We recently connected with Leigh Ann Edmonds and have shared our conversation below.
Leigh Ann, so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
If you are constantly looking for outward approval, you will be looking for it all your life. It must come from within. It is about believing in yourself so that others can believe in you too. It’s about having enough confidence and foresight to know the importance of your purpose and vision. Just because people don’t get it right now, doesn’t mean they will not understand it much later. The purpose of an artist is to show others how to see differently. So if someone doesn’t agree with me, it doesn’t mean I am wrong or they are wrong.. It just means that we see life differently and I am okay with that.
In my 20’s, I wanted everyone to like my work.. in my 30’s, I wanted my clients to like my work… now in my 40’s, It is a priority for me to like my work. If you don’t have a clue on your vision, your work becomes the work of others.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a freelance photographer that is often commissioned for portrait work and have recently started focusing more on my own body of work for the past four years. I believe it is important for artist to create for themselves and have a personal body of work to share with others what they are passionate about. After all, our work does become our legacy with what we leave behind, so I feel it is important for me to share with others work that is a reflection of who I am and not just work from commissions.
In 2025, I will have the opportunity to exhibit my personal work to the public in two solo exhibits. The Gadsden Museum of Art in Gadsden, Alabama and the Eastern Shore Art Center in Fairhope, Alabama.
Copies of my fine art prints are also currently available to the public and can be found on LeighAnn-Edmonds.pixels.com.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back the three skills I can see will be most beneficial in the world of photography and art are to learn how to listen to intuition. This will be your internal compass and guide throughout your life. You will need to know when and how to listen to your inner voice when others are telling you where and what you need to do.
The second would be always create from a genuine place. If you aren’t passionate about what you are shooting you will experience resistance and burnout with your work. Don’t forget what made you want to become a photographer and hold on to this.
The third piece of advice would be, do not become overwhelmed with keeping up with the latest gear. Your key weapon is your vision and ideas. Focus on this, the gear will just be a tool for you to use to share this vision. I still use an 80 year old camera and a camera I learned to shoot on in college. It works fine.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
The main challenge I face is finding the right clients to book. I no longer can relate to today’s world of portrait photography. I feel people want to see perfection in today’s work but that doesn’t interest me. Over the years, it has become boring and stagnant for me to shoot. I prefer to photograph people as they are and the majority of clients do not want that. They are used to seeing over-edited and touched up images of everyone and that has become the new norm. We all want to be models and on highlight reels but the real substance comes from our everyday life. Those are the moments we will remember. When people start to recognize that life is beautiful and more authentic as is, I feel people will be more forgiving of their flaws and they will start desiring more realistic images.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.LeighAnnEdmonds.com
- Instagram: LeighAnnEdmonds
- Facebook: LeighAnnEdmondsOfficial
