Meet Lisa Maria Gullo | Owner/photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Maria Gullo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa Maria, what do you attribute your success to?
My success roots from my passion. I am a firm believer that success will always follow your passion. I absolutely love what I do and I love the connections I have made throughout this journey. The art of photography is powerful. It can unleash and reveal all sorts of beautiful and raw emotions, feelings and experiences within. This is what lured me into building a career in photography and I have continued to build and evolve my brand and my business around empowering individuals through this beautiful art form.

In 2017 I left my day job and embarked on my journey as a full time boudoir/fine art portrait photographer. At this time I also acquired my very first studio space/creative space. I was able to further explore and dig into my deep passion for portrait photography and recognize the more intimate experience it provided to my clients, myself, and my art. In my experience, finding a connection with the individuals in front of my cameras is the single most important element to my work.

I work with a fabulous team of creative hair and makeup artists that bring so much magic and enhancement to the experience that is provided to my clients. We are truly a power team and I would not be where I am without them.

I make it my mission to provide individuals with a safe and welcoming space to express and explore themselves. This is extremally important to me, and I work very hard to make sure that everyone who steps in front of my camera experiences that. My studio is very inclusive and we welcome all bodies. I believe that everyone deserves to be seen and loved.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I have to say, the boudoir industry is FULL of such amazing talent. I am so inspired by this industry as a whole and how it has grown and elevated in recent years. My road to where I am now has much to do with some of the wonderful connections that I have made with other creatives.

I think what sets me apart from others is my style and my personality. I know that at the end of the day, nobody can replicate who I am. My super powers are my authenticity, creativity, vulnerability, passion and drive. In regards to my shoot style, I consider my work to be “moody”. I tend to gravitate towards vintage vibes, lots of textures and interesting light. I am a sucker for the details as well and I love the editing process.

As far as the road to were I am now…it has been an adventure to get here. The creative has always come easy to me…however, I learned quickly through starting a business that the creative part is just one of the many hats I would find myself wearing. There was a steep learning curve for me when it came to the business side of things. When I take time to step back and look at the seemingly endless amount of time, energy, hard work and effort I have put into all of this, I do find great pride in that.

I believe that anyone is capable of starting a business but the amount of dedication, persistence, and acceptance of failure and set backs that occur is no joke, and ultimately what makes running a successful business so damn hard. It has made me a stronger person in so many ways. Especially having to think of creative ways for my business not only survive, but thrive through the Covid19 pandemic and a maternity leave/ welcoming of my first child all in the course of two years… Let’s just say it was a wild few years! I have learned that you have two options when things get hard; give up, or keep pushing. Giving up was never something of interest to me…although there have been MANY trying moments. To me, the juice is well worth the squeeze. I LOVE what I do and and encouraging others to follow their passion is so important to me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oooo! I love this! I am a foodie so lots of food will be involved… For breakfast it would be the Le Creperie! I would have to make an obligatory trip to the reservoir as well as New Belgium and Odell. The Mishawaka is also a must in my opinion, and a little dip in the river while you are in the canyon. Lunch at Music City Hot Chicken at some point because its amazing. A coffee from Little Bird and then some strolling around Old Town. A piece of Pie from Ginger and Baker (banana cream is my fav). Ice cream at the Churn. Dinner at Crown pub, Cafe Vino or the Union. Then a show at The Comedy Fort and a night cap at the Social…and if there is live music somewhere then that too! So basically if you are visiting me you can be sure that you will not go hungry lol!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I really want to first recognize my husband Tony who has been such a massive support through my decision to start and build my dream business. I would also like to recognize my incredible hair and makeup artists; Carissa Schlam/The Stardust Stylist & Jessie Wagner/ Alegria Beauty Co. These ladies are true masters of their craft. And I can not do this without giving a shoutout to my AMAZING clients who keep me enthusiastic and creative. I feel so blessed to work with the very best of the best !

Website: lisa@darkmoonco.com

Instagram: darkmoonstudio.co

Facebook: Dark Moon Studio / Dark Moon Divas VIP (Group)

Image Credits
Headshot of me taken by: Nicole Marie Photography