Jori Leman hones her talent as a photographer

If you like creative photography, you’ll want to read about Jori Leman and view her talent in the photos below. For having first picked up a camera a couple of years ago, she has honed her skill at seeing the world in a unique way. Be sure to check out her website. Enjoy!      

 

 

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With no formal training and little knowledge of the mechanics of a camera, 2011 Norwell High School graduate Jori Leman has established herself as a photographer with purpose. Since 2009, she has shot photos for dozens of high school seniors, weddings and several family group settings.

 

Leman discovered a love for photography during a family trip to Cancun in 2009. She had just purchased a camera and while on vacation,  took several shots of scenery. Her father, Ron Leman, was impressed with her work. “He likes to paint and is a graphic artist,” said Jori. “He thought I had a good eye and encouraged me to do more with my photography.”

 

Jori pursued her interest by asking friends if she could shoot photos of them. “It was just for practice,” she said. The friends liked the photos and displayed them on Facebook pages. Other friends asked Leman to do the same for them. “My friends wanted to support me and it gave me confidence,” she said. Today, she has established a business she calls ‘Jori Leman Photography’. 

 

When she started shooting photos, Leman used a Canon point and shoot. As she evolved into portraiture, she switched to a Nikon D5000. She uses two lenses—18-55 millimeter and 85-125 millimeter for wide angles and close-ups.

 

Jori and her mother, Kathy, drive around the area, looking for places for Jori to capture through her lens. She likes run-down structures. “I love their rough textures cool angles and colors,” she said. She likes to place high school seniors in front of such edifices, juxtaposing young with old. “The buildings make good backdrops so the senior stands out,” she explained. She also takes photos in parks.  

 

Leman learned composition and color from her father who owns Leman’s Sign City in Bluffton. “We have painted together for years in Dad’s warehouse,” she said. “He also established a make-shift studio for my photography there.”

 

Leman credited not only her parents, but Norwell High School art teachers, Donna Ballinger and Jeff Prentice, for their expertise and advice. “Mrs. Ballinger was my teacher for most of my high school art classes,” she said. “She encouraged me to develop my interest and we’ve taken painting classes together in Fort Wayne. Mr. Prentice gave me confidence. He does that with many students.”

 

In July 2010 Leman held her second photography exhibition at the Brew Ha! Espresso Café in Ossian. Since then, she has developed a website, www.jorileman.com, that displays many of her photos. Her Facebook page (‘Jori Leman’) also contains her photos.

 

Leman plans to attend Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne and work towards an Art in Education degree. “I love children and would like to be a teacher,” she said. “I’d also like to continue my photography on the side during the summers.”

 

The End