Chasing Light: Interview with Leigh Ann Cobb
04/16/2026
Photo Caption: Behind the scenes image of the shoot.
To better explain our brand story, we knew we wanted to capture the feeling of Leland Michigan, the place that inspired the brand. We knew these images should feel like northern Michigan, but should not be Michigan exclusive. They should feel loose and casual, but still showcase a fine-tuned aesthetic. They should feel nostalgic and like a memory, but carefully curated.”
Grand Rapids based photographer, Leigh Ann Cobb, found the perfect middle ground of our very specific vision. Over the course of two days in the Lelanau Peninsula, we worked closely with Leigh to capture the feeling of the place that inspired our brand. Leigh immediately understood our goals and delivered a completed album that encapsulated the everyday feeling of a place that brings us respite and peace. When you find it, your place, the feeling is unmistakable.
"This was a photo shoot where 90% of the images did not involve any furniture... for a furniture company."
Q: How did you begin to process how to execute this creative process?
Projects that align so inherently to my personal aesthetic don't come around so often, feeling the the innate confidence, and knowing I'm going to get this was inspiring. To know that I already have all the tools in my bag and it's just a matter of putting them in the right order.
This was a photo shoot where 90% of the images did not involve any furniture.... for a furniture company. I think that that is really rare to have that level of curating elements here. We're capturing stock that we can pair with existing furniture. And that like play between two worlds is like a balance that I don't see a lot.
That was such a brilliant way to say all right, in some ways reinventing, but we're also bringing along our core aesthetics with us.
Q: How was this shoot different than shoots in your past? Did you do anything differently in this shoot?
Usually I'm working in a more controlled environment where lighting is more consistent, but here we were dealing with full on weather, and whatever the light is doing is is what we're shooting. So then it was just a matter of mapping out the vibes we need to capture. We need to capture sunset vibes, we need to capture like midday lazy vibes, we need to capture like early morning coffee vibes. Then it was a matter of putting those together, and then planning scenes around the atmosphere of all available light.
And being a little bit more explorative in the moment, let's just play and have fun. The the level of trust, especially given the fact that we were all so new with working with each other, was just next level. It was also so well communicated day one that it didn't feel like a risk to work that way. It felt like, oh, we we are all on the same page and we're very passionate nailing this.
Q: How did you make it feel like a moment in time was captured serendipitously, not planned?
I would do a lot of moving, I think was a my way of trying to not get too precious is like I would take a couple shots and then I would move or I would move the chair or I'd move my camera. But like I was constantly moving, trying to capture that like in the moments that would make that image feel kind of happenstantial magic.
How can I shoot digital that feels a little bit more analog? I chose to adapt my really expensive camera with a very sh***y lens, so I made a lens out of an old 35 millimeter disposable camera. I broke down the camera, popped the little lens out of it, retrofitted it onto a a cap for my camera and then shot with that. There's something about it would simplify a lot of the shapes and it would simplify a lot of the harsh lines that you normally get with digital. So it just it felt a little bit more tangible.
The cool thing about that is you don't have to focus your shots before you shoot. So I cannot even have the camera up to my face and I can be pointing at things and shooting. It allowed also for this feeling of 'this is an unplanned shot I didn't compose'.
Then also switching to this more cheap looking lens, it it made it feel less. It made it feel less... what? What's the word I'm looking for? Less professional. Its like you gave a disposable camera to somebody and said 'go shoot your favorite place'.
"Its like you gave a disposable camera to somebody and said 'go shoot your favorite place'."
Q: Was there an a-ha moment while shooting where the vision just clicked?
There are trends within emotions, right? Like we are in a stylistic era right now where we want nostalgia and it's not, it's not just a Leland thing. However, doing it a certain way is going to make that a Leland thing. I think you and I both know that there is a big urge for earnestness, which was probably called authenticity five years ago. We hate this word now, right? It's run down into the ground.
One shot that was incredibly special to me in the moment and then also afterwards. I'm still delighted when I see it, its the shot of your goosebumps on one of your leg in the car. It was so genuine. I mean, you had to be willing to share a moment. We put on one of your favorite composers and we got there.
It's such a it's such a special moment, you have to actually feel something to get goosebumps. It's either that or you're freezing... and it was summer, so we weren't going to get cold. It was one of those really genuine moments. I don't think I could have done that for every client, but I could have done it for you guys because there was so much like genuine warmth and connectivity and heart in this project.
Q: Did you have other favorite images from the shoot? What stood out to you?
Leigh: The Barn! That one was not on the list and we didn't even have access to the barn. It just so happened that the owner came to like feed the horses and the barn was open. The sun was coming in and I was like "can I get in there?". I think that's one of my favorite shots of a barn, especially ever.
One morning we had fog with the sunrise. That is an entirely different set of atmospheric qualities. So how do we make this scene feel magical? Just trying to find a place to put that chair that it felt like it was highlighted in a very soft scene. I put the chair in a patch of sand and then allowed everything to feel like it was growing around it and it was very soft. And so that's one of my favorites.
One more, I think it's right now it's the main image on my blog post that I'll be posting next week is the hand pulling the curtain to the side. The layers and the depth stood out to me.
Abby: And the sock picture, one of my personal favorites. I love the sock picture, but the grass stains never came out of the socks.
Leigh: I was jaded by my industry, I thought the bottom of a foot isn't going to make a landing page. It made the landing page.
"I'm not a morning person, but I will chase light. Sunrise felt like a huge moment, and I took a pretty stellar nap that afternoon, I will add."
Q: When you’re in a creative rut, what is your go-to reset activity?
I think a lot of creatives feel guilty when they run out of juice, but it's it's actually just kind of part and parcel of the gig. You can't be outputting all the time.
So just knowing when you're kind of at the end of your output stage means OK, what's the what's the next stage? Is it inputs? Is it finding inspiration? Is it, you know, looking at other art? Is it trying a new process? Or is it just sitting and resting? And it totally just depends on the person and the moment. Just to be completely honest, I struggle with it all the time.
Having kind of go to things to do when you're reminded, yeah, OK, I'm I'm not in output mode right now. I would say the things that I tend to fall back on are more traditional means of art making. I have a a BFA in drawing and printmaking, so oftentimes I'll draw. And here's here's the key though. Suck at it, and be OK with sucking at at. Being bad at things is the way to remember how good or how far we've gotten with our actual passion. Our main source of of creativity is doing something poorly or badly for the first time.
Q: What is your biggest creative inspiration?
I think really the best way I can answer this question that feels most authentic to me at this time, is seeing people actively doing their thing.
While I find certain aspects of social media to be problematic, I also love that it is such a window into people's creative process. And for me, the most inspiring thing right now is just seeing people still doing it and still sharing it and still loving it.
It does remind me that even on my worst day, when I feel like I don't know if I've got anything left in me, seeing other people also continuing to use their creativity and their voice to make work is inspiring enough. I think anyone who is willing to share their work and their process and and does so genuinely inspires me. I think the more perspectives, the better, the the more, creative output, the better. I mean, everyone is creative and it's just our level of exposure.
"For me, the most inspiring thing right now is just seeing people still doing it, still sharing it, and still loving it."
Leigh, thank you for sharing your talent with us and for connecting so authentically with what we are doing here at Leland. We could not be more thrilled with the results from this shoot.
One more thank you to our friends at Next Creative. Their production expertise, and organization made this project seamless. Ted Neumann, Amanda Mercer, and Mindy Quade, you are all wonderful and this project couldn't have happened without you!