78 Photo Essay: Letisha Williams, Letisha Williams Photography

Words by Suzie Walton | Image by Blakeney Clouse

A little more than a decade ago, an injury forced Letisha Williams to leave her job in the medical field unexpectedly. The next year brought new opportunities with a birth of a child— and a Christmas gift that changed her career path.

In 2010, Letisha was constantly on her feet, working 10- and 12-hour shifts as a nursing PT and dialysis technician at St. Vincent’s East. One bad step changed all that. “I jumped off the retaining wall by our garage and shattered my ankle,” she recalls. “I didn’t walk for six or seven months.”

When her son was born in 2011, Letisha was still wearing the boot from the accident. After numerous surgeries and a few “pity parties,” she received a Christmas gift that brought new possibilities and a career change. “I asked for a camera for Christmas, so I could take pictures of my baby,” she explains. “Photography wasn’t a passion at first; it was a way to save money on pictures. Now I couldn’t imagine my life without photography.”

After Letisha’s husband, Kendall, gave her a camera, her brother taught her about settings and techniques. She began to post pictures of her son on Facebook and soon friends asked if she would take pictures for them. “I wasn’t charging fees at the time, so I used those sessions to better my skills before I took a few classes,” she says. 

In 2013, Letisha created a public Facebook page and launched her business “by just having fun.” 

“Weddings have always been my favorite, even though I was afraid of them at first. People can be so demanding, and the moments are so fast-paced that I have actually cried at weddings because of the stress.”

Standing for long hours still affects her ankle and sometimes there is no control over missed moments or lighting, but Letisha loves it. 

“Two years ago, I decided to let go of the fear and just work around all that worries me,” she says. “Now I don’t fear failure anymore. I stay on top of my game and enjoy the moments.” 

Freak accidents and fear of failure may have passed her way, but through it all Letisha learned what it truly means to focus. 78