Today we’d like to introduce you to Kearsten Leder.
Kearsten, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been in love with photography since I was five years old. Growing up in a creative household and being around two artists who had such an eye for detail, helped shaped the way I see the world.
Portraits in particular are my favorite because I love the challenge of capturing the true essence of the person in one click.
Started my photography journey with film and I used to process my own black and white negatives as well as print in a darkroom….. the smell of the chemicals is very nostalgic.
Today I use a digital camera and I love being able to see my work right away, it truly is a great tool and helps me learn with every session.
I do headshots, family portraits, children, pets, editorial and maternity sessions.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Financially the road has brought some challenges as having the right equipment for what my needs are can sometimes be very pricey. But I also appreciated working with what I had and learning how to push past the limits. Photography is a very competitive field to be in as there are so many out there , so that presents its own challenge as I try to stand out in a crowd.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
One of the things I always wanted to learn was photoshop so I could have the ability to create images I see in my mind and bring them to “life” in a portrait.
I started to teach myself photoshop from reading books and watching tutorials on YouTube , and taking many notes.
I take pride in the work that I do with creating whimsical images without the use of Artificial Intelligence but rather with hours of editing and helping my clients with their one of a kind portrait.
One of the best compliments I have gotten over the years is my ability to truly capture a person… they feel
“seen” and are also very comfortable working with me. I personally don’t like being in front of the lens… so I know and can sympathize with them and I try to always make someone feel comfortable .
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
When covid hit I was working at a hair salon as well as doing some photography on the side… and when salons shut down I decided to truly make photography work and I started spending a lot of my time creative images to capture an audience who was very much online.
When businesses opened back up I decided to not do hair anymore and only focus on photography ,
Pricing:
- Mini Session half hour $150
- Hour session $250
- Illustrative image $150 and up
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kearstenleder.com
- Instagram: @kearstenlederphotography
