We were lucky to catch up with Lena Gill recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lena , so happy you were able to devote some time to sharing your thoughts and wisdom with our community. So, we’ve always admired how you have seemingly never let nay-sayers or haters keep you down. Can you talk to us about how to persist despite the negative energy that so often is thrown at folks trying to do something special with their lives?
One thing I’ve always heard is if you don’t have haters, you aren’t doing something right. Recently, I’ve had a little run-in with tik-tok fame and I received more than a little bit of hate. While this was something I was doing for myself, I ended up offending a solid handful of people who just didn’t agree with me. To be honest, it was hard to get past it. I let it get me down for a bit. But I realized that these people, they aren’t for me. You have to push past the people who aren’t for you. Let them. Let them be who they are while you continue doing you. So I let the comments go, I stopped looking at all, they will say whatever they want. I can’t control that. But I can control how I feel and I wasn’t about to choose to be upset — because who wants to live life being upset?
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’m Lena – creative visionary! That’s sounds really exciting, but if I dull it down a little, I’m a wedding photographer and videographer. I work in Colorado and Florida full-time but I also work with a ton of destination couples, taking me to Mexico, Costa Rica and Vegas in 2023, to name a few. I love to third-wheel. Usually that’s an uncomfortable feeling for people, but it’s my dream come true – let me ride shotty while ya’ll sit in the back, let’s dive together, climb mountains or spend the day in a fancy mansion with all your best friends. My goal is to give my couples the truest form of who they are together, and the beauty of candid captures.
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?
Make friends. Seriously, that’s the best advice I have. My photography network is the BEST. I love working with other creatives, going to conferences and knowing the speakers on a personal level, and having mentors to go to when I need help. Because eventually, we all need help with something.
As far as skills and knowledge that helped me along the way… I think the ability to adapt is underrated. Being able to jump from plan to plan is something we have to be able to do on a wedding day. Sometimes we have to accommodate a new timeline or a new location at the drop of a hat, and you don’t have a redo opportunity. Second to adaptability, I’d probably say my public speaking course I took in college helps me frequently with how to word emails and talk to potential clients. I’d say the least – or most important, depending on the couple – is just having a versatile personality. Being up for anything and everything. It’s something you can’t learn and either the couple wants someone to party with or they want someone who comes in as a classy addition to their vendor team. Being able to be both in any situation will get you further than you’d believe.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m always looking for community collabs! It’s so important to know and work with the people around you. Currently I’m looking for some new and upcoming venues in the Tampa or Denver and surrounding areas to work with more frequently. I’m also looking for smaller bridal shops to work with commercially. The wedding business is chock full of amazing talent – whether in the hair and makeup world, florists, caterers, dj’s, the list really goes on and on and I’m always open to partnering with anyone in our little world.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.lenagillco.com
- Instagram: @lenagillco
