Artist Feature | Leila Peterson

Leila Peterson is a London-based photographer drawn to quiet, in-between moments – ones that convey the feeling and story of the subject at the time it was taken. Leila looks for soft light, pastel colours, and minimal, simple scenes.

Originally from Hawaii, Leila moved to Los Angeles in 2008 to work as a designer and shoot weddings. In 2012, she moved to London, where she now captures everything from fine art and editorial to commercial photography.

Photography has been a part of Leila’s life since her parents purchased a SX-70 Polaroid camera to document family stories throughout the 80s and 90s. Leila would use the SX-70 to take photos of flowers, clouds, and the occasional family portrait. In high school, she found solace in the darkroom, spending hours printing and developing. To Leila, photography was more than a release, but a method to express who she was and communicate all the things she felt.

“Rebecca Lily presets are my go-to for editing. I love the soft, subtle tones and brightness these presets provide. They mix my film and digital images perfectly to give my work a cohesive look.

My favourite preset to create pastel, bright tones is Athena V. I like to keep my editing process simple. In Lightroom, I’ll colour balance an image, adjust the brightness and temperature, then add the preset. For photos where I want to preserve the shadows, I like to use Kinfolk II. And finally, I’ll use Johnny III for all of my black and white images, where I can play with the amount of grain and exposure until I’m happy with the results. I definitely recommend these sets to anyone looking to recreate film tones and add subtle adjustments.”

Check out more of Leila’s evocative work on Instagram and on her website.