Long Beach Island businesses owners and locals are far from cliquey. These year round residents are especially accommodating, to insiders and outsiders alike. LBI’s family-friendly vibe makes everyone feels welcome and included. Long Beach Island Photographer LeAnna Theresa Gerety and others are deeply invested in this community, and they care about their summertime guests- and it shows!
Making Memories in Long Beach Island
I’ve spent every summer of my life on Long Beach Island, and though I’ve lived in many different places since then, LBI will always feel like home. As a little girl, some of my greatest memories happened on Long Beach Island- and I have plenty of grainy beach photos with peeling edges to prove it. The real value is in memories themselves, but seeing photos always brings to mind that feeling we had that time in Long Beach Island. Our favorite beach photos in the stairwell help to bring warmth into our home on a wintry day.
The LBI Difference
There are hundreds of shore towns along the east coast, from Florida to Maine, but there’s something special about a little island in New Jersey called LBI. You can feel the Long Beach Island vibe. There is definitely something in the air- besides the salt! With so many great things to love about LBI, the specific feeling that you get can be narrowed down to one thing: the spirit of the local community. It’s the people who live there. LBI’s year round residents are good people, bringing southern hospitality to this South Jersey beach town. That’s what makes Long Beach Island a special kind of vacation destination.
I take a camera to LBI, getting shots of my family to preserve our special memories. The downside is that I’m not included in these pictures. The better choice is to bring a photographer along, or do a mini shoot to get family photos on the beach… and who better to pick than a local photographer who loves LBI and cares about your time there? The woman behind LeAnna Theresa Photography is a perfect example of this. She is loved by the locals, and wants to help guests enjoy the island she proudly calls home.
Long Beach Island from LeAnna’s lens
The thing about photographers today is that it can be hard to know what you’re getting. It seems like everyone with a digital camera gets into the photography business; so choosing a pro may be tough. The thing about LeAnna Gerety of LeAnna Theresa Photography is that she’s more than just an excellent camera operator. She’s an insider who knows Long Beach Island like the back of her hand, and she’s worked hard to maintain and restore the beautiful environments in LBI. A lifelong resident of the Long Beach Island, she’s known and comes highly recommended by the community as an experienced wedding, engagement, and family photographer.
LeAnna Theresa’s Background
LeAnna Theresa has has been practicing her art since she was a little girl. She began her photography career as a hobbyist photographer in high school while working at a locally owned photography shop called Lynn Photo (back when film was primarily used). She eventually began photographing friends and family. As her hobby grew, she decided to follow her heart and take a risk, leading her to quit her full time job to work as a professional photographer. Today, LeAnna Theresa Photography is a well-known photography business, shooting up to 25 weddings and 130 portrait sessions per year (as of 2016).
Style and Vision of LeAnna Theresa Photography
LeAnna’s photography style is unique to her warm and fun personality, and the photos she delivers to clients are full of beauty and joy. As a Long Beach Island insider, she knows the best locations and her clients are always satisfied with her unique and gorgeous photos. For example, if you’re willing to wake up early on a summer day, LeAnna captures incredibly beautiful sunrise sessions, at a time when the beach is all yours and the light changes every minute. On this one island, there are limitless possibilities for your photos. LeAnna goes the extra mile to be sure that each session is unique to the individuals in the photos. Her work has been recognized and featured by The Knot, Wedding Wire, and Beyond the Wanderlust. She has traveled throughout the U.S. and internationally for wedding photography clients. Her business has grown because of her talent and creativity, her work ethic, and her investment into every project. Clients become friends who share their photos on social media, which has helped to propel LeAnna Theresa Photography further into success.
A Long Beach Island Community Leader
LeAnna is an amazing photographer… but Long Beach Island locals know that she’s much more than her talent. She has actually worked behind the scenes on behalf of her community. LeAnna received an award from the United Way, and was recognized by the New Jersey Governor’s office for her community service by being honored with a flag that was flown over 9/11. She was even invited to hear President Barack Obama speak following her tireless dedication to organizing and mobilizing the community toward recovering from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Following the devastation of the storm, people on social media wondered openly how they could help. LeAnna stepped up and organized a group of people who washed 500 loads of laundry, provided hot meals for people, gutted water-damaged homes, set up portable showers and plumbing, met various needs for families who lost everything, and raised a total of $60,000 amidst the trauma and chaos on the island.
Thanks to LeAnna’s organizational abilities and her passion for the people of the Long Beach Island. LeAnna certainly didn’t do this alone, but her leadership skills brought people together to create a movement of kindness and generosity. And she hasn’t given up. Every year, LeAnna organizes a Christmas drive for a local family in need, and this year, 25 people helped to make Christmas extra special for one local family.
Tips from this Long Beach Island Photographer
As a Long Beach Island photographer, LeAnna approaches each local session with the idea of documenting a family for who they are. Rather than creating a Pinterest-perfect image with generic style, LeAnna works to understand and show your story. During a Long Beach Island session, clients can expect to have smiling, classic family portraits as well as true candid moments that focus on the relationships between the people in the photos, reflecting their personalities, emotions, and all the nuances that make each client unique. When planning for portraits, the most stressful thing can be planning out what to wear! LeAnna recommends coordinating, but not matching. Choosing prints or a color palette that will compliment one another is the way to go. Also, think about your living space and what might coordinate with your decor, so that your amazing Long Beach Island memory will suit your wall and your space.
Long Beach Island Memories
There is something extraordinarily special about Long Beach Island, and it comes from within the community. To hire a local Long Beach Island photographer like LeAnna Theresa is to make an investment in memories, and Long Beach Island is one of the best places to make them. Though you can travel the world over, when you come to Long Beach Island, it will always feels a bit like home.
