We recently connected with Leah Blanche and have shared our conversation below.
Leah , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
As a creative in today’s world of one-click affirmation, I think success can be hard to justify. Is it measured by the amount of followers on social media? Happy clients? A sold out calendar? A sense of self worth and happiness in what you produce? I have learned that success can be all of those things as long as you stay true to yourself. Henri Matisse once said, “Creativity takes courage.” Courage is finding passion in your work, creating with no boundaries, and finding what truly drives you and your work. If you have all of those things, success is inevitable.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
As a natural light family photographer based in Denver, I love to create images that tell stories of all stages in life – proposals, pregnancy, brand new babies, young families celebrating milestones, older families looking to stop time just for a moment, and couples wanting to share their love. I welcome new babies into my historic natural light studio to capture those beautiful first moments or I travel to clients’ homes for more intimate lifestyle sessions. Every weekend, I spend my days making memories with my family and my evenings in the mountains making memories for my clients.
I am an adventurer at heart. I grew up in a small Colorado town and spent the majority of my life exploring the outdoors. I think that is why I find so much joy in its natural beauty and the ability to create magic with it. I am drawn to authentic connections and raw emotions – moments that tell stories.
I especially love working with mothers. Whether they are expecting, have brand new babies, or are looking to savor special moments with their family, I want to tell their story in a natural and organic way. As a mother of three young children (ages 1,4,7), I know all too well that time is fleeting. The days may seem long, but the years are short and I want to savor every bit of it. Even the smallest moments are worth remembering and that is where my passion lies. I want moms like me to remember all the beautiful moments they share with their kids.
I love finding connections with kids right from the start. I was an educator for over a decade prior to discovering my passion for creative storytelling so it’s not unusual to find me carrying babies up trails, leading toddlers across streets with a loving hand, or wiping snotty faces. I love what I do and find true happiness capturing the simple magic of childhood.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Storytelling has always been a huge part in my journey as a photographer. Everyone has a story. What inspires me is to tell that story through imagery. I’m often looking for the in-between moments, kids exploring and being kids, sometimes being shy and burrowing into mom’s shoulder, sometime giggling and running all over. These are the moments that tell stories.
I’ll always remember my second grade teacher, Mrs. Green, who developed my passion for storytelling. I would sit in comfy corners in the library, on bean bags in the classroom, on my bed at home and write in my journal, creating stories about princesses and dragons, trolls and goblins. Many of them just kept going for pages and pages. I would lose myself in the stories and never wanted them to end. That is when I truly found my love for storytelling.
In college, I wrote for newspapers and magazines, always loving the lifestyle stories because they had depth — there was always a story behind the story. Then, after choosing a photography class as an art elective one year, I realized the impact of storytelling through imagery. I would take photos here and there, but I didn’t find value in my story until my first daughter was born. I realized I finally had a story to tell and I could tell it through my photos. I found such happiness in the creative aspect of it, I continued to hone my skills, taking classes and continuing my education. Fast forward several years and now here I am, a mom of three, cradling newborn babies, capturing the fleeting moments of motherhood, and adventuring through mountains, telling beautiful stories of love and connection through my creative eye.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I think my story of resilience is realizing that art is not about perfection. It’s about doing something that is meaningful and using it to inspire others to do the same. I truly believe growth lies in mistakes and the courage to push yourself outside your limits. This has given me a sense of calm in my life and a new pathway to create.
As Sylvia Platt once said, “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” I believe this with all my heart. It is so easy to create barriers of self doubt. Every time I put my images out into the world, there is a huge sense of vulnerability and a need for affirmation, but I have learned that vulnerability has given me room to grow. I used to think there was only one way – the right way – to do things, but I have recently found freedom in the unknown. I once had a mentor tell me to just “let things happen”. At the time, I willingly agreed, but in the last couple years, her words have resonated so deeply. I have let go of a lot. I have let things happen naturally. I have let my kids be kids – to let them play, take risks, learn from their mistakes, and problem-solve. I have dug deep and I have found my true self as a mother, a wife, and a creative. And I believe it is reflected in my work. I have allowed myself to take creative liberties in ways I never would have before, and I feel free!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leahblanchephotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/leahblanchephotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/leahblanchephotography