My name is Lara Aqel Valdes and I am the photographer and creative director behind LUME AND THREAD. I have spent over a decade working as a director of photography in the film industry, where I have shot award-winning music videos, films, documentaries, and commercials. I have worked with A-listers and I have also worked with people who have never been in front of a camera before. That breadth of experience has shaped my approach— cinematic, responsive, and intentional.  I am ready to capture the moment before it passes and I am here to make you and your loved ones feel completely at ease.

In my personal life, I am a wife and a mother of two boys—my angel, Malek, who we sadly lost too soon, and my rainbow, Sami, who fills my arms and my days. Becoming a parent changed the way I see and document relationships and the way I move through the world around me. My work is driven by a desire to preserve what’s real, tender, and, too often, fleeting.

Let’s chase magic & light together.