Leah Traecey: Creative Growth & Dynamic Photography Master | Get The Shot Ep. 3

Leah Traecey is a photographer defined by versatility and a commitment to creative growth. Moving seamlessly from the controlled environments of product photography to the high-energy courtside of Basketball Sport Photography, Leah shares her pioneering approach to preparation and capturing raw energy. Tune in for a masterclass in evolving your practice and conquering the mental hurdles of a professional career.

Watch the full episode here:

Episode Overview: Mastery Across Product, Food, and Sport Photography

Leah Traecey’s career trajectory is a fascinating case study in artistic evolution and adaptation, shifting from high-end product photography to the dynamic world of NBL Photography. She emphasises that successful imagery, whether it’s soap or a fast-paced basketball play, hinges on profound pre-production and understanding the subject’s story. This episode delves into her meticulous workflow, from extensive mood-boarding to capturing split-second action, and offers powerful advice on maintaining a healthy creative growth mindset to prevent stagnation.

Techniques: The 75% Rule in Product Photography Pre-production

Leah Traecey reveals that her secret to seamless product shoots lies in spending the vast majority of her time in pre-production, ensuring the shoot itself is the easiest part of the process.

  • Defining the Narrative: Successful product imagery must speak to what the client is trying to sell and convey to the consumer. [01:07]
  • Mind Mapping the Experience: To transform a simple product like shampoo, Leah brainstorms the consumer’s experience-how does it smell, how does it feel, and does it make them feel “sexy” or “clean”? [02:23]
  • Pre-Production Split: Leah estimates she spends approximately 75% of her time in pre-production activities, including storyboarding, mood boarding, and researching. [01:23]
  • A Dynamic Process: Research can often lead to tangents and “messy, fun” trial and error, but this exploration is crucial for building a unique visual story. [04:19]

Food Photography: Capturing Mood and Ambience

For food photography, particularly within hospitality, Leah stresses that the mood of the venue is often more important than the individual story of the dish, as she works to encapsulate the overall dining experience.

  • Venue as Hero: Working in naturally beautiful, well-designed venues like Rain and Laroo or Firebird means the photographer doesn’t have to work hard to hero the food because it is already in its perfect environment. [06:02]
  • Chef as Heavy Lifter: The restaurant chefs and owners have already done the heavy lifting by designing the menu and plating to complement the overall experience. [06:45]
  • Encapsulating Emotion: For food, mood and ambience are paramount; the goal is to convey what it feels like to be in that beautiful, romantic space. [08:43]
  • Relaxing the Process: Once comfortable, Leah advises relaxing and trusting the environment, knowing the food is already beautiful, and simply getting the correct lighting and focus. [07:34]

Transitioning to Basketball Sport Photography Workflow

Moving from controlled studio work to high-speed Basketball Sport Photography was a deliberate choice to shake up her routine and embrace the uncomfortable zone necessary for growth.

  • The Need for a Shift: Leah felt her work was starting to look and feel the same, prompting her to explore the movement and dynamic range of shooting sport. [10:24]
  • Reading the Game: She went from shooting 6,000 photos per game when starting to around 1,500 now, purely because she has learnt to read the plays better and anticipate the moments. [12:55]
  • Knowing the Player’s Needs: Understanding the sport is critical, as players need specific shots (e.g., bigs doing “big things”) for their professional packets to send to other leagues. [14:38]
  • High-Speed Social Uploads: The NBL Photography Workflow is demanding, requiring an upload of top images at three-quarter time for immediate social media posting, followed by a full gallery within eight hours. [15:43]

Lessons: Fostering a Creative Growth Mindset

Leah emphasises that what appears as changing styles is, in fact, an essential journey of creative growth and refinement, essential for any long-term career in the arts.

  • Growth Over Change: Her career is not about “being restless” and moving through styles, but about her style growing and becoming more dynamic as a photographer. [18:42]
  • Commendable Approach: The growth mindset is much healthier than one focussed on constant change, allowing a photographer to refine their ability to capture energy and tell a story for any brand. [18:57]
  • The Power of Learning: Leah identifies herself as a “sucker for learning” and wanting to be the best at everything, which fuels her desire to keep growing. [18:50]
  • A 20-Year Journey: Starting with music photography, moving through fashion, and now embracing sport, Leah’s two-decade career shows that evolution is the path to professional longevity. [17:30]

“I think it’s not so much about changing my stylel it’s about my style growing, and being able to refine it and to be better at what I do and be more dynamic in who I am as a photographer.”

– Leah Traecey

Q&A

Q: How does your time spread on a product shoot work?

I would say I probably spend about 75% of my time doing pre-pro stuff. And then I would say the easiest part yeah I probably like 15% is shooting so once I know what I’m doing and I’ve gathered all my props and I understand how I’m going to shoot it shooting it is the easy part.

Q: How do you make something like a bottle of shampoo or soap look so amazing?

If I think about shampoo or soaps as a whole I’m like “Okay so what’s the experience that I’m having while I’m using the product does it smell nice what are the ingredients in it how does it make me feel once I’ve finished using it is my skin soft do I feel sexy do I feel clean?” you know so taking in all those elements and those key words then you’re looking and researching imagery.

Q: How do you prepare for sports photography compared to your controlled studio work?

You don’t, to be quite frank, you don’t and I think that’s the beauty of it. I needed a shift. I felt like everything I was producing was starting to look the same, feel the same and I needed to shake things up. You know you can’t grow unless you feel a bit uncomfortable and I was feeling too comfortable.

Q: How important is the knowledge of the sport that you’re shooting when you’re a sport photographer?

I think it really helps, it definitely helps. Not I think, I know now how important it is because if you’re taking a photo of someone and you don’t understand whether they’re going to do a pick and roll or if they’re driving forward or if they’re guarding specific players, like specific shots of themselves doing what they do.

Q: What advice would you give yourself when you first started photography 20 years ago?

Keep going. Don’t let imposter syndrome get into your head ‘cuz that happens to the best of us. Everything that’s happened has happened for a reason you know like all of these things and this life path that I’ve taken has helped me become who I am today and who I am as a photographer today.

Leah Traecey’s commitment to lifelong learning and pushing the boundaries of her craft is an inspirational guide for any professional photographer. Her insight into the demanding NBL Photography Workflow and the importance of creative growth shows that success lies not in finding a single style, but in continuously refining your skills and perspective. We extend our sincere gratitude to Leah for sharing her masterclass in versatility and growth on Get The Shot.

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