Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenny Leshem.
Hi Jenny, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Yaron and I started our business in 2007. We are a small mom-and-pop fine art portraiture studio and art gallery. Yaron Leshem’s work is part of the permanent collection of the MoMA and he has been shown in museums and galleries around the world including NYC, Berlin, Tokyo, Istanbul, Paris, London, and more. Our clients commission us to photograph them around the world in order to create custom pieces of art where they and their loved ones are a part of the final art piece. These large-scale photographs become beautiful pieces of art in their homes that are passed on from generation to generation and weave in meaningful places, people, things, and actions. Everything from the creative to the lighting is done by Yaron himself including printing in our studio in Aspen Colorado, so nothing is outsourced. In addition to shooting in Dallas we frequently shoot in London, NYC, Aspen, the Hamptons, Austin, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Other locations are possible based on availability.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
We had very little money when we started and photography and lighting equipment were very expensive. Yaron was working three jobs while I was running the business full time and raising two babies at home. We put all our money into the best camera but everything else Yaron made himself or found or improvised. At one point he was using aluminum foil with our lights. I thought it would be easier finding clients than it was as no one called us for the first 5 months. We persevered though and to start out we donated a lot of photoshoots and gave away a lot of things for free so we could build up a portfolio and people could see our work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think we are very fortunate to do what we do. It has been over 14 years and many of the clients we first started with still book us every year. We get to know the people and families we photograph and watch them grow over the years and we feel like we make people happy. I am very proud of that. My big line is “if you don’t take them, you won’t have them” and I really believe there is a big difference between all the photos everyone now takes on their cell phones documenting the day to day and a really beautiful one-off portrait crafted and lit beautifully by an artist. We are not into cheesy smiles or projecting perfection. For us making our clients feel comfortable so they can open up and be vulnerable in order for us to capture something meaningful is what we are known for. And if someone is looking for art in their home what we offer is a whole other layer as there is so much meaning woven into our photographs.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We are based in Aspen but shoot all over the country and you can see examples of our work on Instagram @leshemloft on our website www.leshemloft.com and I can be reached at jenny@leshemloft.com and 917 608 7818. We shoot in Dallas 3 to 4 times a year.
Contact Info:
- Email: jenny@leshemloft.com
- Website: www.leshemloft.com
- Instagram: @leshemloft
Image Credits:
Yaron Leshem
Leshem loft
