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Piano students perform at Darte Center

<p>When Leah Popek looks through her camera&#8217;s viewfinder, she doesn&#8217;t see what most people see. When capturing a vision of a wedding or a senior portrait, that vision can sometimes be blurry. Sometimes she only gets one good photo out of hundreds.</p><p>The blurriness has nothing to do with Popek&#8217;s lack of camera prowess, however. It has everything to do with her eyesight.</p><p>Seven years ago, Popek endured a difficult period of shingles. A viral infection that usually causes a painful rash, shingles attacked her right eye. Now, as she deals with the life-changing effects of minimal vision, she tells stories through her camera lens.</p><p>Popek, 34, of Hunlock Creek and a Northwest Area graduate, currently operates <a href="https://www.facebook.com/leahpopekphotography/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Leah Popek Photography</a> at her home and on location. However, becoming a photographer isn&#8217;t something she ever thought possible.</p><p>Popek lost vision in her right eye and the damage to her left eye is substantial. She can still see through her left eye, but it&#8217;s difficult at times. When she&#8217;s not wearing glasses, her right eye drifts. The infection could eventually lead her to become completely blind in both eyes.</p><p>&#8220;When people look at me or I take pictures of myself, I know that there is an obvious disability with my eye,&#8221; she said. &#8220;I want people to know that, even though you have a disability, you can still do great things and not be ashamed of yourself. There&#8217;s nothing to be ashamed of.&#8221;</p><p>The shingles infection is something Popek deals with every day. When she looks through the camera, sometimes everything is blurry, especially on a sunny day. There are times where she&#8217;s not sure if she was able to capture a single shot after releasing the shutter hundreds of times.</p><p><strong>iPhone photography?</strong></p><p>Since Popek was diagnosed with the infection almost seven years ago, she has looked at the world differently. She takes every moment - and every shot - seriously.</p><p>When she first started taking photos, she used her iPhone. Her photos were impressive, according to her would-be clients. Then, the opportunity Popek never thought possible came calling.</p><p>Alana Mitarnowski, also of Hunlock Creek, has been friends with Popek for years. When Mitarnowski planned to have her wedding at Maiolatesi Wine Cellars in Scott Township, her search for a photographer was an easy one. She reached out to Popek about shooting the wedding. The only problem was Popek didn&#8217;t have the camera to make that happen.</p><p>Mitarnowski and her now-husband, Daniel, bought Popek the proper equipment as payment for their wedding photographs.</p><p>&#8220;I saw some of her photos at the Bloomsburg Fair and I&#8217;ve known her most of my life,&#8221; Mitarnowski said. &#8220;She would always post different things and they were always inspirational.&#8221;</p><p>It was Popek&#8217;s very first opportunity to show what she could do with a camera. She spent months learning the ins and outs of her new equipment. In the end, it worked out, Mitarnowski said.</p><p>&#8220;She did an incredible job,&#8221; Mitarnowski said. &#8220;She was there the entire time and with me every step of the way. When I got them back, I was so overwhelmed in a good way.&#8221;</p><p>Because of the job Popek did at the wedding, Mitarnowski has also turned to her for family photos.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s pretty awesome that she had that much confidence in me,&#8221; Popek said.</p><p>Doing photography for just over two years now, Popek knows she has to continue to learn the craft. When she&#8217;s not taking or editing photos, much of her time is dedicated to researching what&#8217;s hot and what&#8217;s not in the world of photography.</p><p><strong>Nature is the background</strong></p><p>When Popek started shooting photographs with her iPhone, she concentrated on nature and the outdoors. She wasn&#8217;t shooting portraits like she is now, but instead focusing on nature&#8217;s landscape. Now, most of her photo shoots are done outside because of the inspiration she drew from her iPhone photos. Some of her iPhone prints could be seen at the Bloomsburg Fair over the past several years.</p><p>Some of her favorite locations throughout the Wyoming Valley are the Susquehanna Riverlands and Kirby Park. Meeting new families and learning those family stories is what keeps her coming back. She said every photo shoot is a different experience and being outdoors helps her to deal with her disability.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m beyond honored to meet so many beautiful families and get to know the people I&#8217;m taking photographs of,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It makes me not think about my disibility. It&#8217;s kind of my outlet to everything going on.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Earning self confidence</strong></p><p>Popek is currently on medication for her eye problem and doctors have told her the condition most likely will not get better.</p><p>She is not able to drive at night and is rarely seen without her glasses. Recently, she posted a glasses-less self portrait on Facebook. She had the photo in her phone for some time, but just recently mustered up the courage to post the photo.</p><p>&#8220;I was finally able to get the courage to put that photo out there,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t matter what anyone else thinks of you, as long as you&#8217;re not ashamed of it.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Not sharp, but perfect</strong></p><p>While looking through Popek&#8217;s photographs, you&#8217;ll find that not every one has the crisp, clear lines that most professional photographs do. That&#8217;s by design. Popek enjoys shooting outdoors, the majority of her clients prefer their photos be taken outdoors. Some of those soft lines add to the picture, she said.</p><p>At the Riverlands, Popek enjoys shooting on the bridges, near the water or standing next to the corn fields that surround the area. She also enjoys listening to her clients about places that may work for a possible photo shoot.</p><p>Popek said farms and fields throughout the rural area where she grew up make for a great nature setting that can&#8217;t be achieved just anywhere.</p><p>When she is not on location, Popek spends most of her time with her daughter, Cadence, of whom she&#8217;s taken thousands of photos, even though Cadence doesn&#8217;t always appreciate the attention.</p><p>&#8220;She hates having her photo taken,&#8221; Popek laughed.</p><p>Popek is engaged to Rob Forsythe, who handles most of the construction seen in her photographs.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Leah Popek has been able to work through her vision disability to become a successful photographer in just a few short years. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TTL121815PopekPhoto2-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Leah Popek has been able to work through her vision disability to become a successful photographer in just a few short years. </caption0><photoCredit0>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TTL121815PopekPhoto1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Leah Popek has been able to work through her vision disability to become a successful photographer in just a few short years. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_TTL121815PopekPhoto1-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Leah Popek has been able to work through her vision disability to become a successful photographer in just a few short years. </caption1><photoCredit1>Clark Van Orden | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Local photographer overcoming effects of shingles virus</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Nick Wagner</p><p>nwagner@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Nick Wagner at 570-991-6406 or on Twitter @Dispatch_Nick</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Leah Popek, of Hunlock Creek, overcomes effects of shingles virus to fulfill photography passion