will party until the sun comes up, she is the most honest and down to earth preteen I have ever known.

Lastly, meet our sweet American Pit Bull Terrier, Dublin. Dublin came into our lives when Cody and I were pretty low after our long desired baby miscarried. On our due date, I told Cody I had been searching high and low for a little companion. Despite her pricey price tag something about her listing jumped off the page at me. Little “Lexus” from Connecticut was going to be our new family member that year. She is the cuddliest, sweetest, most sensitive dog we have ever known. Oddly, the dog Cody’s eye color and her coat definitely would be our skin tones mixed together.

I mean I believe coincidence is just a wink from God after all.

Here’s myBeginning

If you had asked me where I saw myself 10 years after high school graduation I would have never thought it would be here. Then again I would have never anticipated any of the things that had happened in the ten years after high school to have happened in my wildest dreams or even nightmares.

I graduated from high school in 2011 and did what most American students did after graduation. I enrolled for my freshman semester at the University of Colorado Boulder- SKOBUFFS! I initially registered as a Psychology major, which then changed to Film Studies.

While dating AJ, I realized I longed to be an educator. I was a little girl in my room teaching my stuffed animals. To this day, I actually believe that teaching was my calling, but because of surviving a shooting and the atrocity that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School just five months after the theater shooting I could not bring myself to be in a school with students and the chances of surviving another shooting.

While going to college, the theater shooting trial was ongoing and my focus was not entirely centered around my education so I eventually dropped out. The trial lasted for four years after the incident and it was every bit of an emotional ride. I decided to put school on the back burner while I addressed all the other elements to the identity crisis I was struggling with.

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Corporate AmericaSucks

While taking a break from school, I got a job. A nice corporate job with a nice desk in a nice office with a keycard entry. It felt official considering I was a young twenty year old trying to figure out once again who I wanted to be.

I enjoyed the job because I enjoyed the paychecks.

One day, I took my 30 minute lunch break and called my mom.

Sobbing on the phone, I wanted her to tell me what I already knew was true. I needed to hear her say it though, “Is this what it’s like?” She had no idea what I was referring to, but after I explained I couldn’t deal with morning commutes, clocking in, two fifteen minute breaks, a thirty minute lunch, and a never-ending groundhog day for the rest of my life. She laughed, “Yes, what do you think it’s supposed to be like?”

The entirety of Office Space was the direct reflection of my life and my feelings about having a day job.

Yes, I know, I’m such a millennial and if you have mud to sling about me being a “lazy millennial,” I am not your girl, dude.

I threw my hands in the air and I QUIT! Corporate wasn’t it and never will be it for someone like me. I was inspired by Allison Easterling to become a photographer. How sweet are moments that you can creatively capture and keep for as long as your photographs are preserved? I wanted everything to do with that.

I started working at Starbucks Coffee to start building my business and directing my focus on learning as much as I could. I took it a step further and got employed at Chase Bank and made a bit more money so I could elevate my photography more. Invested in a better camera, more lenses, more equipment, a decent laptop, and finally went full time August 28, 2020. During the pandemic, I figured it would be the best move since the entire would was on a trajectory of risk and change. I thought it would be the best to join everyone. I left secure income for the final time.

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