Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristen Leigh.
Kristen, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve been obsessed with photography for the last twenty-five years. There was a point when I knew I needed to go all in about eleven years ago, but several devastating things happened in my life in a short period of time. Whenever someone would tell me that this is what I was made for and I needed to be doing what I loved full time, I always had an excuse. It was too expensive… too scary… too consuming. I was rebuilding life and adding on building a passion into a business seemed far too daunting. Well, one day I leaped despite all my fears and I’ve been leaping ever since.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’ve had this specific vision for my work for as long as I could remember. I wanted an image that stopped you in your tracks and made you feel. Somehow, someway, I wanted a photograph to live and breathe and have a heartbeat.
I wanted a photograph to feel wild and free and alive. Whether it was a flower or a couple madly in love, I wanted it to have a feeling you couldn’t quite put into words.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
Oh, good question!
It’s probably a split between over saturation and under-appreciation. All too often I’ll get an email asking me to photograph a wedding at a fraction of what it’s worth. I try to work with many budgets and I do know I’m miles behind the most expensive photographer out there, but they’ll go with the friend they know who will photograph their wedding on an entry-level DSLR set on auto with a kit lens who doesn’t have a business license or insurance. So many times I’ll get a follow-up email after the wedding saying how much they regret not budgeting more for their photographer. It breaks my heart every single time.
The photographs are the one thing that you pass on to your kids and grandkids. They’re the things you put on your walls and share with your friends. They’re your memories. It isn’t the dress, the flowers, or the cake…invest in them because they matter.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work is on Facebook, Instagram, wedding wire, the knot, and my own website.
Word of mouth and just reaching out, sharing, commenting, leaving a five-star review, and showing love for my amazing couples are all ways you can support my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wildirishrosephotography.com
- Phone: (657) 888-2911
- Email: kristen@wildirishrosephotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/wildirishrosephotography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wildirishrosephotograph/
- Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/wild-irish-rose-photography-redlands-ca-1041983
Image Credit:
Wild Irish Rose Photography
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