My Why
What made me want to be a photographer? Why do gravitate to photography as a medium? I get asked these two questions all the time.
I think I have always been a photographer; I remember when I was little, I had a Fisher Price camera. It was real, it used film and took real pictures. I carried that thing around everywhere. I have always had a camera. Not necessarily a fancy camera but a camera none-the-less. My mother took photography in college and knows her way around the camera and how to focus and find a good shot getting the angle and color right. Maybe this is where I got that from. From watching her. She and my aunt are also artists, my aunt is a painter. I think art runs in my blood. I studied design, marketing and art history in college but of course took the safe route and entered the corporate world after graduation.
In my late thirties I realized I had an abundance of pictures on my computer from my travels and I should do something about them. Looking at them, I realized they were good. They weren’t just generic pictures of famous landmarks or signs, they were the mood of the place itself, nature, trees, the colors and detail of the buildings. If the photo was of a famous landmark, they were of an angle that one would not expect. I love to travel but growing up in a touristy city, I hate the tourist spots. I may go and spend 5 minutes just to say I have been there, but I like the out of the way places, the soul of the place. The detail. My computer was filled with these as well as flowers, trees, and leaves from hikes with my husband. I love the macro details in the veins, how the sun shines through, and depth and variations of color in nature. I had photos of architectural décor of the rooftops of the city. In the ocean, I focused on the foam and motion of the waves and color variations of the setting sun. These pictures could not just sit and rot on a hard drive for all eternity.
So, I decided to print a few and open an Etsy Shop. Maybe attend a few art and vendor fairs. That went ok, I didn’t make a ton of money, but I had fun, and it was exciting selling my pieces and having them admired by others. Then Covid hit. I took a pause on my Etsy and art fairs, mostly because art fairs were not happening due to the pandemic. I had also just got a new corporate job and was excited about it. Fast forward 2 years and I decided that the world and I had recovered enough. I would start doing art and vendor fairs again. The bug bit me hard! I remembered how much I loved taking photos, editing those photos, and sharing my work with everyone. That was the summer of 2022. Aside from starting shows again, it was a rough year personally, and from May through December I realized through a series of tragedies that life is short! So, in December of 2022, I did it. I took a leap of faith. Quit my corporate job and decided to focus on my photography full time. I enjoy every second of it! There are ups and downs just like in life. One would think it is frightening but I don’t have time to be scared. I’m too excited to be scared. I am sharing my art with the world. I am a businesswoman selling my art as well as my services and expertise as a Product Photographer. (I knew all those visual marketing and art classes would pay off someday). I no longer have my Etsy store as I have built my own website. If you are reading this, you are probably on it. If not, AlexisNPhotography.com.
So, here is my why. It happened by chance but that is how the best things happen.
-Alexis
