About Me
My name is Leila (pronounced Layla, yes like the song) and I am an on-location portrait photographer based out of Mount Juliet, Tennessee. My areas of interest are maternity, newborns, children, families, and pets. I won’t go into too much detail since there is a long section on my website about me professionally. I am the mother of two young children and five four legged children, so I understand the challenges of working with children and pets. I always approach your session with the utmost patience and a sense of fun, so it is more like playtime than picture time. Please visit my website for more information and to view my galleries.
A little about me personally:
Favorite color: kermit the frog green (much like my banner color)
Favorite food: cookie dough (why can’t this be good for you??)
Favorite TV Show: Ha, I don’t have time to watch TV- I guess if TV is on it is on kid’s shows and I have to say I do love Yo Gabba Gabba
Favorite Movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite Candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs frozen
Favorite band: Hmmmm, I don’t think I really have a favorite but I do like Maroon 5, George Strait, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Magnus Hitch, Sarah Mac, Lynard Skynard- a little bit of everything really
Favorite drink: Green Goodness juice by Bolthouse Farms and ice cold milk
Favorite thing in life: hugs and kisses from my kids and my husband too!
Where I am from: Houston, Texas originally and now living in Mount Juliet since March 2007
Why I am lucky: I have the best, most loving hubby in the world and two super amazing kids. I enjoy my life and my work, so I feel pretty lucky. Plus, I have the coolest best friend in the world.
Favorite dog: German Shepherd (I have two, T.J. and Scout) (Two cats and another dog, Niner, round out the household)
Where I went to college: Texas A&M University (bachelor and completed post-graduate studies as well)
My best friends: Catherine and Sunshine -both of whom live in Texas (I miss my girls)
Things I don’t like: really cold weather, water sports, red wine, rare meat, people touching my neck, bad manners
How did I get into photography: I have always loved taking casual photographs (my mom got me my first camera at a very young age), but after my son was born I could not put the camera down. I am sure every mother is like that, but for me it was different. It got to be a little bit of an obsession as my husband and son can attest to, but my son can never say there were not enough pictures of him growing up. My daughter can now say the same thing, and oh the fun of little girl things. I can never get enough of tutus, pettiskirts and fairy wings! My love for photography began to grow and my desire to get better became stronger. I figured out it was something that made me really happy personally and professionally. So, I upgraded the camera, started reading tons of books, and I practiced A LOT for several years and developed my skills to a point I was ready to take them out into the world. Thus the birth of Leila Hunt Photography. As an artist, I feel there is always more to learn and always room to grow. I learn something new with every session and I hope it is always this way. It is still a rush to get the reaction from parents the first time they get to see their gallery, that is what it is all about. I focus on children because they are so fun to work with and you get to see who they are, no facades, no faking. I love maternity portraiture as well because being pregnant was one of the most fun times in my life. It is such an amazing and short lived time, that having beautiful portraits to remember the time is essential in my opinion. I have mine all over my bedroom and probably will for the rest of my life. I love them (Thanks Rita!).
