Hi, I'm Rose!
I’m a visual artist whose passion is capturing details of the world, sharing how I see the beauty in humanity, and using my lens to share how incredible you are.
As an innate problem solver, my mission is to help people to show up and be seen for who they are. In this world, many people - small business owners, healers, family members, humans, don’t know how to show up as themselves, it’s intimidating. I want to help people feel seen and heard, creating a space for them to feel safe and be themselves, no bars held: a place where you can express yourself fully and freely.
Growing up, my mother always held space for me to be who I was in any moment. She accepted me completely, providing me a space that was unjudging and full of love. That’s the space and perspective I want to share with my photography.
Kayla Lisee | beneaththetreesphotography.com
My History Behind the Lens
I’ve always wanted to be a photographer. Photographs have always intrigued me by the way they freeze a moment in time. My first memory with a photo was back in middle school. One of my best friends had one of the first version's of a digital camera (remember the first ones with a floppy disc?) and I remember posing her outside at dusk, underneath a porch lamp, holding her favorite stuffed animal. What I wouldn't do to have that image now! Don't worry, I've gotten better at storing images through the years, haha!
I picked up my first DSLR in 2008. I actually used my scholarship money to invest in that first camera. I studied at Florida Keys Community College a year before life had other plans and I focused on working. My first subjects were in nature. The island is truly so magical - the nooks full of details hidden, the trees + plants, the architecture, the conch homes… there was so much to capture, so many things I fell in love with from through the lens. I moved to New York and New Jersey, in 2010 immersing myself in a completely different scene. I fell in love with NYC's architecture + aesthetics and attended New York Fashion Week, which ignited a spark inside me to pursue fashion and photography.
From New York, I moved back home to Michigan for a year before knowing I wanted the city life again. So I moved to Chicago and put the camera down for some time to work and I stumbled into the craft beer world. I curated several beer programs at various locations and it’s here where I honed the art of building relationships, learning just how extraordinarily important those are. Those relationships are ones I still maintain many years later. And at the end of the day, the human connection is what life is all about. And while I had set my camera aside for the meanwhile to focus on my career, those nearly 20 years in the industry that has helped me show up in ways that have solidified my work ethic and transferable knowledge into photography.
Understanding me as a photographer also goes beyond my work with a camera. I first started becoming eco conscious at 21, when I originally went plant-based (I've flipped/flopped a few times, but on the wagon again!) and took a look at what I could do to create change. This is when my passion for the environment, animals, and for my health began. Skip forward to 2019, I began noticing just how wasteful the skincare industry had been and chalked full of chemicals + ingredients I couldn't pronounce. Inspired by my friend Amanda who made her own scrubs and oils, I began to buy in bulk and start mixing my own things. In 2020, Stripped was created - my own organic skincare brand, which grew as people enjoyed it. I loved the process of creating my own brand and creating my own work. Having worked as a small business owner myself is what truly ignited my passion for capturing creatives + small biz owners. Simultaneously, in 2020 the pandemic closed the world down. I had time to step back, reflect on allll the things, including what my purpose was, how I wanted to show up in the world, and what mattered most to me, and most importantly, my healing journey began. I stepped away from my AGM position, became fairly nomadic, and have since humbled myself greatly.
Me, as a Photographer
The most important skill that informs my style as a photographer is my own healing journey. The healing journey is not pretty, it doesn’t always feel good, but it’s worth it. And as someone who has broken themself down to build themself up, I truly believe everyone has a right to be their truest selves. This work on myself has also showed me just how incredibly powerful each person is, how multi layered each person’s story is.
I’m inspired by capturing the world: traveling to new places, watching the sun set into the pacific ocean, getting lost in views on a hike, and I love getting to know people and sharing their story. For me, my approach to photography is like photo journalism; capturing the juicy details and in-between moments, unposed and raw emotions. I love using my perspective to highlight what makes a person who they are, to shine light on the moments and milestones of a family, to showcase a small business’s products, to show the essence of the practitioner behind their craft.
When I show up for myself and when you show up for yourself, we’re all in this healing work together. I would be honored to show the world who you are, how you shine, and the way you show up in the world in your own uniqueness. It’s my mission in life to show up for others and I know it’s so much easier to show up for others than for yourself.