Today we’d like to introduce you to Trish Alison.
Hi Trish, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I grew up in a small town outside of Madison, WI where I worked for a photographer throughout high school and college. This is where I fell in love with the idea of storytelling through a lens. Each picture tells a story, and I became enamored with capturing moments in time. After I graduated the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I pursued a career in advertising where I was fortunate enough to work on clients such as Disney, E! and Style networks. After the birth of my first daughter, I found myself drawn back to the need to capture moments on film and left advertising for good. Photography found its way back to me as I captured not only my family but also friends and other community members’ moments of life. Word traveled fast, and before I knew it, I was getting phone calls from people I didn’t know to photograph their families. I was then pursued by my daughter’s preschool to take their school portraits, and from there it opened up an entirely new category of my business. One school turned into dozens. I now am at 21 different schools in Southern California, taking portraits not only of students but also of faculty and staff as well. My entire school portrait business revolves around making sure that parents get images of their child(ren) that are a true reflection of their child. My goal is always to capture the personality and unique inner spirit of each child I photograph. I use outdoor areas on campus and have changed the school portrait game entirely – no more awful blue background school pictures! In addition to the school portraits, my weekends are filled with family photo shoots, headshot shoots, as well as editorial shoots.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The interesting thing about my job is that the majority of my work falls between August and January. Not to say that I don’t work year-round, however every fall has a heavy load with school portraits and family shoots. The shooting is the most amazing part, but the volume of editing requires a lot of time and attention to detail. I’m lucky to have an amazing staff that helps me with the behinds the scenes nuances so I can give my full attention to the creative process. I am also a single mom to 2 teenage daughters who are helpful in so many ways to me as well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in children and family photography, and I am known for capturing natural emotions in an organic way. People aren’t always comfortable having their photograph taken, but I pride myself on making my clients the most comfortable they can be (as we know, being photographed isn’t always a favorite for some people). I work extremely hard at getting real expressions for my clients at all ages. A testament to how enjoyable the process is that my clients keep coming back year after year. As much as the photos capture the moment, I want the whole experience of the shoot to also be a special, enjoyable and memorable one. It’s an entire experience that I provide to my clients and one that I am very proud of.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Like the majority of people, the Covid-19 crisis was a time of much uncertainty. With the majority of schools closing their doors, I was left uncertain with how that would impact my business. However, I saw that time as an opportunity to be creative and created an outdoor studio at my home where children could come and I could photograph them at a safe distance while I was masked. I also spent weekends at several schools where the parents would drive up, let their children come to a safe place outside on campus where I would take their school portrait at a safe and masked distance. It worked better than I could ever imagine. It was also really tricky for me to communicate with my mask on with the children because so much of what I put into taking portraits really involves my own facial expressions. But I made it work, and I’m thrilled that that time is now in the past and it’s made me appreciate being back to normal.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.trishalisonphotography.com
- Instagram: @trishalisonphotography
- Facebook: @trishalisonphotography
Image Credits
Headshot credit: Mazzy Joya all other photographs: Trish Alison photography
