It is time to meet our May 31st - June 6th, Weekly Feature Creative, Steve!
Creative's Name: Steve Lebeda
Business Name: Lebeda Photography
Type of Creative: Photographer & Artist/Body Paint
Genres: Lifestyle/Candid & Mental Health Awareness
Tell us about you! What is your story? Married, kids, fur babies? What things do you do besides your craft? I really enjoy making images tell a story even though the images are not always happy, they are still a way to express yourself and make other people aware that their not alone with any issues they might be battling.
Photographers... be straight with us... what brand do you use? What is your favorite piece of gear - lens, camera body, etc? Canon, been using them my entire life, favorite glass would be Canon 100mm 2.8 / Canon 70-200 mk 2 2. / Canon 24-105 4.
Photographers... When you go on one of your travels, where do you go & what gear do you bring with you? I usually bring my 7d and 6d along with my 24-105 lens.
What editing programs do you use? Lightroom, althought I edit my images very little, because I like them more raw.
What has been the hardest part of being a photographer and how long have you been a photographer? The hardest part is when you have your art on display and you have to write an artist statement.
What makes your passion shine and what are you most passionate about when you see your finished work? My passion is to expose social stigmas, mental illness/hidden illness and the every day struggles we all battle, so I can hopefully change the view on us one person at a time and let everybody know it's okay to be different and vulnerable.
Would you change anything that you have learned? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind with your work? I wouldn't change anything, my legacy would be that I was always striving to help people, one person at a time and to allow mental illness be just another thing we deal with and not so much of a stigma.
What inspires you? Who's work as influenced you most? What is the most rewarding part for you? Helping people inspires me. The more rewarding part for me is when I can help others see that they can express the things their battling through art and photography and seeing their expressions after seeing themselves being vulnerable.
Among your works, which is your favorite & why? My favorite work to date has been the American flag body paint.
Tell us something we wouldn't know about you, from looking at your portfolio. I've been battling anxiety and panic attacks for over 30 years.
What advice to you have for people just starting out? Find your passion and do it the way you want, there are not set rules to photography.
What is one accomplishment you achieved this year? The one thing I've accomplished is to build my friendships with many people I've worked with.
Thank you, Steve, for sharing your creative journey with us! We love having you as part of the Artistic Alliance Community!
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