Inspired, A Very Special Project | Leah Zawadzki of Lily Blue Photography

    What a special treat this interview is for me. Everyone that has began in photography and has been anywhere near the internet has that bucket list of photographers they found and fell in love with. Leah is one of mine.  She has a way with her images that just speaks to my heart.  Her processing, her style, her “eye”. I can’t even begin to sum up how much I love this woman or her work! Getting to know her recently has really made me love her that much more. She has such a beautiful soul and is such an amazing person and I have to say I can see now why her work just moves me so.  She seems to marry herself into her images and I am just spell bound and often get lost in her portfolio. It would be a dream to have her photograph my family!

    I am not sure I can do her justice in words so I am going to get right into it! You can find her website HERE and her Facebook Page HERE.

    Hi Sweet Leah!!

    Photo Credit: Deb Schwedhelm

    Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?

    A wife and mother to three crazy kids—love my family more then anything.  Hardworking and creative but absolutely scattered in a million directions and late to everything I do.  Happiest when I am with the people I love, making memories and creating something beautiful.


    One of Leah’s older photos

    What sparked your passion for Photography?

    My kids of course!  I had always loved photography, but it wasn’t until my kids were born that I picked up the camera and really got serious.  Loving them has been life changing.

    Whats in your camera bag?

    Nikon D3s with lenses–50 mm 1.4, 35mm 2.0, 100mm 2.8, 24-70 2.8, 85mm, 1.4, lensbaby and 45mm tiltshift.  The Aquatech underwater housing for my d700. And an underused Contax 645 that I love.

     

    What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?

    My first real camera was the Pentax k1000 when I was about 14.  I still have it!  My first digital SLR was the Nikon D70 with the kit lens.

    If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?

    Probably the 50 mm 1.4.  Number one reason—because I love it.  I love it because it’s so versatile and because I love to shoot wide open.  I feel like I can cover a lot of ground with it by just backing up or getting close.  It’s lightweight and small profile.

     

    What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?

    Go slow.  Don’t rush it.  Make sure your business is in order, your website is ready.  Slow down and take the time to understand yourself and the photography you want to shoot.  Show what the work that really moves you–—the work that reflects the kind of work you want to do.  Keep it simple and keep it strong.

    What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

    Probably Mark Tucker or Mona Kuhn.  Not that I would ever shoot the same content as Mona, but her color and composition had me pouring over her work for hours.

    What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?

    This is a tough question for me because I think they are really both the same.  I never think too much about my photography.  I am not a planner—someone who thinks up a moment and tries to capture it.  I just take photos.  I like to be in the moment, observe and see.  That’s just what I do, client or not.

     

    Describe your style in 3 words.

    Honest, connection, intimate.

    Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?

    My biggest challenge is finding the time to do all I want to do—all I can think up doing.  I can think of a lot of things to do!  But to find the time while raising three kids is very challenging.  I can’t say that I have overcome it yet—I still struggle with it now and again.  I just tell myself that I can do what I can do, one thing at a time—it will all get done eventually.  Even if that “eventually” is next year!

     

    Favorite time of day to shoot is?

    Dusk.

    If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead? 

    Not a thing.  Spend more time with my kids.  Actually—I need to do a little bit of that anyway.

    Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography? 

    Nope.

    What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?  

    Put the camera down and talk to them—make eye contact and interact.  It’s hard to do with the camera in your face all the time—so you’ve go to put it down once and a while.

    How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments?  

    The longer I am a photographer, it seems like the longer I go without picking up the camera and shooting what matters to me—my kids.  I have come to realize that the more I shoot for me—my kids, my loves—the more I grow.  I didn’t realize it until I started the 52 portraits project that many times I have to force myself to pick up the camera and shoot my family (they protest so much that it’s easier to just not photograph them).  But I am always happier when I do.  And the more I shoot my family, the more comfortable I am shooting clients and shooting in general.

    Biggest Photography related insecurity?

    That I’ll stop growing and my work will become stagnate.  I think one thing I enjoyed most in the beginning of this journey is how much (and how quickly) my work would improve.  It kept things so exciting.  The longer I photograph, the slower that process has become.  Sometimes I feel like I might loose it—that the journey will just stop, the growing will be all done.  That’s why I am so grateful to be able to photograph my loves, because when I do that—none of this other stuff matters.

     

    How do you set yourself apart from other local photographers? 

    I think that by being true to myself I set myself apart.  I know that I am not the first to say this, but I believe it completely.  I think the more photographers try to be like each other, the more we all get lost in the mix.  None of us need the gimmicks or the next big thing to set us apart.  I count on people who love my work to hire me, and if they don’t love my work then we are not the right fit for each other. Shooting from the heart, and photographing the world as I see it, these are the things that create unique work, work that sets me apart.

    If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be?

    That 50mm 1.4 lens.

    Fun stuff:

    Favorite Color: blue

    Favorite Season: fall

    Biggest Guilty Pleasure: chocolate chips from the freezer

    Favorite Pandora Station: lissie

    Studio or On location: on location

    What did you want to be when you grew up?  a mama.  or an interior designer.

    Pc or Mac: mac

    Lightroom Or Photoshop:  both!

    Film or Digital: digital, sometimes film.

    Props or No Props: no props

    If you could travel anywhere it would be:  everywhere

    Glass Half Empty or Half Full: varies, sadly half empty most of the time.

    Favorite photo ever taken: black and white of my kids—waterplay with a hose.

    Raw or Jpeg: raw

    Processing Style: simple

    Coffee or Tea: coffee

    What kind of Camera bag do you rock? thinktank

    3 Lovely Comments  •  Leave a Comment for Sarah

    3 Beautiful Souls Commented

    1. Val Spring says:

      Leah’s work takes my breath away every single time I look at it! Loved reading her answers!

    2. Beautiful honest images with a real sense of self composure about them. Love Leah’s work. Thanks!

    3. amazing. huge fan. thanks for posting. 🙂

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