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

Hi Lisa, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Although I’m not a natural risk-taker, I’ve come to realize it’s a necessary element of growth in all aspects of life. From learning photography to picking up hiking as a new hobby, to changing careers from engineering to design/marketing, these decisions involved risks but had meaningful payoffs (and yes, I made tons of mistakes!). Doing life with an element of risk is still a learning process for me — to not obsess over what could go wrong, accept uncertainties, and stay positive about what’s on the other side of the “what-ifs.” I’m not quite ready to go sky-diving yet, but I’ve hiked up to some pretty high mountaintops!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I want to evoke emotions and create beautiful narratives with my imagery. Being able to transform the ideas and thoughts from my head into reality is so exciting and it fuels my creative process.

A single photograph has many unseen components, and I’m proud of the collaborative efforts between all team members (model, stylist, hair and makeup artist, and sometimes the weather!). I want the experience of the shoot to be positive and enjoyable for everyone involved — I believe that energy carries through to the finished product.

The journey to reaching this level in photography was very challenging, especially the many hours of working by myself (spending many weekend nights with the Adobe suite of programs as my companions!). But that desire to create and to see my ideas materialize gave me the energy to keep going, even when I felt like I was in a creative slump.

Ultimately, don’t let fear stand in the way of engaging with that creative spark inside.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I currently live in Edmonton, Canada and I would take my best friend to the Rocky Mountains! The scenery is other-worldly and there’s always a different type of beauty to see with the changing seasons. We’d grab some food and drinks in the town of Banff then put it all to good use on a hike, and maybe finish the night off with some stargazing at Lake Minnewanka!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As a fashion photographer, I feel like hair and makeup artists deserve more recognition for their incredible creative work. So I’m shouting out some super talented individuals that I’ve worked with: Maggie Legere (@robynmaggiebeauty), Denee Noel (@denee.noel), and Kendra Mccourt (@serobeautyco). I’d also like to shout out Drastix (@drastixstreeteats), it’s a restaurant in the Hollywood Beach area. They really support / feature local artists in their restaurant decor.

Website: http://www.lisaleungphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisaleung_photography/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.