Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Muller.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m originally from New York, Long Island and as a kid, I constantly carried disposable cameras with me, taking weird pictures of my food or my dogs. Soon after the Myspace phase hit; I was suddenly borrowing my mom’s point and shoot to create emo self-portraits and artsy nature photos. I always used photography as a hobby and wasn’t until my grandma pushed me into pursuing it as a full-time career.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a photographer… well, really any sort of art profession there will always be a struggle. We’re taking our passions and trying to make a living off of it. With social media and the access to having a camera even on our phones, it’s difficult to stand out or be noticed. I moved to Austin, Texas in 2014 to attend the Art Institute of Austin to major in photography. In 2016, when I graduated, my friend and I drove from Texas to California. When we made it to Los Angeles, she had fly back and I stayed behind. I wasn’t even supposed to stay there, my plan was to drive back to New York but I hung out at a Starbucks near LAX, applying to any photography position that caught my eye. After an hour of being in Los Angeles, I got a phone call asking if I could interview for that day. I took it as a sign that LA had something more to offer than just being a stop on my trip. In our profession, we have to take big risks and push ourselves if we want to get somewhere.
Never doubt yourself and even if you hit a hiccup in your road to success. Detours are fine but remember where you are originally wanting to go and still keep grinding towards it.
Please tell us about your work.
What I’m known for are my Lifestyle Photographs. I like to incorporate environments into my fashion shots. I’ve used this best with Onnit, Trendy Butler and even Forever 21. By showing the environment, I hope to create a mood from the styling and clothes in the image.
Recently, I’ve been working with more product, I previously worked for the beauty brand Wet N’ Wild and currently working with Chewy.com; where I get to play with dogs all day. When it comes to my job at Chewy.com, I try to keep the essence of the animal while making them super cute.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
Because photography was once a male-dominated profession, I often find being a female photographer to be challenging. It’s sometimes hard to be taken seriously like big corporations are confused that we ladies know what we’re doing. There are so many badass women in this industry, that the idea of it being an “only for men profession” will be changed. There are two creative groups that I’d like to give a shout out to. Girl Gang Meetup was created by Kristianna David (IG lunarkris) where a bunch of women creatives get together and create portfolio works. Stylists, models, photographers and makeup artist get together and shoot for a couple of hours and Kris hosts it! Another awesome photographer Hannah Hix (IG hannahhixphoto) created a group called Shoot Crew Dallas, where she coordinates models, makeup artist and stylist to curate a shoot for different photographers to join and shoot. These two women are helping the DFW creatives network and helping them create awesome pieces of work.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.leemulls.com
- Email: contact.leemulls@gmail.com
- Instagram: leemulls
Image Credit:
Portrait of Me: Connor Sovinski, Models: Alika Ray, Haile Greenlee, Zo’e Farley, Adrianna Rios, Michael Siefer, Seth Harcrow, Carrie Bruno, Keionna Treinae & Marie Treangen, MUAH: Samantha Reese, Martha Holland, Zoe Rappaport & Rick Flores, Stylist: Arianna Jones, Trendy Butler & Beatnik Fine Goods
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
