Meet Leah Hope Mancuso: Portrait Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Leah Hope Mancuso and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Leah Hope, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
Everybody, Always by Bob Goff has absolutely changed my life. Within reading just a few short chapters, I knew it would be my favorite book! Bob Goff is a Christian who doesn’t focus on the “rules” of religion. His approach is to simply love people like Jesus did, that’s what matters most. We can work every day at trying to follow the rules and be the right kind of Christian, but what it’s really about is loving everybody, always. Reading this book and learning from it has helped me allow so much more grace into my life. And not just grace for others, but for myself as well. And it reminds me that the most important thing in life will always come back to loving people well and selflessly.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a portrait photographer in Scottsdale, Arizona. I believe our world is full of life, joy and color and I want the photos that I take to express that. I aim for my photos to be an elevated version of real life, natural and timeless, yet bold and vibrant. I absolutely love taking photos, but my favorite thing about what I do is getting the chance to meet new people and help them feel comfortable and confident in front of the camera! Everybody deserves to feel beautiful and to have photos that share that beauty! I never planned to be a business woman, I just wanted to take pictures and making a living from it. But you can’t have one without the other. If I wanted to have a career as a photographer, I had to learn how to be a good business owner as well. It hasn’t been easy for me. Taking photos came very naturally to me, but being business savvy did not. I spent so much time thinking that in order to be a good business person, you had to care more about making money than you cared about people. It’s been a struggle for me to find the balance of being able to be both a successful business person and also a loving person who puts people first. I think I’m finally getting there. I no longer think of “business” as a bad word. It’s a tool that can help me to love people and serve them while providing a living for myself doing something I enjoy!

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Mancuso’s Restaurant in downtown Phoenix! Does this happen to be my family’s restaurant? Yes! Am I little biased? Maybe. But I truly believe I’d love it either way! It’s a family owned and operated fine dining establishment with a bar/lounge area as well! Another favorite local restaurant of mine is The Henry! I tell all out-of-towners about this spot because the atmosphere is absolutely incredible and so charming! It has everything from coffee and brunch to dinner and a co-working space! It also gives you some great spots for a few photos! 😉 And when it comes to a location that shows off the beauty of Arizona, there is no shortage of saguaros and gorgeous mountain views at White Tank Mountain Regional Park!)

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?
Abbey Kyhl and the Women Who Shine mastermind have been so essential when it comes to how I’ve grown my business in this past year! I’m so grateful for all the guidance, encouragement and support I get from them! 🙂

Website: https://www.leahhopephotography.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahhopephotography/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeahHope
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeahHopePhotography/
Other: https://leahhopephotography.client-gallery.com/gallery/print-shop – This is my print shop where you can purchase prints of cactus, and a few other things, that I’ve captured! But mostly cactus! 😉