In college I studied television, radio and film with a focus in photography and environmental studies. I tried to find myself. I made some short films and documentaries that didn’t quite work. But I had wonderful professors who always reminded me that the story was everything. I worked as a grip and electric on feature films and commercials in New York City during my summer breaks and after graduation. It was my dream come true. I loved the excited energy on film sets. I loved being behind the scenes and creating a whole world from a group of people’s imaginations. But I became frustrated working grueling 18 hour days for directors and producers who would sacrifice the health of their crew for the sake of their “art” (side note: all those directors were white men and most of the time I was one of only a few women on the production crew).

I wanted to work on projects that were meaningful. Projects that shared the stories of people who were underrepresented, misrepresented or ignored. So I moved to Washington, D.C. which at the time was the documentary capitol of the country. I became the production manager and then senior producer for a not-for-profit documentary production company in Washington, D.C. called Video/Action, Inc. and I traveled around the country interviewing survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, Native Americans living on reservations and in Alaskan Native villages, teachers working in public schools, social workers, social justice activists and more. During this time I was so fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn from my amazing mentor, Robin Smith. She is an inspired storyteller and talented producer of the highest integrity. She founded Video/Action Inc. to give young producers like me a chance to develop their skills while doing meaningful work. I owe so much of my self-confidence and success to her. She encouraged me to join Women in Film and Video of D.C. and serve on the board. Later I would help co-found a new chapter of Women in Film in Portland, OR, with another inspiring mentor, Tara Johnson-Medinger. I worked with her on the The Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival (POWFest), which she founded.

In 2009 I moved to Portland, Oregon to build a life with my husband and best friend. Tom has faithfully supported me and my passion for sharing the stories and images of women. In 2010 I photographed a woman a day for one year and asked her what inspires her. When I completed 365 days I ran a successful Kickstarter campaign and self-published a full color 200 plus page photo book with a collection of those images and stories called She Inspires 365.

Since then it’s been a long and winding road — Tom and I adopted a puppy and I gave birth to two babies. We’ve faced and overcome infertility, pregnancy complications, depression, the loss of a job, long term unemployment, the loss of friends and like everyone else a pandemic. In 2020 I became radicalized (full story shared with people in real life) and I learned about how I have perpetuated and upheld white supremacy. I’ve learned about how my work has taken advantage of marginalized people and how I’ve used people for my own personal gain and the furthering of my career. Since then I’ve been educating myself in new ways and unlearning my internalized white supremacy. I have a long way to go but I plan on going there with greater integrity and with an anti-racist, anti-ableist lens. I’m interested in connecting with people to discuss how to make photography that is anti-oppression. The photography industry is very problematic and I want to stop causing harm with my work. I am open to criticism and promise that when I inevitably make mistakes going forward I will learn from them and strive to do better. I will not get defensive and resigned. I will no longer practice white apathy or white saviors. I see now that my liberation is fully connected to the liberation of all people: Black and brown people, Indigenous people, fat people, disabled people, the LGBTQIA+ community, immigrants, children, and the elderly. Real change comes from giving up privileges and having our actions match our words and our values. Thank you for reading and visiting my website. I look forward to connecting with you.

All photos are by Andrea Leoncavallo copyright LionHorse Productions 2021

Lionhorse logo designed by David Rosenbaum {iamrosebud.com}