Colorful and Candid Photography That Feels Like You
If you’ve tinkered around my website looking at colorful and candid photos, you’ve probably realized two things:
One: I will never catch up sharing my backlog of photos.
Two: I’m not interested in magazine features.
Hey! My name’s Lissa Chandler and I’m a colorful wedding, family, and senior portrait photographer based in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I’ve been shooting professionally since 2011, freaking love color and, admittedly, have been in a lot of magazines over the years. And if I’m shooting an editorial or spread for a magazine? It is a blast! I love collaborating with a team and shooting work that I know will end up in print, especially if it’s photos meant to accompany an article. Like, that is so much fun and I’m obsessed. Especially when there’s a stylist! It’s amazing!
That’s not what we’re chatting about today, though.
Instead, we are chatting about client work and why, when I’m photographing my clients, I do not care about any type of magazine or name-catching feature. I care about something totally different instead: creating images that look like art and feel like you.
Photos That Look Like Art and Feel Like You
As a photographer, it can be really easy to fall into the trap of keeping up with who is published where and what you should do at your shoots or weddings to get them featured (more details, less moments). So I’m going to say this with love, both to photographers and past + future clients.
Features don’t matter.
I became a photographer to create stuff and capture moments. When I’m shooting my clients – couples at weddings, families in their homes, seniors in a park – I am doing my best to capture how those people and those moments feel. As a candid and colorful photographer, this is so important to me. How does this day feel? What’s the general vibe of these people? Is this couple snuggly? Sarcastic? Is this family playful? Is this person shy or outgoing? What’s something about them that I can get them to open up about? Can I get them to laugh? If I can, I’ll know what a real smile looks like!
While I have had my photos featured many places and while I love photographer features – magazine articles or spotlights where a photographer teaches something + shares real client work – I do not ever go to a shoot or wedding and think “I am going to get this published”. Because if I think that way? My approach changes. When I’m booked for client work, I’m not thinking of getting weddings or sessions published. I’m thinking about how they’d look in a scrapbook, how your mom will feel when she thumbs through the pages, and what kind of story the overall images tell. To me, this approach is one of the most important parts of photography and, the longer I shoot – and older I get! – the more I feel so passionate about this.
Does This Mean I Don’t Like Being Featured?
Lol hell no. I love a feature and get so excited when any of my photos are picked up for anything!
There’s two ways to do this, though! The first is to do an editorial type shoot where the goal is to get published. This takes a lot of planning, lots of logistics, and brainstorming… and unless you are taking photos specifically for an article or magazine feature, there’s no guarantee the shoot will get picked up. The other is to be so good at capturing candid moments that, when people view your photos, they feel like they’re there. And to capture those moments? You have to be shooting for your clients, not shooting in the same way you’d shoot for a magazine spread.
Real People. Real Moments. Real Personality.
That’s what photography is about!
There’s so much nuance that goes into this topic that I’m barely scratching the surface – and maybe I’m doing a bad job of it! – but, if you’re reading this post, come away with this little nugget: Photography features and publications are great! And at the same time? They don’t hold a candle to how amazing it feels to nail a gallery and hear a client say “This is SO us!”. I’m fifteen years in and, over the next fifteen years of shooting, I hope I hear way more of “This is us!!” than “your photo’s been featured”. Feel otherwise? That’s totally okay!
Me, though? I’m not shooting for magazines. I’m shooting colorful + candid photographs your grandkids will fight over.
Talk to y’all again soon!
Galleries + Links + More
Weddings | Engagements | Seniors | Families | Personal | Photographers
Opal and June Website | Etsy Shops: Tee Shirts + Sweatshirts | Mockup Photos
Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas Lissa Chandler is a portrait and wedding photographer who celebrates life one photograph at a time. Lissa is also the owner of Opal and June where she offers fun teacher shirts, bookish + history merch, and the absolute cutest tote bags. Additionally, Lissa is the host of the laid back, conversational podcasts Your Photographer Mom and Our Favorite Villes.
As a creative photographer in Northwest Arkansas, Lissa doesn’t niche down on a genre. She niches on a feeling instead! That feeling? The huge, happy feeling of hope and excitement that you feel as a kid opening up a huge box of 120 crayons. Sound like a feeling you remember? Let’s shoot!