In the Spotlight: Lisa Garcia

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Image copyright Lisa Garcia. All rights reserved.

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by Skip Cohen

​For years I've talked about the best thing about our industry - the friendships. Out of the mutual love for the craft, we meet other photographers at conventions, workshops, in our community and online in cyberspace.  

Meet Lisa Garcia, a talented artist here in Sarasota. Had it not been for our mutual friend, Bobbi Lane we might not have met. If you know Bobbi, then you also know that looking at her circle of friends is like playing the Kevin Bacon, three degrees of separation game. Think back, and I'm betting many of you can link to somebody who knows Bobbi, and no more than three degrees away.

All of us had lunch together last spring when Bobbi and husband Lee Varis were here in Sarasota. We had a chance to visit Lisa's studio in St. Armands Circle, and her work is stunning. The image above won a bronze award at the Portrait Masters Conference in 2018, further recognizing Lisa's success as a visual artist.  

Lisa's work is beautiful, but I loved her backstory even more:

A quick back story on this client: She was 58 and was going through a lot of changes in her life. She was in a place of wanting to see herself in a different way and asked to be photographed nude. When I asked how she wanted to be photographed she simply said…I trust you. She loves and cherishes her images. She still to this day tells me that that day changed her life. Sometimes it isn't just about the end result of the photograph, but the journey that is taken to get there. I am humbled by the women that I have had the honor of photographing over the years. It is my spiritual journey as well as theirs.

There's a very special ingredient when it comes to capturing and creating remarkable portraits...trust.

​Being a great photographer isn't just about technique, but relationship building. It's about your clients trusting you to listen and understand what they're hoping you can capture. If you love the craft like Lisa does, then you also know creating a great experience for the subject goes both ways. I love her line about her sessions often being a spiritual journey for her as well her clients. It's that dedication and love for the craft that gives Lisa the ability to capture images like the one above.

Lisa's studio is just a click away.

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