Ah, spring! Finally, the bright light returns, and with it, warmer gulf waters and wide smiles. If you're lucky enough to call the coast your home, then you know the feeling. Cool morning breezes through open windows give way to warm afternoons and doves cooing quietly into luscious, lengthening evenings. As the chill subsides, it seems every winter ends the same every year—folks appear out of proverbial hiding and flock back to the beaches. One thing is certain: springtime plus the beach lifestyle equals happiness. As locals and visitors gather, there is always the desire to preserve these memorable days in photographs.
Enter Florida photographer Leah VanHoose.
Leah was raised on the eastern shore of Maryland. As a young mother to twin boys, and wife to her once high school classmate, Jason, VanHoose owned her own gym. She and her husband were also the resident caretakers of a 250-acre estate called The Wilderness in Trappe, Maryland. It is there that she fell in love with the outdoors. “I loved the nature that surrounded me and Jason. He bought me a camera and I learned how to use it photographing animals and landscapes,” Leah said.
Growing up near the coast, Leah says the beach has called to her all her life. On a trip back to Maryland from Louisiana, she and Jason stopped in Miramar Beach, South Walton, Florida, for three days, and she was hooked. Leah and her husband have called Santa Rosa Beach their home now for almost ten years.
These days, VanHoose divides her time between the busy beach real estate market, going to the gym to maintain her high level of fitness, and working on her photography. The self-proclaimed cross-fitter and gym junkie is herself an impressive sight to behold. Standing at a super-fit 5'9″, she wears artisan tattoos of brilliant color and proudly sports a bald head. Her passion for empowering women can be seen in her images, and after being diagnosed with alopecia in 2007, she knows something about struggling with self-image. She did not linger at all in self-pity, but instead embraced her appearance and now encourages others to do the same.
“I am very much an artist and a creative, and photographing women is my art. I have always wanted to help people, and showing women how to be strong, powerful, and capable has always been my goal.”
“I like to shoot on the beach in the mornings. My subjects and I laugh and play and get comfortable in order to get the best images. I tell them to let out their inner diva! Confidence is the sexiest thing a woman can possess, and I try to give that to women through my photographs.”
Discover Leah's captivating portraits, revealing not only beach fashion and the beauty of women, but also the confidence, grace, and resilience they exude. Through masterful use of light and shadow, Leah elevates her photos, capturing the essence of the Gulf coast and empowering women in every frame.
Leah enjoys the beach regularly and loves to explore all that Florida has to offer. She enjoys spending time in nature with her family, which includes three cats and her beloved dog, Daisy. When asked what advice she would give young women coming up in today's challenging world, she said, “Now that I'm in my 50s, I want to remain strong and capable the rest of my life. Find your strength. It's okay to be different, you don't have to fit in. Find your way and do the things that make you happy.”
To learn more, visit leahvanhoosephotography.com or follow her on Instagram @finding_beautiful_photography.
Story by Susan Gunn. Photos by Leah VanHoose. Beach Happy Magazine, Spring 2024.
