  The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample (LARS) of 14 star-forming galaxies offers a
wealth of insight into the workings of these local analogs to high-redshift
star-forming galaxies. The sample has been well-studied in terms of LyA and
other emission line properties, such as HI mass, gas kinematics, and
morphology. We analyze deep surface photometry of the LARS sample in UBIK
broadband imaging obtained at the Nordic Optical Telescope and the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, and juxtaposition their derived properties with
a sample of local high-redshift galaxy analogs, namely, with blue compact
galaxies (BCGs). We construct radial surface brightness and color profiles with
both elliptical and isophotal integration, as well as RGB images, deep
contours, color maps, a burst fraction estimate, and a radial mass-to-light
ratio profile for each LARS galaxy. Standard morphological parameters like
asymmetry, clumpiness, the Gini and M20 coefficients are [...] analyzed, as
well as isophotal asymmetry profiles for each galaxy. [...] We compare the LARS
to the properties of the BCG sample and highlight the differences. Several
diagnostics indicate that the LARS galaxies have highly disturbed morphologies
even at the level of the faintest isophotes [...]. The ground-based photometry
[...] reveals previously unexplored isophotes [...]. The burst fraction
estimate suggests a spatially more extended burst region in LARS than in the
BCGs. [...] The galaxies in the LARS sample appear to be in earlier stages of a
merger event compared to the BCGs. Standard morphological diagnostics like
asymmetry, clumpiness, Gini and M20 coefficients cannot separate the two
samples, although an isophotal asymmetry profile successfully captures the
average difference in morphology. These morphological diagnostics do not show
any correlation with the equivalent width or the escape fraction of Lyman
Alpha. [abridged]
