Meet Leah Greenan | Lifestyle and Event Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leah Greenan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
My family was always very nurturing of creativity so I knew from a young age that I wanted to pursue a career in the arts. I grew up working at Renaissance fairs, started dance lessons at eight, and inherited my first DSLR camera from my grandfather as a teen. My sister and I have always been very close so we had the advantage of bouncing art projects off one another. My parents provided us with opportunities to exercise creativity and encouraged us to find our own voice. I was lucky to grow up in the environment I did because we celebrated self expression which is something I still benefit from immensely today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been working as a professional photographer my entire adult life. You name it, I’ve shot it and with that experience comes a sharpened eye and a wealth of creativity. I am flexible and love to experiment, but I prefer to shoot in a documentary style while celebrating color and texture.

In my twenties, I spent seven years as a jewelry photographer where I developed a distinct eye for detail. There was structure with product photography. I was able to work in the studio during the day, then take risks outside of work and have the freedom to discover what type of photographer I wanted to become. Today, I have a strong sense of creative identity that drives my work.

I draw inspiration from those around me and the natural world. I love incorporating living plants and greenery into portraits and lifestyle shots. One of my biggest inspirations are the colors of nature; the shocking brightness of the tropics, the impossible pinks of wild flowers, the thousands of shades of green in forests. The natural world is such a powerful force, totally incomprehensible on a human level, and there is nothing that ignites creativity and restores peace of mind like being immersed within it.

Music also resonates deeply with me. Since owning my first camera as a teenager, I have been photographing live shows and love capturing movement, expression and passion in musicians. I’m fascinated by the symbiotic nature of voice and instrument, drum beat and dancer, musician and audience. Music is an ancient magic, a connector and a true safe space for those who feel they have no one else.

Throughout my career, I’ve been very lucky. I am friends with many of the people I consistently work with, which I love. My partner is a musician and my absolute favorite subject to photograph. I have always collaborated with people close to me and my work is better for it.

Recently, creativity has taken a back seat to life unfortunately. At the beginning of 2022, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. So while Covid lockdown was finally over, I was transitioning into a new kind of lockdown full of doctor appointments, surgeries and chemo infusions. I’m six months past my last surgery and still putting the pieces of my life back together, but things are looking up. I had an amazing support system through it all and I’ve come out the other side a stronger person in many ways. I’m proud of the person I am today, scars and all, and I’m so excited to finally be able to put into action so many creative projects I had to put on hold for so long.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love this! So many great places in the area. For food, I would definitely recommend Sandwich Hag. They have amazing bahn mis and coffee, and just have great values as a business like prioritizing their employees. I’d also recommend Big D Pizza for Detroit style ‘za and Las Almas Rotas for tacos, mezcal and great vibes.

For things to do, there is so much great live music around town. The Revelers Hall Band in Bishop Arts always put on a great show. I’d also recommend catching local music at the Kessler, Texas Theater, Twilite Lounge and even heading up to Denton to Dan’s Silverleaf or Rubber Gloves. Dallas has so many amazing artists and seeing live music is a good way to directly support them.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to shoutout my incredible partner Jacob Greenan. Jacob is a multi-instrumentalist musician, writer and producer. He can play just about any style of piano but specializes in blues and honky tonk. He plays around Texas with different bands and generally works as a hired gun for live shows and in the studio. We have been together for thirteen years this August and we are each other’s biggest fans.

Website: http://www.leahgreenan.com/

Instagram: @leahjonesin