10 Aug August Member Spotlight: Leah Zawadzki!
In our spotlight this month, we’re honored to feature NAPCP Retreat speaker, the thoughtful and talented Leah Zawadzki. In addition to creating beautiful fine are portraits in southern California, Leah is amazingly skilled at helping to guide other photographers in the search for their own signature style. We were thrilled to spend a bit of time with her in Colorado and share her words (as well as a special promotion on her yummy action set) with you here!
Who or what inspires you and your work? How?
Love. Love for my kids. Love for my clients. Love and gratitude for this amazing
world we live in. When I see it and appreciate it, I just want to pick up my camera
and shoot. Shooting helps me see the little things I might miss otherwise.
How do you maintain a work/life balance while juggling photography, teaching workshops, and motherhood?
It’s really, really hard. Sometimes I’m not the best at it. There is constant self re-evaluation. How am I feeling? How are my kids? Have I made time for my creative side? Have I made time to just be? When I get overwhelmed I usually have to stand back, take a day off, rejuvenate—then make a list and get back at it the following day.
One of the things I really love about this profession is that, if done correctly, we can do this job any way we want. As a mother first to my three kids, I can limit my sessions and workshops, to what works for my family and me. My goal is to give the very best of myself to my family, to my clients and to our workshop attendees. How do I achieve that? By saying no, creating limits and taking time for myself every once and a while.
What is the best advice you have received regarding photography?
When I first started out, I was active on flickr and shooting all the time. A fellow photographer would told me, “just keep shooting”. He didn’t just say this once; he told me it to me over and over again. Back then, I thought he was crazy, but I kept shooting (my family had to beg me to put the camera down).
Now that I have been shooting for six-plus years, own a small business and have older, opinionated children, I actually have far less time to go out there and just shoot for me. And sadly, something terrible happens when I stop shooting for me — I lose sight of why I am even doing this photography thing. I lose my confidence; my direction and I get down right cranky. He was absolutely right— just keep shooting.
What advice can you give to those starting out?
Some of the same advice I was given: Shoot. Shoot a lot. Ask questions. And then be patient.
In the beginning, shooting through trial and error is the best way to learn and hone your skills. Shooting often is the best way to discover who you are as a photographer. You’ll do some things right, you’ll do some things wrong and you’ll learn through the process. You are not going to find who you are by looking at other people’s work on the Internet all day (however fun that might be). By shooting freely and letting go, you will develop your own individual style.
Also, ask lots of questions. But not just of other people, ask them to yourself. And then go and find the answers…look up EXIF data, read a good book on the subject, google it.
And then be patient. Become comfortable with yourself and your shooting style. Understand what it takes to get good, consistent, meaningful photographs before perusing it for money. You will be so much happier that way. I promise.
We love your Lilyblue action sets! What inspired you to create such a wonderful product for fellow photographers?
Thank you!! I didn’t really start out developing actions and presets for fellow photographers. I originally just got bored of other people’s actions, so I started playing with my own processing. Deb encouraged me to share my processing with others and I did. I was overwhelmed with the positive response and support I received about my actions, from the photography community. Now I just keep playing and continue to share. I am glad that I can help others with their workflow and processing—and I am so grateful for all those who support my work!!
Last month Deb told us a little about your collaborative project, the Wallflower Friends Retreats. What are your future goals and plans for Wallflower Friends?
We love our Wallflower Friends. It has been such a joy to get together with other photographers and share ourselves—our inspirations, our journey. I love that we not only share ourselves, but also we gain so much from everyone through the process. There is definitely an air of collaboration, growing and sharing amongst all who attend our retreats. I am so grateful for the friendships that we have made along the way. We plan to have one US retreat a year and next year we are hopeful for a second retreat in Australia. We also are discussing the possibility of online workshops and smaller, more intimate gatherings (mini-retreats). We’re not exactly sure where next year will take us but we’re
absolutely thrilled about the journey!
We were absolutely thrilled to have you and Deb join us in Vail for the NAPCP Retreat! Your presentation was moving, inspiring, and a wonderful way for attendees t connect with one another. What were your hopes for the closing presentation and what would you like attendees to remember most?
Thank you so much for the opportunity to present at the NAPCP Retreat in Vail. Both Deb and I really enjoyed the attendees and the other speakers–such an incredible group of people. I was so excited and grateful to be able to share at the Retreat. To have the opportunity to learn and grow right along side everyone else, made the experience that much more amazing. I am a firm believer that our learning and growing is never done!
With our closing presentation, we really wanted to inspire the attendees!! We wanted to encourage each and every person to be true to themselves, explore what their work means to them and ultimately, find their style. I hope that everyone was able to return home with a better sense of what their photography means to them and an understanding of their unique voice. Thank you again for an awesome week!
To see more from the lovely Leah Zawadzki, visit her site here, and her blog here!
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