Meet Leo Sideras | Outdoor Photographer & Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leo Sideras and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leo, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
The thought process behind starting my own business is really rooted in one thing – happiness. Throughout my life I’ve been much happier working for myself and have found an immeasurable amount satisfaction in doing so.

My first business (and job) was as an independent landscape contractor. I’d spend my summers building retaining walls, re-doing residential yards, designing flower beds, etc. This is really where I learned the value & reward in working for myself, running my own business, and managing my revenue & expenses.

I’m a quality-above-everything type of person – working for myself gives me the absolute freedom to push this philosophy to the maximum. I don’t always take the most efficient route – I just want the outcome to be better than before.

Fast-forward many years…here I am as an independent photographer/videographer. I’ve been taking photos for the better part of 8 years, and just made the jump professionally in October of 2021.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I focus on outdoor photography & videography. My personal work revolves largely around sweeping landscapes, long exposures, night photography – all of that super cool stuff! On the commercial end, I work mainly with companies that are seeking to showcase their product in the outdoors – think more active lifestyle-type visuals. I’ve been pushing more into professional film photography as of late as well. I’m really enjoying the whole process of shooting, developing, and scanning my own film photography.

My personal work is what propelled me into professional photography. I have a strong sense of what makes a great landscape/outdoor shot, and how to achieve that. Really the majority of the process isn’t even taking/editing the photo. It’s using my knowledge of the outdoors to get myself in the right place at the right time to get the photo.

It’s certainly not easy to start out as a professional photographer – business at the beginning can be inconsistent, and it’s a super competitive field. I’m still early on in my career (6-months or so) and run into challenges every single day. The biggest thing is really persistence, and with the commercial work I do book, making sure I execute on those 110%. Also, staying in-tune with my personal work, style, and learning is really important to gas myself up.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh man – I’d take them up to Rocky Mountain National Park for one or two nights of camping. We’d hit some of my favorite day hikes to alpine lakes, and enjoy what is some of the most quintessential Colorado wilderness! After a healthy dose of the outdoors we’d pop around the city – hit RiNo for some beers, art galleries, all that good stuff. I’d absolutely take them to South Broadway and hop around dive bars. We would go to some sort of show, whether it be electronic or psychedelic rock!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents have always supported my creativity. I began playing the violin at the age of 5, earned music scholarships, and studied several instruments up through my young-adult life. They supported this passion 100% – no questions asked. I relied heavily on them for advice when I was moving through the decision process of taking up photography on a professional level. They were nothing short of encouraging and motivating for me to make this jump for myself.

The first person that really piqued my interest in photography is my aunt Mary Ann. From a young age she would show me her travel photos from across the world (mind you this is all 35mm film.) These images have stuck with me, and I was always super excited to see them. She ended up giving me her 35mm film camera for an international trip I was making. It was my first camera and I still use it to this day.

There are many other people – my sister and girlfriend have been a part of so many of my personal projects. Some of my favorite photos to date. My good friend Nigel (goes by Callisto Visuals) out of Nashville has been a bottomless source of knowledge, advice, and creative collaboration.

Website: www.leosideras.com

Instagram: @leoccino

Linkedin: Leo Sideras

Twitter: @leosiderasphoto

Youtube: Leo Sideras Photo