Originally from Macon, Georgia, Leah visited Wheatland, Wyoming in July 2009 to photograph a Georgia-based rancher for a business magazine. During her visit, she shot over 1,500 photos of nature, ranch life and the cattle business – her creativity fueled by the endless beauty and diverse terrain of the area. The big sky captured her heart and less than a year later, she re-located her life and photography business to Wheatland, where she now resides.

Leah's career as a photographer began as an assistant to veteran commercial/industrial photographer Ken Krakow, whose Southeastern clients include Boeing, the Medical Center of Central Georgia and apparel catalogs distributed throughout the country. It was Ken who instilled her work ethic, where 60-hour workweeks full of lights, camera bags and photo rendering are part of the professional norm.

Realizing Leah's natural talent, Ken encouraged her to begin building her own client base as a full-time, professional photographer. She began her work in the local arts and culture scene, photographing events for the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Theatre Macon and the local arts and culture alt-weekly The Eleventh Hour. In 2003, Leah also co-founded the photo-journalistic style online music column called Concert Sutra which has been featured in several online magazines, but is now its own website. She soon caught the attention of ad agencies and began shooting statewide campaigns and commercial photography. The Athens, Georgia Convention and Visitors Bureau have used Leah’s “Life Unleashed” series of bulldog photos for over two years (visitathensga.com). Other commercial clients included Mercer University’s 11 schools and colleges in Macon, Atlanta and Savannah, as well as Macon State College and Georgia Tech. Mercer’s alumni publication The Mercerian featuring Leah’s photography, won the 2009 Georgia Press Association’s “Best In-House Publication” award.

Two gallery exhibits showcased Leah’s work, earning her recognition as a vibrant artist in her community. In her 2007 gallery exhibit “Portrait of Pendleton: A Black and White Photography Exhibit”, she captured the spirit of an impoverished area of Macon and earned a “Mosaic” award for promoting cultural diversity by the American Advertising Federation. Leah’s 2008 series “In My Frame,” hosted by the Macon Arts Alliance, featured images from her trip to Greece. The images, framed in reclaimed wood, made a dramatic presentation and garnered wide acclaim in the Central Georgia community. 

Her new life in Wyoming has inspired her well-received blog “Uprooted Magnolia” (leahyetter.wordpress.com), which features her latest work and favorite subject – life, which she strives to capture in every photo, from dragonflies and bucking broncs to tools of the trade and spirit of the moment. Selections of Leah’s "Uprooted Magnolia" prints are currently on display at Gilchrist Gallery in Downtown Wheatland.

In 2011, Leah took first place in the Professional People Portrait Class (No Controlled Lighting or Background) for her image of a silhouetted cattleman riding into the horizon. That same year, she took second place in the Professional Wildlife Category for her portrait of a snow-covered bald eagle. The same cattleman photo later earned her second place at the 2012 Platte River Photo Show. Today, both photos remain her top sellers at the Gilchrist Gallery.

Now a seasoned resident of Wyoming, Leah continues to grow her portfolio and client-base throughout the state. Along with shooting personal family portraits, her current clients include the University of Wyoming in Laramie, COPD Oxygen in Cheyenne and Lander, Wyoming, Inc. agency in Lander and the Wyoming Women First.

She currently serves as Vice President of the Platte County Art Guild and volunteers at the Gilchrist Gallery. Leah still finds herself fascinated and inspired by Wyoming’s ever-changing terrain and the people and wildlife that revolve around it. When she isn’t behind a camera, she enjoys life on the ranch with her foreman beau of four years. She’s adapted to extreme temperatures, earned her stripes during calving season and is determined to master the art of cowgirl horsemanship.