Name: Leah Nash
Age: 32
Location: Portland, Ore.
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; M.A. in Photojournalism from University of Missouri, Columbia.
Job Title: Freelance Photographer. See samples of her work at LeahNash.com
What She Does: As a freelance photographer, Leah dodges land mines in Croatia, photographs people living with AIDS in India, hangs out with born-again Christian monks, follows a real-life superhero—Veta Man—who wears a costume and gives out food to the homeless, and spends time with a disabled Russian writer. “And that’s just a typical month for me,” says Leah. “What can I say? Real life is better than fiction. You can’t make this stuff up.”
How She Got Her Gig: Leah originally studied psychology, but during her last semester realized she was ”bored and didn’t want to be a psychologist.” Having dabbled in photography in high school, Leah moved to Portland and began working in every photographic capacity she could find. Finally settling on photojournalism, Leah planned an eight-month international trip to test her skills. While on the trip, it became apparent that she didn’t have the contacts she needed or the know-how to put together a photo-oriented story. So, she came back and went to grad school. That was three years ago. “A degree doesn’t mean much in photojournalism, so I interned at two Florida newspapers and spent six months in India—all to pump up my portfolio. I always thought I would work for a newspaper, but life circumstances and relationships led me to freelancing,” she says.
It’s a Networking Thang: As a freelancer, networking is the name of the game. This means that every year, Leah goes to New York City to schmooze with editors at magazines and newspapers, showcasing her latest portfolio and establishing face recognition. She’s received a lot of work from these efforts—although not always right away. She met with one agency a year and a half ago, and just recently began receiving work from them. Ultimately, she says, “the payoff is worth it and business always comes back around—sometimes it just takes a while.”
Never an Average Day: In an average week, Leah will have three to five assignments, but some weeks are slow, with only a couple of gigs. It’s during these weeks that Leah focuses on her website or personal projects. Photography requires intense and full concentration for short periods of time. Leah will show up at an event and spend two hours there, waiting for that ”moment”—which may be merely five minutes, but results in the perfect shot. In her words, it’s a lot of “hurry up and wait, but with intense concentration.” Publications often wait until the last minute to choose a photo, especially for cover shots. So Leah must be available to meet their requests. A self-described night owl, she’s often editing photos at 2 a.m. and then wakes up around 9:30 or 10 a.m.
Words of Wisdom: ”Always have a project going that you care about, not just projects you get paid for.” Leah insists that implementing this practice will keep any freelancer sane. In addition, she encourages women photographers to embrace their assertiveness. ”There are very few female freelance photographers, so being aggressive is important—even though it’s not considered an ‘attractive’ quality in our culture.”
This Job’s for You if: You’re a self-starter and highly motivated. Leah also advises having a thick skin, as freelance photography is very competitive. “I’m so amused by the fact that I get paid to do what I do,” she says. “So many people who love photography do it for free. The fact I make a living at it is pretty cool.”
