Meet Leslie Webber!

Leslie is a Portrait Photographer based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. I emailed Leslie and asked if she would mind sharing her photography story with all of you. You are going to LOVE it! Leslie first came to our workshop two years ago, and she has grown so much since that time. Every beautiful image you see today was taken by Leslie (except her bio shot, of course). Her story is awesome, and I’m sure a number of you will relate and be encouraged. She made me laugh AND CRY! Find a comfy chair, grab your cup of coffee and be prepared to be inspired! (Want to share your story too? See the bottom of today’s post!)

Interview with Leslie Webber

1. When did you start your photography business and what was the turning point of taking your photography from a hobby to a business of charging people and putting up a website?

Leslie: When I came home after the workshop in the fall of 2007, I started taking pictures of anyone I could find. I constantly (and annoyingly) sent images to my friends and family asking for feedback. My wonderful friend Jill was one of the unfortunate souls I barraged with mediocre images.

Jill has two little girls. Her youngest was six months old at the time and wasn’t too fond of strangers, so picture attempts hadn’t gone well. Jill asked me if I would be interested in taking a few pictures because the baby knew me and we could shoot in her home where she was most comfortable. I told Jill I would give it a shot, knowing she would be completely supportive and understanding even if every image was terrible. Jill’s shoot would be like shooting with a safety net!

After the shoot, which was on a cold, gray January morning and shot indoors, I uploaded the images. I was nervous. As they popped up on my monitor, I started to cry. We had usable images! I called Jill and we sat, in our pajamas, clicking through pictures. She was thrilled, I was excited and stunned that I knew, at least somewhat, what I was doing.

I didn’t really decide I was going to take it from a hobby to a business, so much as Jill decided for me. Jill is one of the smartest women I know and has more business sense than I could ever hope to have. She told me to “go for it,” sent an e-mail with a link to our images to everyone she could think of and told them all how wonderful I was. Not only did Jill’s e-mail help me to get my business off the ground, it did wonders to bolster my confidence.

As I looked over my shoots from the last year, I noticed my work had really come a long way. There were several images that really seemed to resonate with people who didn’t even know the people in the images. So, after a year of cheesy business cards and toting around a tiny album with images from my portfolio, I decided to take the plunge and set up a website. It is so nice to be able to say, “YES! I do have a website where you can view my work.” Even though my rates increased, my business has steadily grown.

2. What inspires your photography?

Leslie: I am very interested in people and their stories. I love getting to know people! Part of what inspires my photography is finding out a little about the family and working to produce images that show who they are. There is nothing more precious than watching a family interact with a brand new member. It melts me and I want to convey how special those moments are through images. As a mom, I know how quickly time passes and I’m inspired when I’m able to provide someone with a memory their family will have years from now.

3. What inspires you as a person, artist?

Leslie: I am truly inspired and fueled by relationships. I feel so blessed by all of the new people photography has brought into my life. Not just other photographers from whom I’ve learned so much, but also my clients who have become friends. Building and nurturing relationships is so much a part of photography and that’s part of the reason I love it so much!

6. What was your first “paid” shoot like? How did you feel on the way, during and after?

Leslie: The first paid shoot I did for total strangers was a referral from Jill. I was a ball of nerves, felt completely self-conscious, and wanted to hide in the woods of the park where we met. The family had a little guy, about eighteen months old and he was on the move. The location they chose was very shady and muddy. I felt like I wasn’t getting anything. When the shoot was over and she pulled out her checkbook, I came up with every excuse to give her a substantial discount. When I uploaded their images, there were several good ones and they were really happy. Lesson learned!

7. What is the best and toughest part about doing photography while being a mom and wife at the same time?

Leslie: The toughest part is taking time away from my family to go to a shoot. My wildly supportive husband, Brandon travels four days a week, so our weekends are sacred. I schedule as many of my shoots during the week as possible. That being said, while I’m off shooting, Brandon has one on one time with our kids that he probably wouldn’t have otherwise. When I process images after shoots, the kids look at me and yell requests through the glass French doors of the office, and that’s not much fun. I feel like I should be at the pool with them or putting away their laundry that is piled on the couch.

The best part has been the pride my children have taken in my work. Our son Alex is seven. When I launched my website, he asked me to write down my web address. He stuck it on the inside of his school binder. Through his teacher, I found out he pulled up the site during computer lab and showed it to the class. It brought me to tears to know he was proud of something his mom created. I also feel like I’m setting a really great example for our daughter Meredith, who is four. To be able to show her that I can be a wife and a full time mom, while pursing my dream is wonderful.

(This is Me Ra, did this answer make anyone else cry?! Oh my goodness!)

8. What is one piece of advice you’d give to newbie’s?

Leslie: I would say the biggest hurdle for me to overcome was a colossal lack of confidence. I had to find what it was that gave me confidence in my ability. For me, it was remembering I had an incredible foundation. I trained with Me Ra and Brian at their workshop for Pete’s sake! I also read all I could read about photography and shot every single day. I slowly started to believe in myself. My confidence comes and goes, and when I start to loose my footing, I go back through my portfolio to remind myself I do know what I’m doing. So my advice to someone just starting out…take the passion you have for photography, hone your skills, find your niche and tell yourself “you can do it!” Then remind yourself over and over. 🙂

9. Do you remember how you found out about me and Brian?

Leslie: I know this is probably more information than you bargained for, but I love the story of how I wound up in your workshop! I really believe my attendance was in the works well before I even thought about it. My dear friend Michelle grew up near Seattle, and attended college in Illinois (Yea Bradley University!) where we met. Michelle met Me Ra in grad school in Seattle. Michelle was back in the Midwest for a visit and I was taking pictures of our friend Sarah’s newborn twins. I was blabbering on and on about my love of photography and Michelle recommended Me Ra’s Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box DVD series. I went to the website to order the DVDs and instead wound up registering for the workshop. With little to no research, I bought an SLR at Costco and hopped on a plane to Seattle without a second thought! I attended in October of 2007 when it was a one-day workshop. I am still completely amazed at how much I was able to learn from Me Ra and Brian in eight hours! The workshop was one of the best experiences of my life. I have had a passion for photography since I was six years old. To be able to hold a real camera in my hands and create memorable works of art is fulfilling beyond words. To be able to learn and laugh in a room full of women who had the same interest I did was incredibly special! It was a great group!

10. Do you have a website or blog that you’d like to share with our readers?

Leslie: YES! www.lesliewebber.com

Leslie, we applaud your courage to go for your dream! Your images are BEAUTIFUL! What an amazing gift you give to clients! And the story about your son made me cry. Your so right, when our children see their parents follow their dreams–it shapes their own confidence and sense of identity. What more could you ask for? Leslie, you are inspiration to us all this morning! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story! Brian and I adore you! And I still can’t believe you connected to us through Michelle. What a crazy, small world.

To all our readers, it takes A LOT of guts to share your images and story. If you have a minute, will you leave Leslie an encouraging word or two in the comments? There is nothing better than knowing people enjoyed your stories. Thanks so much!

AND, would you like to be featured on our blog too?

If you have attended our workshop or watched our DVDs, and feel like your life has taken a new and wonderful turn for the better, then please send me an email at mera@fioria.us. I will send you directions on how to be featured. We can’t promise to feature everyone, but I want to do this type of blog post more and more. Hundreds of people have sent us the most amazing emails regarding our workshops and DVDs impacting their life, their before and after photos, their revived passion; I would love for all of you to hear those stories!

One last question, is there anything else I should have asked Leslie in our interview? I want to include as much helpful info in these interviews as possible. If you think of another question I didn’t touch on, post it in today’s blog (and maybe we can get Leslie to answer it! :)).

Much love to you all, and a BIG HUG to the beautiful, talented Leslie Webber!

Me Ra

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Here are the DVDs Leslie referred to in her interview! They recently won the GOLD award from NAPPA! Check them out and have a BLAST! Refuse to Say Cheese and Beyond the Green Box, plus our 101 Kits for starting or expanding a business in photography, click on the titles of your choice

Except for the reserved Running on Empty spot, our CONFIDENCE DC Photography Workshop for Women is SOLD OUT! YEAH!!! We’ll announce the next city soon! Stay tuned to the blog for the upcoming announcement!