Professional senior, family and couples photographer in Richland, WA. Twenty years behind the camera, fourteen years in business, and hundreds of Tri-Cities stories preserved.
It Started With My Own Children
Before this was my career, I was a stay-at-home mom raising my two kids. When they were little, I wanted more than rushed studio portraits — I wanted photographs that captured who they truly were. My husband bought me my first point-and-shoot camera, and I fell in love almost immediately with preserving the everyday moments that would one day become treasured memories.
Those years taught me how quickly childhood passes. The ordinary things — tiny hands, real laughter, the traditions you don't realize you're building — become the ones you'd give anything to hold onto. That truth still shapes every session I photograph.
Why "It's A Keeper"
When it came time to name the business, my husband suggested It's A Keeper Photography, and it was perfect.
It reflects my heart for creating images that become keepsakes for generations. Not pictures for this year's Christmas card. Keepers.
Keepers.
A Camera, a Scam, and a Door That Opened Anyway
As my passion grew, I knew I needed a real camera. I found what looked like the perfect deal on a DSLR on eBay, and we took a leap of faith with money we couldn't really afford to lose.
It was a scam. We lost it all.
Looking back, that disappointment became one of the greatest reminders of God's faithfulness in my life. What I couldn't see at the time was that a way was already being made — someone had it on their heart to buy me that exact camera, and it arrived just in time for me to photograph my first two weddings.
That gift was more than a camera. It was confirmation that a door was opening and I was being invited to walk through it.
Twenty years later, doors have kept opening. What started with photographing my own children has become the privilege of documenting life's most meaningful moments for hundreds of families, seniors and couples across the Tri-Cities.
What Twenty Years Has Taught Me
I photographed my own grandparents once — laughing, holding hands, sharing the quiet love they'd built across a lifetime. I had no idea how precious those photographs would become after my grandpa passed away.
That's the truth I carry into every session now. I'm not taking photographs for today. I'm preserving moments that may one day become a family's most treasured possession, and it's a responsibility I've never taken lightly.
It's also taught me about people. My favorite thing that happens, over and over, is turning the camera around to show a shy teenager the back of it — and watching her face change as she sees how beautiful she actually is. I've sat in coffee shops with parents seeing their senior's gallery for the first time, watching their eyes fill because their baby grew up, or because their child was finally seen the way they see them.
The pieces of people's stories I get to be part of become part of me. That's not something I expected when I started.
What I Believe You Deserve
To feel seen. That's the whole thing.
Beautiful images matter, but what separates a good photograph from one you'd never part with is whether you can feel the person inside it. When I look through my lens, I'm not just watching for a nice smile. I'm looking for the heart, the story, and the particular things that make you you.
My hope is that every person leaves their session feeling seen, valued and celebrated — reminded of how beautifully they were made, and that their story is worth remembering.
That's not something a posing guide can copy. It's the intention I bring, and it's the reason I'm still doing this after twenty years.
How I Photograph
A few things that are true of every session I shoot:
- I guide you the whole way.
You'll never have to know what to do with your hands. I'll walk you through everything, including a few prompts that will feel completely ridiculous — I will absolutely ask you to fake-laugh, and a real one always follows.
- I plan before we ever meet.
Wardrobe, location, timing, the order we do things in. By the time you show up, the thinking is done and all you have to do is enjoy it.
- I edit warm.
Rich, vibrant, with a film feel. I'll take care of the temporary things, but I won't make you look like someone else. You are who you are, and my job is to show that at its best.
- I chase the light, not the trend.
In twenty years I've watched styles come and go. I'd rather your photographs still look right in thirty years than look current this spring.
Lisa, Off Camera
I grew up in Wisconsin. One of the first images I was ever truly proud of was of my son sitting in the broken-out window of my parents' old barn there, and it's still one of my favorites.
The Tri-Cities has been home since 2005. When I'm not chasing golden hour you'll find me with my family, or with the church family I'm grateful to be part of — people who love God and love serving others.
And I pray before every session. It's the honest reason things go the way they do.
Something photography gave me that I didn't expect: it taught me how to see. I'll be out walking at sunrise and notice the way the light catches only the tips of the leaves on a tree, and I take it as a gift — a small reminder to find beauty wherever I am and whatever I'm walking through.
Experience & Recognition
Lisa Weiss · Founder & Professional Photographer · Richland, Washington
- 20+ years
Behind the camera
- 14 years
In business
- Hundreds of stories
Tri-Cities families, seniors and couples photographed
- Cover feature
Tri-Cities MOM Magazine · August/September 2019
Read the original issue
Let's Tell Your Story
Every person who steps in front of my camera has a story worth remembering. I'd love to hear yours.
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