leahvalentine.com » Blog

New Website is LIVE!!

Leah Hill Admin Account — Mon, 14 May 2012 15:48:15 +0000

At the risk of stating the obvious (since you are already here reading this), I have a new website! Well I should call it a blog-site though seeing as how the blog and website are so integrated together. LOVE IT! There are still a few things I need to finish up, but hopefully it is fairly complete and easy for you to navigate. Again many, MANY thanks to Lilly & Louise for creating my awesome new logo, and I should give a shout out to my 24/7 tech support. Ok that refers to my husband, Zach, and I must say having such tech support in house saves me so much time and energy when I’d probably just be cursing at my monitor otherwise. Oh, and I almost forgot. I now have a mobile web version of the site, so it should help when trying to search images on your handy, dandy phones that we all seem to have with us all the time now!

Adorable Teeball Kiddos

Leah Hill Admin Account — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:16:11 +0000

As I continue to meet more people in my awesome new town, I’ve started working with Santa Barbara Parks & Rec in a variety of positions. Recently I’ve teamed up with Albertsons Grocery and Parks & Rec to take some photos of the adorable local teeball league sponsored by Albertsons. Can I just say these kids were a blast to hang out with on a Saturday morning! Still new to the game they were learning all the important rules, like if you are the one running the bases, you shouldn’t chase after the ball just hit from the tee. So cute!! Below are a few photos that will be featured in a variety of ways at Albertsons Grocery stores and on the Santa Barbara Parks & Rec website. Friends and family of these adorable kids, here is a link to a full gallery of images from the day. I am happy to sell digital files and/or prints, just contact me at leah@leahvalentine.com or 805-364-0204.

Under Construction

Leah Hill Admin Account — Wed, 02 May 2012 20:12:16 +0000

Hi all, I am in the process of changing my blog and website. Yay for web work! (Is it too early today to grab a beer for this work??) While I work on a customized design, my blog may look a little wonky for a bit. Hopefully all posts will continue to work allowing you to share, but the blog layout may temporarily not be the best. Please send me happy thoughts (and cookies and beer if you feel so inclined) while I make the necessary changes that will hopefully benefit us all in the long run. For now I’ll leave you with a comic illustrating me current thought process!

Comic from WebDesignerDepot.com

Funky & Fresh Sisters

Leah Hill Admin Account — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:32:04 +0000

Being a teenager today is tough. Seriously. And usually the last thing you want to do as a teen or pre-teen is have your picture taken. Not for these amazing girls though! I’ve known Allie and Bo since they were babies. So many memories of babysitting them, rocking some epic hide & seek games, having Christmas dinners together, and especially how adorable they were as my flower girls on my wedding day. So I was beyond thrilled when I finally had a chance to photograph them. Not only are they absolutely gorgeous, but their confidence and extraordinary personalities make them total perfection. I love the funky accessories we had throughout the shoot and even though it was a pretty windy day, I think it actually worked in our favor. I hope you enjoy some of the photos. Bo’s one Michael Jackson pose cracks me up every time!

Sisters Sneak Peek!

Leah Hill Admin Account — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:15:36 +0000

Last weekend I was thrilled to have a chance to photograph the beautiful sisters, Allie and Bo! I’ve known these girls since they were babies and was honored that they allowed me to photograph them, especially since they are now in their sensitive pre-teen and teen years. More to come!

My new look…to go with my new start in Cali!

Leah Hill Admin Account — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:41:03 +0000

Well I’ve been AWOL again from the blog and pretty much business in general. All for great reasons though, to attend an old friend’s wedding in Los Cabos and to return to my alma mater for alumni weekend (and an early 30th birthday bash for me…wow, I can’t believe I just admitted that!). More on that another time though. For now I am thrilled to announce I have a new logo created by the very talented Leslie Lewis Sigler (Lilly & Louise designs)! I love the feel of the new logo and the simplicity of going with just my first and middle name. (Sorry Zach, I promise I still love you!) I look forward to utilizing the new look in a new website and blog (to come very soon). For now it’s back to washing laundry and settling back into reality after an 11 day hiatus. Thank you again to Leslie for your BEAUTIFUL work!

Artwork by Lilly & Louise

Country Music & College Friends

Leah Hill Admin Account — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:34:14 +0000

Last week I was Facebooking….err, I mean working and I noticed something exciting. Country group, Eden’s Edge, was coming to The Mint in Los Angeles for a show this week. I immediately scored a few tickets online. Not just because they are a great group, but also because guitarist and harmony vocalist, Dean Berner, and I were fellow Hendrix College soccer players! Well I really should say Hendrix soccer family considering the time our teams spent living together during preseason and the countless hours of bus trips to away games. Man, I miss those days!

Anyway, I arrived early and got a chance to catch up with Dean. Then when the show started, I couldn’t help but feel like a proud little soccer sister. Dean, Cherrill, and Hannah captivated the crowd with their sparkling personalities and beautiful songs. Whether singing about sweet tea or lost love, the crowd applauded their beautiful harmonies and instrumental talent. I resisted the urge to go into full photographer mode as I really just wanted to enjoy the music, but I couldn’t help but snap a few photos during the show.

Following the show of course I had to get my own Eden’s Edge apple tree T-shirt and have my EP album signed. Dean-o even added an awesome soccer ball drawing to my album…you rule Dean! I hope you enjoy a few of my photos and check out Eden’s Edge. I promise you, there is no way you will be disappointed!

Taking Portraits & Being Spider-Man

Leah Hill Admin Account — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 22:22:57 +0000

Earlier this week I was thrilled to photograph the amazingly adorable Andrew and Isabella down in Orange County. The beautiful Isabella needed practically no direction when it came to posing…I see a future in modeling here! Her little brother, Andrew, wasn’t quite as happy to be photographed, but he was ALL TOO happy to show me his Spider-Man moves! Apparently my spiderweb throwing moves need a little work still though. We can’t be perfect at everything. I had a wonderful time with them and would like to thank Brownie, their cousin’s guinea pig. Thank you for being…well, our ‘guinea pig’ to help keep the kiddos entertained!

Renewed Hope Following ‘The Fix’

Leah Hill Admin Account — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:02:52 +0000

Last night I maneuvered my way through LA’s ridiculous rush hour traffic to attend Jasmine Star’s The Fix at the awesome CineFamily theater. I thought I was going to be early, but when I pulled up there were already tons of photographers anxiously waiting outside the doors. Already grouped together and chatting, I was horrified thinking I would be the only person who showed up alone. My husband’s comments kept ringing through my head, “there is no way you will be the only one alone and if so, who cares, just jump in”. In line I glanced over my shoulder and saw another participant with the EXACT same blank, anxious look on her face. Lauren (JL Photographers) and I nervously began to chat in a way we later compared to being alone on the playground as a child and pitifully asking each other “will you be my friend”. We casually mingled with Elizabeth Zuluaga and several of the other photographers and slowly began to realize we shared many of the same fears and anxieties. When it was time to re-enter the theater and listen to Jasmine tell us her story and offer her bits of advise, my fears already calmed…partly due to the free wine, but mostly due to just talking with others in the same situation. Jasmine’s larger than life personality captivated the entire room. Her stories and the stories of those brave enough to stand up and ask questions practically brought tears to my eyes.

This morning I headed back to Santa Barbara after five days in LA. For the first time since I moved to California, I felt like I was going “home”. Not that I don’t still desperately miss my friends in Charlottesville and my family in Philadelphia, but now I feel like I’m one step closer to building my life and business in my new home. The Fix showed me that I am not alone in my fears and gave me the gift of two new photography friends in California. You just can’t put a price on that. Jasmine, you genuineness inspires me and I hope you truly realize the gift you give other photographers. I have TON of work to do…but now I also have new friends to lean on for support. Thank you Jasmine!

Marathon Runners & Reality TV

Leah Hill Admin Account — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:09:00 +0000

So yesterday I happened upon the LA Marathon heading right by my brother’s place. And seriously, I envy people who can motivate themselves to train for and run a marathon! The thought of running 26.2 miles just makes me shudder. However, I feel I did my part of the LA Marathon encouraging the runners by cheering them on and snapping a few shots on my walk to a nice hot breakfast with my brother’s girlfriend. Spoken like a true retired college athlete! (Who am I kidding, I hated running even in my college soccer days.)

Following my ‘oh so inspiring’ part in the LA Marathon, I was thrilled to have a chance to work on a reality television show set with my brother. The last time we ‘worked’ together was in our early teen years when we played on the same soccer team. Remembering the constant bickering and highly different opinions on what was good for the team, I was curious to see how this would go! Though believe it or not, 15 years gives a lot of time for growing up.

Filming a television show is strikingly similar to putting on a wedding. And is a VERY similar position for a photographer, though instead of dodging florists, caterers, and bands, I danced around the film crew. And I could not have asked for a nicer group to work with my first time in television. I begged them to just kick me if I got in their way, and I’m happy to announce I walked away with not a single bruise on my shins. Score! I won’t be able to share my photos with you now, but if they ever end up on the show’s website, I will certainly point you in that direction.

Today I’m off to Orange County for portraits of two adorable siblings. The ‘OC’…prior to these last few months of living in California, I only thought of this area as a county for crazy rich kids from that show. Alas, it seems quite normal!