Leah Insko of Leah Insko Photography was recently named to SeniorInspire magazine’s Top 100 Photographers to Follow in 2025. This was Leah’s first time entering a contest like this and entering on a whim the day of the deadline definitely paid off. To Leah’s shock, disbelief and complete honor she was selected alongside many other extremely talented photographers for this distinction.

Leah has been a professional photographer for the past 14 years. It was not until she and her family moved to Wagner that she even started doing photography. What began as a hobby has grown into a booming business. Growing up, she enjoyed being creative and made a plethora of arts and crafts in her childhood thanks to her mom. As she got older, Leah and her brother would make creative arts and enter them into the local county fair.

Photography began for Leah in junior high following her through high school and even into her senior of college when she spent a semester abroad in Rome studying under Italian photographer, Paolo Soriani. Leah’s photography journey officially began when she attended Iowa State University graduating in 2006 with her Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts. She then took a job in a print shop in Fairbanks, Alaska as a graphic designer from 2006-2009 before a brief stint working at a Sears Portrait studio where she became interested in family/portrait photography. In 2009, her family moved to Wagner and began to casually hold photography sessions starting in 2010. In 2011, she officially licensed her business and in 2017 Leah and her husband, Mike, purchased and remodeled her current Main Street building.

The thought of becoming a professional full-time photographer never really crossed her mind. Growing up she wanted to be a teacher or have a career working with kids. In high school, she decided that graphic design would be in her future. The nice thing about having her graphic design degree is that she does get to utilize it in her photography business.

The photograph that earned Leah a spot in the Top 100 Photographers to Follow was a senior picture that she took of Andes Central senior, Leah Brown. This breathtaking picture of Leah with a fading sunset background features Leah sitting in the Missouri River. When asked if she knew that when she took this picture of Leah that it would turn out to be not only incredibly beautiful but also special, Leah said that as she was taking the shots, she was very excited about many of the images from that evening’s shoot. The water series of photographs, of which this one was a part of was particularly exciting as the combination of lighting and color harmonies made this a “WOW” image. Even though as a photographer she is always trying to think of new and different ideas for her sessions, sometimes an idea will just hit her during the session, which is exactly what she felt happened during Leah’s senior photo session.

In addition to the Top 100 photographers’ competition, Leah for the first time also entered four images into the SYNC Seniors and Sports photography competition. Two out of the four that she submitted received an award of excellence. As she entered both contests on the last day of entry, going forward Leah hopes to not procrastinate so much when it comes to competition deadlines.

For the past three years, Leah has attended the SYNC conference which focuses on senior portraits and sports photography. In addition to the conference, Leah is involved in numerous online workshops as well as when her schedule allows, she tries to take or attend other trainings and workshops. It can be a bit of a juggling act for Leah trying to balance her photography and her children’s activities while also being an active community member.

Leah’s favorite type of photos to take are of seniors and newborns. An especially exciting milestone for Leah is approaching. In a couple of years, she will get to photograph her first senior that she also photographed as a newborn. She feels very honored to have so many families that allow her to tell their story through pictures year after year.

One of Leah’s favorite parts of photography is to shoot at a new location for the first time. She enjoys the challenges of having to think on the fly when it comes to poses, angles, lighting, etc. as it feeds her creative soul. Some new techniques that Leah will be introducing into her photography is more dramatic lighting as well as the refining of the dramatic lighting and effects into her sports images. There are always new techniques that Leah would love to practice, but like most people, there is never quite enough hours in the day. This year Leah does have a goal to carve out more dedicated time to play with new ideas and refine her skills in order to implement them into her photo sessions. Luckily for her, she has her daughter, Kylin, and past clients that she can reach out to for models.

Congratulations Leah! The Wagner community and surrounding area is grateful for all of your skill and talents. We cannot wait to see what you'll create in the future!