TGIF Everybody! We’ve been getting some gorgeous weather lately, and I don’t know about you but I definitely have the itch to be outside (and enjoy the sunshine before the snow returns!). This weekend will be packed full of exciting things like wine with friends, client meetings, birthday surprises (yay, Mom!), anniversary surprises (29 YEARS, interwebs, that’s how long my padres have been together!), and much fun, love and frivolity.
Before I leave you, I want to say a big thank you to everyone who reached out here this week! It’s soo nice to get feedback now and again on the blog, photos, etc. and this week, I’ve totally been feeling the comment love from you all!
Today I want to introduce something I hope will turn into a monthly series. Every day I have the opportunity to work with and talk to so many amazing people. These guys and gals really inspire me to keep pushing myself and to bring better and more beautiful things to my clients every day, and let me tell you, they are just filled to the gills with wisdom and advice for pesky people like me (hahaha). Of course, as we learned in school, sharing is caring, so I’m setting out to do an interview a month with someone who inspires me, or who I think you all will love, and pass it along to you!
Some soon-to-be interviewees are friends, others, people I’ve met through work, and still others, people I’ve never met! Like lots of young people these days (I suppose?), I get a lot of my inspiration online, and some of the people who inspire me most, I’ve only met through email.
One lovely lady I met this way is Ms. Alyse French (now Morrissey!). I started emailing her earlier this year, and loved her immediately. Strangely enough, although we both went to school at SU, and there was just a year’s difference between the two of us, we never met face to face before last Friday! You see, Alyse now lives in Houston with her multi-talented husband, Dylan, and their a-dorable bulldog, Sully. Luckily for me, though, she still has family here in NY, and her last visit home proved a perfect time to meet in person. And wasn’t it just the best Friday ever?? I’m sure once or twice in your life you’ve been lucky enough to meet someone and immediately felt like you just *clicked*–it was exactly that! Of course, it might have been the 3 months of emails that prepared us for that moment, but you guys–she was just the sweetest thing you ever met! Add to that she does some of the most gorgeous wedding photography I’ve seen, and how could you not love her?
Best part though, hands down? Besides spending all evening gossiping talking shop with me, Alyse let Roberto and me model for her in one of her stylized bridal shoots, styled by her friend Hannah Crosby! (Squeee!) Can not wait to see the photos!
SO! This month, I asked Alyse to share her thoughts on owning her own business, the joys of wedding photography, and her plans for the future. Alyse, you don’t need me to tell you, but you’re a-mazing. Can’t wait to see you again, even if it is just via skype :)
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M: When did you first know you wanted to be a wedding photographer?
A: You know, it’s funny, but for about 20 years of my life I never actually considered photography as a career option. Yes, I liked shooting around here and there while growing up, but I never really took it too seriously. Then, when I started studying at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, I went in as a broadcast major and very quickly found it just wasn’t for me. But thank God, my first-ever intro-journalism class was taught by a professor who totally changed my life… Doc Mason. The way he spoke about his greatest passion completely revived in me my love for picture taking and telling stories through images. I switched majors to photojournalism, fell in love with a man who traveled thousands of miles away for work four days a week, and soon realized that wedding photography specifically would allow me to experience everything I loved. I could marry my man and follow his lead. I could be my own boss. And I could tell stories through my images. Triple win!
A: Shoot for yourself! Raise the bar. Don’t settle for providing clients with images THEY’LL love. Instead, aim to provide clients with images YOU love. They will inevitably follow suit. And you’ll be that much further along in developing your style and your brand.
A: Taxes! Okay, let’s face it… Numbers of any kind. (I remember so vividly the exact moment my second grade teacher introduced me to the concept of subtraction. And it scared me to DEATH.) Thankfully, the longer you struggle with it, the better you get. That, and my husband (and business partner) Dylan has degrees in both finance and entrepreneurship. :)
A: There’s really so much I could say… But my favorite part about the actual action of photographing a wedding is still that moment when I look down at my camera screen and see this beautiful image that I just know my clients will love! As photo-geek as I sound… It’s capturing a moment that is fleeting. And awesome. And special. And then being able to GIVE BACK that moment. Gahhh. I love it.
A: I blog 3-4 times per week, and always strive to set a tone that’s 100% reflective of who I am and HOW I am in real life. Because many clients actually find me and get to know me through my blog, the goal is to put enough of myself out there that a like-minded, and like-personalitied (whether that’s a word or not!) bride will feel a connection with me and my work. If that bride appreciates the substance that I write, in the way that I write, AND feels she can trust me through that experience, we’re pretty much guaranteed to be a good fit.
A: I am probably not the best person to ask this question of. But I swear I have a good reason… :) You know you love your job when it’s all you want to do in your free time. In other words, I’m definitely not a pro at shutting my computer at 6PM every day. But I am a firm believer in being efficient for the benefit of not only my clients, but my family and friends also. I outsource the majority of my editing, which frees up time for other client-related projects, as well as some solid cuddle time with my Sully-dog.
M: Favorite lens?
A: Without a doubt, the 50mm f/1.4! It’s speed and tack-sharpness just kill me every time I use it. It’s tiny. It isn’t too heavy. And it’s perfect for just about any kind of portraiture or detail shot. I could shoot an entire wedding with that thing and love every second of it. :)
A: One thing I would tell the Alyse of one year ago is not to stress about booking yourself solid. As a wedding photographer, you’ll notice that your business goes through all sorts of cycles. If inquiries aren’t coming in right now, don’t worry! They’ll come in soon enough.
A: We’ll have a house. And a baby. We’ll continue to foster relationships with other photographers, and God-willing, be better able to use our gifts and talents in a way that blesses and helps other photographers who are just starting out. And we’d definitely like to scale back on the number of weddings we take on each year, with a main focus of really raising the bar and improving the experience that each of our clients has in choosing to work with us.
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So there you go everyone! The inimitable Alyse French! Beautiful, talented, and living way too far away! hahaha… Be extra sure to check our her website and blog to see some of her gorgeous work, and DEFINITELY leave her some comment love below! And if you’re up to the task, let me know what you think about having guest interviews every so often, and what you’d like to hear about! Suggestions are always welcome :)
I hope you all have a fabulous weekend… I’ll be plenty busy! After all, I have SURPRISES for you all on Monday! (You didn’t think I’d forget, did you? ;)
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[...] and interviewed me (over the de-LISH open-faced reuben served at Doubleday Café) for her blog HERE. :) Rob has got to be one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. And Martha, one of the [...]
Martha, I love her work… she is truly amazing :-)