We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Heather Lemmon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Heather below.

Heather, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My mission for my clients is to create and curate a visual legacy of their life story! Photographs are a meaningful and important way to not only preserve the past but enjoy in the present moment. I often hear from people how much their images mean to them and it’s on such a broad scale. Moms revisit the time when their tiny baby was just a few days old and is now going off to college. Brides look back at walking down the aisle and their dance with Mom or Dad. Grooms love seeing the look on their fiancé’s face when they proposed! Capturing these special moments and bonds with the people they love to look back on and tell their story forever is absolutely my mission and reason why I became a photographer.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started being interested in photography at a young age. I would pour through the National Geographic magazines and play around with disposable cameras snapping tons of photos of my family and our cats. When I finally got a chance to take a photography class in high school and see my negatives develop into prints for the first time though was when the magic finally took hold! I started photographing anyone and everything I possibly could, got a job at a 1 hour photo lab, and completed a fine art photography college course and all of that lead me to where I am today! I specialize in portraiture, weddings, and events and I’m really proud and honored to get to capture a legacy for anyone who is in front of my lens. I think it’s very important to be inclusive in this industry. People from all walks of life, all shapes, sizes, genders, races, and religions all deserve to have their stories told!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The beauty of being a photographer is there are SO many rewards! On a personal level I truly have found purpose in life. I enjoy what I do and I don’t dread going to “work”! I wake up with anticipation every day I go on a shoot. What will unfold in front of me, what connections and chemistry will I get to witness? It’s all very exciting! I love hearing from anyone I’ve photographed not just how much capturing those moments mean to them, but how I helped them have the best time! We don’t all love being in front of a camera but if I can make you feel comfortable and forget you have a lens pointed at you and you can just enjoy the time spent with loved ones then I’ve done my job! I feel honored when I get to be the one to tell someone’s story for many years. It’s not unusual for me to photograph someone’s high school senior photos, college graduation, capture their proposal and wedding, and continue on to see them grow their families.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have never questioned that being a photographer is my purpose in life so set backs and overcoming them have never swayed me from the knowledge that I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing! I might have to take some detours but I will always end up back on the right path. One of my favorite stories of resilience is from 2020. That year I wasn’t alone in growing thick skin and persevering but personally I hit a road block and that was where I was going to live. Being out of work and paying high rent in Los Angeles hit it’s pentacle but I wasn’t going to give up. Instead, I jumped at the chance to buy a camper van to live in! It definitely had it’s perks! I had a mobile unit ready to set up for studio style headshots, jump out to shoot a front yard wedding, and find a cool spot to edit the photos and make dinner all in one setting. Seeing a new view from my window every day was inspiring on a different level and none of my clients minded seeing me roll up to their shoot with my dog and cat watching their session from the van! On the flip side it took a lot of mental gymnastics sometimes to figure out logistics on where I was going to sleep that night and sometimes my new home needed oil changes and repairs. The stigma attached to someone living out of their van sometimes got me down too. I’m really proud that I did it and stayed true to my art and creating excellent client experiences through it all! Now I love living a simple and downsized life, it actually lets me focus more on being creative and gave me confidence in ways I never had before.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hellophotola.com
• Instagram: @hellophotola, @heatherlemmon