North Carolina State University Athletics
Lauren Georges: Published Author
5/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
May. 3, 2005
Wolfpack women's soccer player Lauren Georges is wrapping up her junior year at NC State this week with exams underway. But that is not the only good thing happening in her life currently. Georges is looking ahead to her debut as a published author. With the help of her father and co-author Greg Georges, the NC State goalkeeper will see "50 Fast Digital Photo Projects" on the book shelves this summer.
So you are going to be a published author now... How does that feel?
It feels amazing. To be able to say that at 20 years old I am a published author is pretty impressive and even I don't think it has fully set in yet. Maybe when it comes out this summer I will get the full affect. I feel incredibly lucky to have a dad that has enough confidence and belief in me as a photographer and writer to offer me such a huge opportunity as this. Creating this book as his co-author is very special to me and just about the coolest thing I can think of for anyone to do with someone they are close to.
 Photo by Lauren Georges, also included in "50 Fast Digital Photo Projects" .  |
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Please tell the Wolfpack nation about your book. What is it about?
This book is a part of the "50 Fast..." series all based on things you can do with digital photography. My book is titled "50 Fast Digital Photo Projects" and is composed of 50 techniques or projects that you can do with digital photography. It covers everything from your basic downloading, managing and archiving digital photos to creating scrapbook pages, watermarked stationary, fine art prints with info on digital frames and mats, fine art greeting cards, calendars and posters, creating hand-colored photos with digital tints, and creating DVD slideshows and using online photo galleries. There are also sections on how to create ideal photos for sites such as eBay, how to join online forums and photo contests, and also how to order prints. It is a fun and exciting book for anyone of any age and skill level. I especially love all the photos that are used with the projects, which hopefully will make the book even more alluring.
Your dad is also a professional photographer, is that something you want to pursue as well?
Photography is definitely something I'm interested in. I love to be surrounded by beautiful images. Having a house covered in amazing photos had a huge affect on me growing up and of course heightened my interest in photography. I love to paint and enjoy art of any kind. Once I began editing photos with programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Corel Painter I was completely overwhelmed and fascinated by the unlimited possibilities available for me to create my own artwork with my own photos. I'm not sure if writing books will be what I want to do for a living but with lots of writing experience and an interest in photography and digital editing perhaps I will attain my dream job, which would be to work for Nike as an advertising exec or in product design.
 Page from "50 Fast Digital Photo Projects" , includes photo by Lauren Georges. |
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How was your experience working with your dad on this book?
Well my dad and I are very close and my mom jokes that I am basically a female version of him so obviously that has its benefits and drawbacks. My dad has a home office so when I was working with him over the summer I got to hang out at home. It was nice that I could just roll out of bed and head straight in and get to work but such a relaxed atmosphere and with all its accompanying distractions caused me to be a bit lackadaisical at times which did not go over well with my dad. We also both like to have fun so we had to work on going from messing around to getting serious and focused. We did occasionally butt heads but I quickly realized that yeah, he was my dad, but he was also taking a huge chance on me with this book and since this was what he does for a living, neither of us could afford to end up with anything less than near perfect. Overall it was definitely a fun and rewarding experience and one I would do again.
How did you get it to be published?
When my dad wrote his first photography book it took him about 6 months to find a publisher for it. After that book became quite successful he was able to create book proposals that interested a variety of publishers. For this book my dad and I worked with Wiley Publishing, a publishing company that worked with my dad on his last several books. Hopefully it will be published in several languages as his have been in the past.
-How was that experience?
Getting a book published is a trying and strenuous process. Luckily, since I was the novice in the situation, my dad mostly dealt with the publishers with me in the background learning the ropes. There is so much that goes into writing and then publishing a book and I never had any idea how complicated it was until I went through it myself.
Is there a chance for a second book or something in the future?
Actually this summer my dad and I are planning on doing another one. This time it will be primarily focused on the photos instead of a "how to" book with step-by-step directions for techniques as we did before. For this book we are thinking about shooting a series of photos and then accompanying them with short stories we would write. All would be based on a particular theme but nothing has been decided yet. But we'll see...
 A collection of photos by Lauren Georges included in "50 Fast Digital Photo Projects" . |
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Tell those who may be interested where and how they can get your book?
When it comes out in June it will be available at many local bookstores- Barnes & Noble, Borders, computer and photography stores, etc. You can also order it online on sites such as Amazon.com.
So, back to soccer, you play two positions now for NC State, how is that going?
It's going great. Currently I am back in goal but being in the field all last season was probably the most exciting time of my career. Just having that experience and showing the coaches and players that I can play in the field was so much fun. There is so much I enjoy about both positions so I am quite fortunate to be able to experience both. I can't really think of anyone that I know, especially in the ACC that was given the option to go back and forth between the goal and the field. To be given that chance and taking it head on has changed my whole outlook on the sport and changed me as a person. I've always dreamed of playing in the field and when it finally happened I was ecstatic. I also think it has made me a better player since I can see things from both perspectives.
What are you looking forward to next season?
I'm looking forward to seeing how our team progresses from this past year. We made a lot of improvements this spring and I think as a team we are ready to forget about what has happened in the past and to take full advantage of our talent and chemistry to better our program and to show everyone what we can really accomplish. If we play with heart and for each other I know my last season here will be one to remember.
