We recently connected with Leslie Cook and have shared our conversation below.

Leslie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

My View From Here Photography – it’s a mouthful and not the standard photography brand name. I thought long and hard about how I wanted to represent this new endeavour of mine. I wanted it to speak for me and my experiences, but also those of my clients.

I lived in the same house growing up in a small town in southeast Texas with the same friends and faces around me all the time. I knew marrying into the military was going to be a big change, but something in me was excited to pick up and seek new beginnings. As a military family we tend to move every 2 – 3 years. We start over each time having to make new friends, get comfortable in new cities, and find ways to make the most out of where we are. Every location is unique, some are less exciting than others, and we’ve certainly had our fair share of less than desirable duty stations – but we’ve always called wherever we landed “home.” We’ve currently moved seven different times and called Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, England, Italy, and now Florida home. Preserving memories of all our friendships and duty stations became something I keep close to my heart. An image can bring up a so many emotions for me. I can recall every little detail and immerse myself back in the feeling of that particular moment. It’s why photography became so important to me. In each new duty station we would schedule family photos somewhere in the town we loved.

Christmas 2018 my father-in-law gift me my first camera, hoping to get some quality images of his grandchildren. It was fun and I enjoyed playing around, but really didn’t know what I was doing. While in England, during lockdown, I had quite a bit of time on my hands. I decided I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about photography. I took courses, studied images, played around with light, and took my camera everywhere. A friend asked to get a few photos taken of her and her children. I obliged not really planning to be a family photographer and things took off. Families in the international school our husbands were currently in were asking about photos. I soon found myself working with so many families from all over the world. Most of which spoke a different language. It was a truly incredible experience looking back and what, I feel, has allowed me to really be able to communicate with people in a way that helps them be comfortable during sessions. I was forced to find ways to interact, model, and communicate when what I was saying wasn’t always translatable. However, everyone seemed to want the same thing, to remember their time in their new “home”. This became the basis of my photography business, allowing others to see “My View From Here” and the beauty and memories created there.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Leslie, a military spouse, mom of four children, a former educator and current family photographer in the Tampa Area. For the last five years last five years I’ve been visually capturing the special moments of families all over the world. My goal for my client sessions is to create a comfortable and relaxed environment, one that allows you to show your authentic self. My photography style is classic with a bit of warmth. Natural light is my favorite, but I don’t shy from indoor or studio work – I want to document your memories wherever they may happen.

I view photography as a keepsake, a memory preserved over lifetimes to look back on. This was always something I treasured as a child; looking at old photographs my grandmother kept in emerald green leather bound albums. I still to this day love looking at old photographs and replaying the memories in my head.

I believe a photograph doesn’t need to be perfect in a technical sense. There’s no right thing to wear, although I offer guidance for my clients, I push them to wear what makes them comfortable and feel good. There is no right location. The best location is one that means something to you or someplace you have room to play with your family. I don’t expect anything of my clients except to be themselves. Parents are so concerned about their children and their behavior, and as a parent myself I understand. Which is why I allow for the kids to lead the sessions to an extent. I follow their needs. Big emotions are going to happen, but if we can offer choice, movement, and a little fun these emotions become more manageable. If they need a break we take it and move on to shots of the parents. The kids don’t want to sit still, let’s run and climb and explore. Sitting back and watching your kids play and interacting with them draws a more genuine smiles than asking them to say “cheese”. I always get to know the children and interact with them without the camera in order to help them be comfortable in front of it. Photography sessions are uncomfortable, but I work diligently to help my families feel at ease. My goal is to have the family walk away feeling like they simply took a little trip, unplugged, and enjoyed their family for even just 30 minutes.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Being military we pack up and start over someplace new every 2-3 years. This means starting over from the ground up everytime. New clients, new location scouting, and new competitors. I try to look at each move as a new challenge and an opportunity to to sit in the uncomfortable and seek growth. I’ve realized I can’t just take a pretty picture because there are so many talented artists who take more beautiful images than I do. This is why my focus stays on building my clients trust and making their session a positive and comfortable one. Around sixty percent of my clients come from word of mouth. I am honored that my past clients enjoyed their time with me enough to share me with their friends and acquaintances.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

When I started my business I became so engrossed with other photographers in my area. I was so focused on what they were doing that I felt I wasn’t even really sure about my self and overlooked my talents. It’s easy to fall into comparison when you feel as though you are competing constantly on social media for likes and follows and trying to grow in a way you feel you’re suppose to. I felt defeated. I realized I was comparing my regular family sessions, regular people to paid model in a controlled environment with perfectly curated props and locations. So I stopped following them. I focused on what felt right, not what looked trendy. I focused on what I wanted to convey in that moment, and remembered why I was doing this. It wasn’t for viral fame. It wasn’t for a pretty picture. It was to create memories, keepsakes, for families and couples to pass down.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.myviewfromherephoto.com
• Instagram: @myviewfromherephoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/myviewfromherephotography/
• Other: PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/myviewfromherephotography/

Image Credits

My View From here Photography