Today we’d like to introduce you to Lissa Haby.
Hi Lissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I grew up in a small farming community south of San Antonio, Texas. We weren’t too close to the nearest city, so we had to find ways to entertain ourselves in the countryside. Combine a young, curious mind, an old VHS camcorder, and a neighborhood of (semi) willing cast & crew members, and you had home movie central. From early on, I was writing, filming, and directing short stories with my little brother and my cousins, who conveniently happened to be my next-door neighbors. I fell in love with being behind the camera; I got to watch stories come to life, and the hilarious personalities of the actors paint the pictures on-screen.
As I got older, I experimented with other creative outlets: painting, jewelry making, even tattooing for a stint! But none of these really had the same level of collaboration and creativity as sharing a camera with someone. I decided to venture to the photographic world and teach myself how to use a “real” camera. I quickly learned that my love for creating visual memories is still very much alive. This new avenue of creating stills as opposed to videos has opened up a new realm of creative possibilities, and I’m so grateful I get to explore it with so many amazing people.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Getting to this point has been much more smooth than I had originally anticipated thanks to the extremely supportive community of San Diego photographers. There are some great groups on Facebook and Instagram filled with models and photographers of all skill levels looking to collaborate with peers, offer advice, and meet up for group events.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a natural light photographer with a focus on creative portraiture. Have an unusual hobby? Let’s incorporate that. Want to bring some humor into the shoot? Let’s get the laughs going. I love being able to build an environment with elements like props, poses, clothing, and makeup that help tell a person or couple’s story.
I’ve done graduation photos in flower fields, cosplay portraits of a dragon priestess, and a fashion shoot with a golden goddess theme. I love working with people to find out how they want to see themselves and finding exciting ways to fulfill that goal.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was a very hands-on kid. From making “potions” with kitchen ingredients and bath products (before mom could catch me, of course) to catching grasshoppers in the lawn, getting messy was a recreational requirement. I was also very artistic. I loved drawing, painting, and making little clay sculptures and dioramas for my dolls. My grandma especially encouraged this. She was always driving us kids to create. She even had a “paint room” where we could paint on walls, floors, and, of course, canvases. It was colorful and ever-changing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elisabethyvesphoto.com
- Instagram: elisabeth_yves_photography
