Meet Lisa Olson | Photographer at Elli Kos Photography

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

Hi Lisa, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
I feel the happiest when I feel connected to other people. Photography is such a special way to feel a connection with other humans. My happiest shoots are ones where I felt I was able to create an environment where my client feels completely comfortable and excited about how they look. Usually, the shoot starts a bit awkward and stiff, but by the end, we both enter into a sort of dance that’s so rewarding. I’m always looking for the one or two shots out of the hundreds. Ultimately, if my client tells me they have a picture they’re going to use for their book cover, or brand deal, or senior photo, or wedding invite, that’s the happiest I’ll be. We shoot for as long as we need to, to get that one shot. Photographs are snapshots in time of that place mentally and emotionally that’s now forever frozen. It’s that signifier of a new business, completion of school, euphoric feeling of being in love. Getting to capture those moments makes brings me immense joy. It feels like an incredible and weighty honor to be behind the camera for these precious moments we all experience as humans and I’m so grateful to play a part in people’s lives for this purpose.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
There are so many things about the photography industry as a client that I found myself getting frustrated by. One of them being the tiny amount of photos you receive compared to the high end pricing. I recall getting headshots that were $500 and I was only able to pick two photos to take home with me after a 20 minute shoot. I have always found this ridiculous and unfair. As a photographer, is it more effort and time to edit and send hundreds of photos? Absolutely. But, it’s 100% worth it for every client, every time. The reason is, these are THEIR photos. I always emphasize that to clients. At the end of the day, the photos I’m capturing are for you. They’re for your milestone, your story, your memory. I’m so honored and privileged to be there and facilitate capture, but they will never mean as much to me as they likely will to you. These are photos that could be on your wall in your home for 20 years, viewed by children and loved ones. For me, they ultimately go into a hard drive after delivery, and I may or may not look back on them. I’m extremely proud of sending hundreds of photos, every gallery. I try extremely hard to keep my prices fair and lower than the average. Especially right now, I never want finances to be the barrier for people’s ability to get photos to capture these huge milestones.

I got into photography originally as a hobby. I have had and will always have passion be at the forefront of my mind when capturing anyone or anything, paid or not. Because of that, my style is much more documentary-focused, guided by prompts and settings, rather than exact poses. I’ve found that giving people specific poses they need to hold for seconds or minutes at a time nearly always results in inauthentic face expressions. My goal is to capture your candid smile, real moments, in real time. If we focus too much on your hand placement and hair, we’ll miss those genuine moments that make the photo come to life. I want people to feel the weight each photo carries. To create those snapshots, shoots with me feel much more relaxed, as I really believe that’s what creates the kind of atmosphere that conduces the best results.

I started out in this journey doing tons of free photoshoots for friends and family. I would post on social media to take photos for free around a specific artistic concept and/or for any needs in the community. Eventually, after years of that, I decided to market myself more heavily and began charging for shoots. I’ve learned that oftentimes, pricing does influence people’s relationship to valuing what we’re capturing more heavily and being more reliable on turnaround. Having buy-in on both sides creates the most successful outcome for everyone. I’m sure I’m not alone on this, but marketing myself as an artist is the most challenging part of the job. It’s an entirely different skillset to create viral videos and post consistently. But, it is critical to building your small business and getting your work, content, and ultimately, passion out into the world.

The most important thing to know about me, my brand, and my business, is that I care deeply about every single person I interact with and the quality of work we’re creating together. The connection we have during the shoot and comfort we experience in that connection, is what will result in the best photos we’re both stoked about. My goal for every shoot is for us to leave with sheer joy and excitement over what we’ve created together.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love taking people to coffee & plant shops. My favorite for this is Dandy Lion. It’s a Pinterest dream with hanging chairs, incredible coffee & pastries, and plants for sale. I would start there and then drive to Wash Park. Ideally, this would be on one of the Wash Park Weenies weekends where there are tons of dachshunds walking around the park. After that, I would take us to Nocturne Jazz club. We could eat at Denver Central Market beforehand and then enjoy an intimate, charming night at the jazz club here in Denver. In winter-time, I would spend the next day going to Larimer Square and enjoying 16th street mall. We could see a local performance at Boettcher Concert Hall that evening followed by drinks at Peaks Lounge. The next day, we could visit Populous Hotel and grab coffee in the lobby before sitting upstairs or in the rooftop lounge to read. We could do a long drive around Trail Ridge Rd in Rocky Mountain National Park, before settling in that evening for dinner at Daughter Thai Kitchen & Bar. If they were snowboarders/skiers, I would spend a few days at Winter Park and Copper Mountain. The last day could consist of walking down the South Platte River, through Commons Park, across the bridge, and into downtown Denver.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My sister, Sarah Olson, has been my consistent voice of encouragement since day one. When I bought my first DSLR camera at 18, Sarah was the one I practiced with. We would take very dramatic (and bad) pictures outside and I would have so much fun playing with editing and filters. She’s been my cheerleader and collaborator for any and every creative endeavor since I was a child. I would not have made it here without her support.

Website: https://www.ellikosphotography.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellikosphotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089492771193