Colorful and Fun Photography in Northwest Arkansas by Lissa Chandler
I love photography with my entire soul.
I know! It sounds terribly cheesy and may have even made you eye roll but, really, something about photography just tugs at my heart in a way no other subject ever has. I could pretend that photography just fell into my lap one day and that, in that moment, I suddenly knew everything a professional photographer should know and thought “This is IT!” in a magical, mysterious, breathtaking moment but, for me, it was always photography. It could have been anything – writing novels or playing piano or sewing stuffed animals or teaching college literature classes or finally publishing all of those half written essays about fairy tales and folklore and the American Dream that I wrote in college – but, instead of choosing anything, I chose the one thing that had always spoken to me from the time I was old enough to flip through my mom’s old photo albums.
It was a terrifying decision.
As I sat there in a brand new town, wearing an old outfit and worn out sneakers, filling out a business license while fresh out of college and, let’s face it, fresh to the real world, my face burned and my palms sweated and my heart pounded because, after years of hoping and dreaming and wishing and backpedaling and talking myself into other things, the time had finally come. I was finally ready to make a fantastic leap of faith and hope and wishful thinking and become the person – the photographer! – I had always wanted to be. I was thrilled. I was nervous. I was intimidated. I was deliriously happy. And honestly? I had absolutely no idea what was going to happen. I didn’t even know that Fayetteville would become my home!
Thirteen years later (eek!), I have come to love and appreciate running my own photography business more than I ever could have imagined (and I imagined I would adore it!). Photography has opened up so many windows and doors and skies for me. Being a photographer in Fayetteville, Arkansas is such a unique experience and I can’t help but constantly marvel at how amazing it is to be welcomed into the lives of others to document warm and beautiful moments that may otherwise be forgotten. I believe that photography is the most beautiful form of art and I am so crazy passionate about heirloom image making that, when I photograph someone, I don’t just want to scratch the surface. I want to photograph their hearts and their love and their interests and their personality and that little spark that makes every person so bravely unique and creative.
And when I deliver my completed galleries? I take all of the love that I have for photography, bottle it up in a gallery, and deliver that feeling to each and every one of my clients. When you receive your photographs, I want you to fall in love the way that I fall in love with all of my images and, more importantly, I want everyone you know – your best friend from fifth grade and your mother and your sister and the girl who used to sit next to you in your Freshman Biology class – to look at your photographs and say, “These are so YOU!!”” with a huge grin and a huge hug because, in those photographs, they don’t just see a pretty photograph of a pretty person, but a photograph that shows connection and love and spirit and, most importantly, the heart of the person in that photograph. I love creating photographs that show how loved and amazing and unique every person (and couple!) is. It is a dream.
The best dream, if I am being totally honest.
And because I love photographs! Here’s a whole bunch of my favorite photographs of 2016!
Note: This post was originally written in 2016. Want to see more recent photos? See ’em here!
Senior Photos // Engagement Photos // Wedding Photos // Family Photos // Studio Photos
