Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Van Otterloo.
Leah, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Oh my gosh, yes! As a twelve-year-old, I would mess around with my mom’s cheesy point-and-shoot camera in our backyard. Everything was photographed, and then sent in an email chain to all five of my friends. I remember them asking if I was into photography – to which I replied with an emphatic “No!”. Little did I know.
Fast forward a few months, to my thirteenth birthday. My mom had noticed me playing around with her camera, and gave me a red, Nikon, point-and-shoot camera, which she had earned with points from our bank. It was pure crap (I love you mom), but I used the living daylights out of that bad boy anyways, while saving up for my first DSLR. I finally pinched up enough pennies to buy a DSLR about halfway through 2014. I loved that camera, and took it with me everywhere. I was the queen of mirror selfies and would force my sisters on more photoshoots than I’d care to admit. I still hadn’t thought about photography as a career – all I knew was that I was passionate about it.
At the end of 2014 I shot my first wedding. I was barely 15 years old, and got paid $50, but even that was overpriced. As my friends started graduating, I was asked to shoot their graduation photos. It was at this point that I knew I wanted to be a photographer, and began pursuing it as a career instead of a hobby.
As soon as I graduated high school in 2017, I worked my bootie off getting my business set up. I think the best thing I did for my business was shoot for free – I’d DM couples on Instagram (in the most un-creepy way possible), asking them to model for me so I could put them in my portfolio. In return, I sent them the photos. Since then, I’ve been crazy blessed to be able to shoot some amazing client-friends in the most beautiful places. It totally awes me that I get to do my favorite thing as a job, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
As a couple’s photographer, I walk away the most fulfilled from a shoot when I’ve been able to capture THEIR love. Not a form of love that I think looks good on Instagram, or will attract more potential clients. My favorite images aren’t the ones with the best lighting or the cutest couple. They’re the ones of the groom trying not to cry as he sees his lovely bride walk towards him down the aisle. They’re the ones of the couple dancing in the back of their truck under the moon, where I’m far enough away for him to whisper something in her ear that only she can hear. They’re the ones of newlyweds embracing their closest friends and family for the first time as a married couple. My job as an artist is to give you the freedom to be yourself, and capture it in an artistic manner.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
While I’m not speaking from experience whatsoever, I lean towards saying that it’s easier to survive as an artist now than it was even ten years ago (thank you, social media!). With apps like Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, I would argue that anybody can “make it” with consistent posting. That being said, we’re losing the face-to-face part of our art. We’re no longer forced to pin up business cards in coffee shops or rely on maintaining relationships with our clients + fellow artists, because we have unlimited “resources” found in social media. As a photographer, it’s so refreshing to edit (and chat, who am I kidding) with other photographers over coffee or facetime a client instead of communicating over endless lines of emails.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can find my work both on Instagram @ardorphoto, and on my website ardorphotography.com
I feel so blessed to be in the community I’m in – I’ve felt so supported through little things like sweet DM’s or comments on Instagram. You’d be surprised at how much those little acts of kindness brighten my days!
Contact Info:
- Website: ardorphotography.com
- Email: ardorphotograph@gmail.com
- Instagram: @ardorphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leahtheotter/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Ardor Photography
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