Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Stavropoulos.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alex. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Although I have always had a passion for photography, my pursuit of photography as a career was not easy. Growing up, I was encouraged to consider photography as more of a hobby than a solid career. I come from a traditional family and though I love and appreciate them infinitely, I felt trapped by the choices I’d made to make other people happy. I’ve since recognized the profound importance of listening to my creative voice.
I moved back to Los Angeles a year ago, bought my first DSLR camera, enrolled in photography classes and just began shooting. I’ve become obsessed with honing my skills and don’t want to be stuck in a box when it comes to the type of images I get to create; I know too well what it feels like to be stifled by outside expectations. The sense of freedom I feel when I’m able to express myself through pictures tells me I’m doing what I am meant to be doing.
Though I love all kinds of photography, my favorite shots involve people. I feel giddy meeting so many new clients each week and getting to know them. In just a few minutes I get to learn what makes them feel insecure or powerful and I try to capture the latter in my pictures. I prefer to shoot around town at fun locations and just let my clients PLAY. I have fun when they do and I hope my work accurately portrays their genuine emotions. My goal is to immortalize an experience with real emotion, rather than conjure someone’s posed smile.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Well, photography gear, software and classes can be expensive so that’s discouraging, but I’ve learned the photographer makes the camera and not the other way around. Starting a business from scratch is also a bit of a struggle… who knew? Haha. Navigating social media and creating a website is also new to me, but mastering it is so necessary to get my work out there. I’m learning and applying a little at a time, so it’s sometimes hard to see instant results.
But the biggest obstacle has definitely been myself. I’ve had a fixed mindset on my career path and abilities and it wasn’t until recently that my boyfriend helped me realize my pessimism was the only thing preventing me from pursuing the life I wanted. Even when I began to pursue photography, I was hard on myself. I studied other photographers’ techniques which is a good way to learn, but I’d find myself getting discouraged and thinking I could never be as good as they are. I would focus too much on replicating another successful photographer’s style instead of cultivating my own.
I know I can’t expect to change my mindset overnight, but I’m feeling more confident in my abilities and I get so much support from my incredible boyfriend. I also get a big cheesy smile when I get feedback from clients on friends from my work.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I take pictures of people in interesting locations and try to capture moments of genuine emotion. As I said in a post on my Instagram account, “I’m generally not a fan of staged photos that look too staged. I believe letting people be themselves and capturing a momentary snapshot of their soul is way more interesting! Would you rather have a picture commemorating the moment you scolded or bribed your child with candy just to give you a half-genuine smile… or a beautiful portrait of your free-spirited child being unapologetically who they are?” Don’t get me wrong, I love a good picture of a couple smiling next to each other, but anyone can take a picture like that and it isn’t memorable.
Last week I had the honor of photographing a couple who has been married for over 10 years. You might expect exactly that, a photo of them perfectly content with each other and smiling on the beach. It’s not necessarily a bad representation of them and I’m certainly not saying their smiles are accurately depicting their mood, but where is the fun in that? Instead, we climbed rocks, told jokes, and got entirely soaked (fully clothed, mind you) and, you know, snapped some pictures in the process. The results were an album of photos commemorating this insanely fun and playful experience under one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen. When they (and any of my clients) look back at the pictures, I want them to remember the genuine emotions, not just the front of my camera.
What were you like growing up?
I was a major introvert. I loved soccer, traveling, movies, Harry Potter… typical kid stuff. I was also super obedient and focussed a lot of my energy on making sure I was always doing the right thing. I got way too much joy out of cleaning and organizing my room. I also had (and still have) I super silly side. I liked to make people laugh and have a good time, but I was usually only like this week close friends and family. Since high school, I’ve become so much more extroverted.
Contact Info:
- Website: alexandrastav.com
- Email: [email protected]
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