Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lyndsey Leach. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Lyndsey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I am a bit of a risk taker, in general, so it’s not really surprising that I can think of at least 10 stories to share here. However, there is one risk that stands out more than others and that is when I quit my very very toxic full time job and left without a real plan.

A little backstory here: I was working in the restaurant industry for a number of years and had a slew of side jobs. I was hoping that one of these side jobs would inspire me to finally leave the restaurant industry but none of them did. In fact, they were almost worse than my current position/company. I started my own photography business, which was one of my side jobs at the time, but I was strictly doing this part time, and doing a lot of educational work surrounding photography. There was about a 4 year stent where I really struggled with figuring out what I wanted to do, what interested me, what I was good it, and that fit the lifestyle that I want to live. The key here really is the last thing – the lifestyle that I want to live. I need flexibility more than anything and being stuck behind a desk, in a cube, working a 9 – 5 would probably kill me. Sooo that really narrows things down for me. Most of the things that I was interested in and good at, mostly science and environmental based jobs were out of the picture as they fall in line with the routine 9 – 5 jobs. Other career paths didn’t allow for much creativity, which was also what I needed, or they left me uninspired.

So, back to the restaurant industry. I was managing for a big local restaurant chain and moved to a new location. New location = different boss. I am sure that you already know the story here but basically my boss and his bosses were toxic piles of ****. The good ol’ boys club was alive and well and I was very close to it all, much closer than I had been previously. I took as much as I could out of that job before I couldn’t tolerate it anymore and I finally came to a breaking point. My own mental health was suffering. I would come home after every day at work and cry. On my days off, I would still cry just thinking about work and how upset I was with everything. My partner and I (we were engaged at the time and getting married in 6 months – a very big expense) decided that this was no longer worth the heart ache and that I need to quit, even if I don’t have a job lined up.

So that is what I did. I gave a one month notice the next day and I worked every day, from then until my last day. I made enough money (lots of overtime) to upgrade my cameras as I was going to pursue my photography career until I found something else to fulfill my time. We also made sure that we had enough set aside to cover a few months of bills and our wedding expenses. For reference, this was the spring of 2019.

I took close to a month off of everything after I quit my job. I needed to really. I had worked so much and was detoxing from extreme stress that I just needed a break from everything. It was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. That gave me a chance to re-group and really make some to – do lists for myself for photography stuff, for when I was ready.

That summer, I spent a lot of time learning, practicing, critiquing business practices, learning about marketing, calculating my CODB, etc. I was still pursing other careers and doing a few part time gigs here and there but photography started to take up way more time than I had anticipated.

By the end of 2019, I was married, I photographed 8 weddings, a lot of portrait sessions, and was on track for my first profitable year in 2020.

Well, we all know where that went – straight to hell with Covid.

Really, but not really though. Even though most of my work for that year disappeared, that gave me the time that I needed to correct the mistakes that I had made in 2019, really really learn the ins and outs of running a profitable business, refine some of my marketing practices, and most importantly, to be more creative and adaptable. I still did turn a profit and 2020. And 2021, I got trampled. I exceeded all of my expectations and then some – in every way, both good and bad.

I am now in early 2022 and I own a 6 figure profitable photography business. I also have 3 other side businesses all of which are also profitable, though on a much smaller scale. I have learned more in the past 3 years than I did at any other job that I have, combined. I am passionate about my work and I have really come to learn how much I love the business side of things, which was very much so not true in the beginning of all of this.

I am very proud of myself for listening to my heart and all of my supporters for quitting a soul sucking job. I am very proud of myself for the drive that I have to succeed. I am pretty sure my work ethic comes from my parents. And, I wouldn’t be where I am at now without the world’s most supportive partner and husband. So while it was my risk to take, there was a village of support behind me.

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

Yes yes! My name is Lyndsey – owner of Lyndsey Leach Photography (LLPhoto+CO). The team and I specialize in photographing intimate weddings and elopements, boudoir, and lifestyle portraiture. We are a fun group of women who really to capture the real you and really focus on documenting moments. We are artistic, unique, and love empowering others.

How I got to this point:

Ever since I was a kid, I always had a camera in hand. I loved taking photos of everything, but vacations, friends, and family tended to be the priority. During college, I had the opportunity to learn how to use a DSLR camera. After that, all I wanted to get was a DSLR camera and step up my photo game. Up until I got my first DSLR camera, which was actually a gift from my parents, photography was nothing but a consistent hobby. After I got that DSLR (Canon Rebel T3 – very entry level for those of you who are familiar), it never left my hand. I was always using it to take photos of anything and everything – vacations, friends, parties, etc. Prior to that, I had received a number of compliments about my images and that I “had an eye”. I never really thought much about it until that point and that is when I started listening. For time reference, this was in 2014.

From 2014 to the beginning of 2016, I got even more into it. I was still practicing as much as I could, really learning the ins and outs of the camera and different editing techniques. In 2016, I made a leap and decided to start a photography business. Most of this was very on a whim and I really had no idea what I was actually doing. I still had a full time job and I figured I could just run a small business on the side (6 years later I am kicking myself for not doing more research on actually “starting a business” – oh well). I charged next to nothing since I didn’t have a huge portfolio. I had a Facebook and Instagram account but nothing more. I was using all the money I made from my full time job and investing it into my photography business (I know some of you are cringing reading this – haha). A handful of people took a chance on me in 2016 – I photographed 3 weddings and 30 portrait session. I learned a lot and improved every single time session. Despite the fact that I made no money from photography (after expenses), I realized how much I loved doing it and I wanted to really make this a thing.

So on Jan 1, 2017, I became an official LLC. In 2017 and 2018, I invested a bunchhhh of money into equipment and education. I worked really hard (all while having a full time job) on figuring out exactly what I wanted to photograph, the actual art of portraiture and weddings, and learning the ins and outs of the wedding/elopement industry. And I practiced… a lot. I put out model calls and photographed all of my friends constantly. I wanted to have a very robust portfolio and I wanted to practice with different lighting scenarios so I know I could work anywhere at anytime.

Fast forward to the end of 2018. I was getting really busy and I started feeling really confident about my work. I was still lacking on the business side of things. At the time, I had no idea I was doing things backwards, but at that point I knew I needed to really focus on the things that I wasn’t interested in – the back end – which is arguably the most important stuff. So in 2019, I worked with a branding consultant, lawyer, accountant, business strategist, and a marketing specialist. It was in 2019, that my business truly launched. My business finally had an identity, one that wasn’t just my face.

We will just skip over 2020 since we don’t really need to rehash that and move straight into 2021, which is when the “I” because the “we”. During my “down time” in 2020, I had a lot of time to evaluate what was important to me, what I was good at, what I didn’t or did not care about, etc. It was really in the reflection stages that I decided to make changes and outsource or get help with all the things that I either didn’t have time for or that I didn’t like. And to be honest, there are very few things outside of actually photographing humans and events, that I have time for and like doing. At that point, I made a commitment to myself that I need to start letting go and that I need to ask for help when I need it.

Moving onto 2021, I started connecting with a bunch of local businesses and folks that could help take some of the tasks off my plate. As I started doing this, it became very clear to me that I needed to have some go-to photographers as well. For most all of my weddings, I have another photographer with me. And let’s be real – shit happens! People get sick, emergencies happen, COVID, etc. I would much rather have a small group of really awesome folks that I can rely on, that I know really well, and that we all know the ins and outs of how we work. So that is how the team came about, which is where I am at now.

What types of products or services do we provide?:

Services – Wedding, elopement and portrait photography
Products – Prints, Albums, Wall Art, and Custom Greeting Cards; additionally I sell landscape photographs – wall art and greeting cards

What problems do we solve for our clients?:

Haha I solve a lot of problems. Really though, I am very knowledgable when it comes to weddings and elopements, and not necessarily about just the photography side of things. I have worked in events for a long time and have also been a bride. There are often holes. By that I mean that there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to weddings, with planners/coordinators, other vendors, etc. Sometimes there are conveniences for other vendors that are a “hard no” for other vendors. The day shouldn’t be any conveniences or inconveniences for any vendors because the day is all about the couple and what is best for them. So if there is something that I see that looks off to me and might not be the best for the couple, whether it’s missing that golden hour lighting, or cutting dinner short because it will get dark (oh well – if it’s dark it’s fine, that’s what lights are for), I will call it out, talk to the couple, and adjust accordingly. If you hire really good vendors, each of those vendors should be your advocate and should be doing what is best for you. 9 times out of 10, the couples would have no idea if you didn’t speak up about it. In my mind though, couples are left with nothing from the day other memories, photos and video (if they hired a videographer). This should be at the top of our minds since we have the “forever” product.

What sets us apart from other photographers?:

In addition to the above (being an advocate for our clients), it’s our style and our people. I, purposefully, want to stand out. My work is bold, moody, a little saturated, and contrasty. It will stand out if you put it next to others – and that is intentional. I know that not everyone likes that look, but that is us. We want to be different. We want that documentary style look because we want to capture everything that is happening during the day, not just the posed beautiful portraits. That isn’t us. That isn’t me.

What am I most proud of?:

I don’t think there is one particular thing that I am most proud of. I guess I am just really proud of where I am at right now. I have learned more in the past 2 or 3 years now than I think I have ever learned and I am continuing to learn every single day. A huge downfall of mine is that before I really started to pursue this, I really had no idea of everything that went into running a business. And here I am now, doing it and still figuring out different tricks along the way. Since most of it is trial and error and self taught, I can look back, to even 6 months ago and see how much I have improved since then.

What are the main things you want people to know about you and your business?:

That I care… and I care a lot. There is no questions of us becoming friends, because I become friends with almost every client I have ever worked with. I care deeply because I want you to love your photos and I want you to look back at your wedding album or your artwork and feel nothing but joy and happiness. I want you to have the best day and if I am a part of it, I will do everything in my power to make that happen. I promise to make you laugh along the way.

Where do people go to find more about you?:

The easiest way would be to visit my website: www.lyndseyleachphotography.com

If you want to get to know me a little more, I am fairly active on the Gram and post a lot of my personal life on the stories. I have it all synced to my FB page too so both options are good. www.instagram.com/lyndseyleachphotography and www.facebook.com/lyndseyleachphotography

Really though, if you want to get to know me more, let’s meet up. I am always down for coffee or wine!

If you have multiple revenue streams in your business, would you mind opening up about what those streams are and how they fit together?

Yes, but nothing else under this particular business. I actually have 4 businesses.

Myself, a local planner, and a few more vendors have created a business/partnership, called the Wildflower West Collective, that is all about zero waste and green weddings.

I am somewhat of a “crypto bro” and I have another businesses that is specifically for creating and selling NFT’s and mining crypto.

And I have another LLC that is for our (my husband and I’s) newest endeavor, which is real estate/land related.

I am busy to say the least :)

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

While I do have a team, they are all contractors, and which allows for a lot of freedom between all of us and doesn’t require me to directly manage them. Of course, I expect things to be done by the timeline we had discussed or I expect them to be on time and ready for a wedding, but I choose to work with the people I do for a particular reason.

That being said, in the past, I managed a very large team of people so I can give my two cents. Here are my biggest takeaways:

1. Get to know everyone on your team and get to know them well. Ask how they are doing, see where they need help, and show that you really care.
2. Never forget to show appreciation for your team. Recognize hard work. Advocate for your employees. If someone deserves a raise, make it happen. Make sure your team is always learning.
3. Open door policy.
4. Everyone is different. Everyone learns and communicates differently. As a manager, tapping into that and figuring out where people’s strengths and weaknesses are and then using that to it’s advantage is key.
5. Lead by example.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lyndseyleachphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/lyndseyleachphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lyndseyleachphotography
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/lyndseyleachphotography

Image Credits
Lyndsey Leach Photography