Lisa Holloway is an internationally published, award winning fine art portrait photographer residing in rural Northwestern Arizona with her husband and 10 children. A Canon girl since day one, Lisa is completely self taught and works exclusively with natural light. She has been in business serving clients in the Las Vegas metro area since 2008. When Lisa is not pursuing her photography interests, she loves the outdoors, road trips, cooking, thunderstorms, and spending time with her family. You can follow Lisa on ViewBug to stay up to date and see her latest photos.

Tell us a bit about yourself, how do you describe your photography style?
Hi! I'm Lisa - the mother of 10 great kids ( 7 boys and 3 girls aged 1 to 17) and a fine art portrait photographer residing in Northwestern Arizona. My photography style is emotive, peaceful, rich, and vibrant. I love truthful portraits that give you a glimpse into a person's soul. When I'm not busy with my family and photography, I love traveling, road trips, hiking, camping, and the great outdoors. We live in such a beautiful part of the country and I love spending my free time exploring it with my family.

In once sentence what has photography done for you in your life?
Photography has given so much added value to my life - I have something that is mine alone, and it doesn't involve dirty diapers or laundry, which is a huge bonus.

When did you start taking photos and what inspired you to get started?
I've always enjoyed taking pictures and creating art, but I became inspired to get serious about photography after the birth of my 5th child, Adrian. I wanted to be able to capture amazing images of my children. They have always been my inspiration.

Do you have any influencers?
I am influenced by my children, the colors, light, and textures in nature, and by so many amazing photographers that I have discovered along this journey. There really are too many to list here, but a few favorites are Yousuf Karsh, Steve McCurry, Ansel Adams, as well as some newer photographers - Magdalena Berny, Jessica Drossin, Jake Olson, and Elena Shumilova to name just a few.

What has been your favorite shoot and why?
This is a really hard question! Every shoot becomes my favorite for a time, only to be replaced by the next shoot. I have things I love about each of them. I know this is a cliche answer, but it is true! One particular shoot that stands out to me though is a simple little shoot I did in some overgrown, dried grass on a vacant lot next to my house with my then 2 year old son, Elliott, and his favorite chicken. We have about 40 hens that we keep for the fresh eggs, and my kids just love them! Normally, photographing a 2 year old is a huge challenge just because of the quirkiness of that age group, but by giving him a 'job' (hold this chicken!) he really got into it and was having a wonderful time. The images are so sweet and are amongst my favorites that I've ever taken. Elliott had a wonderful time doing them with me and we made some great memories. Sometimes the simplest of shoots can have the most meaning.

Do you remember a difficult photo shoot session? What happened?
My most difficult session to date would be a maternity and family shoot I did in the winter time, in an aspen grove blanketed in snow. I was also pregnant while shooting this session and we didn't realize how deep the snow was that we were trying to shoot in. We were up to our thighs in snow! It was actually pretty funny - both of us pregnant and stuck in the snow - I'm sure we looked completely ridiculous to people passing by. Aside from the deep snow, the freezing temps were an additional challenge. We got through it though and came away with some gorgeous and unique maternity images!

What do you carry in your camera bag?
I carry 2 camera bodies (my 5D Mark III is my main and my 5D Mark II is my backup), my 200mm 2.0L, 85mm 1.2L, and my Sigma 50mm Art lens - I definitely prefer long primes! I also carry spare batteries, loads of memory cards, a lens cleaning cloth, and inadvertently, a few odds and ends that my kids have dropped into my bag along the way. Broken crayons or stale crackers, anyone? While I have dabbled with OCF, I am a natural light photographer and prefer to work with ambient light while shooting my sessions so I do not carry any strobes or lighting gear.

Do you have a favorite subject to shoot?
I love working with children so much! Their innocence and truthfulness is beautiful to witness and capture.

Do you have a favorite location and time of the day to shoot?
I love working anywhere with trees, beautiful light, and nothing but nature for miles. Whether it be a field of yellow flowers or a forest blanketed in autumn leaves, the colors and textures in nature are so inspiring to me and an integral part of my work. Some of my favorite locations are the areas surrounding Sedona, Oak Creek, and Flagstaff. I prefer to stay away from places frequented regularly by other photographers. I enjoy going for drives to find new nooks and crannies to use in my photography. Even though I reside in what is mostly a desert environment, you really wouldn't know that by looking at my portfolio.

What are you currently working on?
I'm currently finishing up some fall images I took of my own children, images I took while teaching a natural light photography workshop in Raleigh, NC, and planning a fun shoot with an amazing little girl in the Valley of Fire in a few weeks! I like to keep busy and am always coming up with new concepts and ideas.

Can you share a couple of tips with your fellow photographers?
Always stay true to yourself! It is easy to find someone's work that you love and try to emulate that when you are just starting out, but give yourself time and patience to develop your own, unique style. I think a person's photography is a window to how they see the world around them, and that is such a beautiful thing! Never be scared to try something new or experiment with a fun concept. I learn something new every time I take out my camera. Enjoy your journey!

Visit Lisa's profile to see more of her photos and all the awards she has received from fellow ViewBug members.