Leanne Sim, Photographer

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Leanne Sim, Photographer

Website: leannesim.ca

Instagram: instagram.com/leannesimphotographer

Enjoy our interview with Leanne Sim, a BC based wedding photographer who shares her wisdom and some amazing photographs!

Tell us about yourself!

I’m secretly or not so secretly obsessed with buffalo plaid. I own almost everything imaginable in buffalo plaid. I’m part of an adult hip hop team and have been for 7 years. There is nothing better than getting to hang out with a bunch of badass women each week and sharing our love of dance. I’m an extroverted thrill seeker – skydiving, water-rafting, parasailing, surfing….bring it on!

I’m also a proud wife & mother of 3 beautiful children- my favourite role! I make a mean salsa. I even won an award at our yearly summer cabin cook off last year. I’m also an LPN by day. I see those in their most vulnerable time and I feel so privileged to be the one to take care of them. I’m obsessed with London Fogs and I may have a Starbucks addiction because of this. I also bottle my own wine and have accumulated quite the collection. So if you’re looking for someone to share a glass with I’m your girl!

What makes your business unique, different or special?

Everyone has a story! My goal is to tell that story for my couples. Whether they have a love story like Romeo or Juliet or it looks a little more like Ross & Rachel from Friends, their stories hold significance. I’m not the type of photographer that just shows up and does their job, I’m invested. Whether they are looking for an adventure elopement in the mountains, wedding photography, family photos, a branding session – it isn’t just about creating stunning photos for them, it is about them enjoying every moment of their experience! This is a HUGE reason I created Peaks & Vows. I wanted to create an intimate, once in a life time, all about the couple elopement experience. I wanted to make their elopement dreams come true! Plus how cool is it to get married on a mountain top?!

How do you support your lifestyle when you have less weddings than expected for the year?

I’m a nurse so I am fortunate enough to have that as another form of income. I also hold beginner workshops once or twice a year with one of my photographer besties. This is always so much fun for me and I find it so refreshing to see photography from my students eyes. It’s not always them that learns from it. I find I get so much out of it myself. Plus I love to give back to the photography community as much as I can.I also run mini session days for all my families that return each year. I try to run at least two a year and this really helps boost my income during slower times.

If you had one piece of advice for couples looking for a wedding photographer, what would it be?

Get to know your photographer! Do your personalities mesh well? Your photographer is going to spend a large chunk of the day with you. Stalk them on social media and meet them for a coffee to make sure you can tolerate them and maybe even like them. It’s your wedding day! Pick someone who’s work you are drawn to and make sure they can make you laugh and truly connect with you.

If you weren’t shooting weddings, what would you be doing for work?

I would probably be in school right now to become an RN. My other dream was to be a maternity nurse.

What do you think makes a photograph good?

Sooo many things can make a photograph good but what really fills my creative soul is when it truly embodies the couple and their relationship. Capturing those large belly laughs, the little winks and smiles between your couple that happen naturally, the subtle hand holding or the extra long embraces. I’m a huge romantic so all of these things make my creative heart happy.

Do you have advice for new photographers?

Find a mentor! Find that person that speaks to your creative soul and you can relate to. That you just can’t get enough of and hit them up for some mentoring.

What’s something people need to understand about photography?

That it’s full of possibilities. It can be interpreted in so many different ways and it allows you to be YOU and express who YOU are. It’s your business so make it your OWN.

What other advice would you like to share with photographers?

Finding your Niche. It has taken me nearly 5 years to really focus in on mine and finally got the confidence to make it happen. I went on my first helicopter experience nearly 3 years ago and I was in LOVE instantly. What made me fall in love with helicopter shoots was also the experience! It isn’t just about getting epic photos it’s also about sharing an experience of a life time with the love of your life, checking something off your bucket list and seeing parts of B.C. from a whole new perspective.I have always been a thrill seeker and a lover of the mountains so this was a dream come true. I just knew right after that I needed to find a way to do them more often. I then decided to market for my couples and future couples to book them for engagement sessions and after a few years I had booked quite a few and became known for them in my area.

But one goal of mine was still never fulfilled and that was to photograph an elopement on the mountaintop. So this year I found my dream team and launched the ultimate adventure elopement experience called Peaks & Vows. We offer custom helicopter and adventure elopements in the Fraser Valley and beyond! It’s a dream come true.

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