Leeder Photography was first formed when I, Collin Leeder, sold my first 11”x14” silver gelatin print (black & white print) of a cat in a paper sack to Mr. Albano, (a friends father), for ten dollars. Prior to the sale, my first camera, a 35mm Kodak, was purchased by Mr. Albano at the thrift shop on Offut Air Force Base for five dollars. I have been interested and influenced in photography since I was a young kid.
One of the first influences was a simple ride in the back seat of my parents pontiac car. I remember watching the street lights from the window, making observations of how the lights would create different shadows while passing by, little did I know this sparked an interest in photography.
The next big influence was my grandfather from Door County Wisconsin. Looking at his photo albums of prints made a long time ago, I became curious of how the process of photography worked. It wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I took a basic photography class at Metropolitan Community College in Elkhorn Nebraska. The first class was a trial and error challenge. It took three tries to get a successful roll of film developed.
It was my father that taught me the meaning of persistence. Without anticipating to complete a degree after the first class I was hooked and continued taking each following classes. I graduated in the spring of 2006 with a degree in Commercial Still Photography. I started working in the field the spring of 2007 as a wedding photographer assistant; working for Donna Kimbrell owner of “That Magic Moment Photo”.
I learned everything I could about the business of photography, Donna taught me the importance of covering the significant details required of a wedding shoot. I have continued shooting weddings on my own and have done senior portraits, sports, and commercial photography. My photography is passion driven and I work full time as a cook in a hospital to pay the bills, while my income from photography is reinvested into equipment and advertising.
