November 5, 2016

Meet Pasadena Photographer: Alyssa Stefek

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Stefek.

Alyssa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My Grandfather bought me my first camera in middle school. I photographed anything and everything I possibly could. When my little sister was born, I became obsessed with taking black and white photos of her with my 35mm Canon. I took classes at a local darkroom in Pasadena (which unfortunately closed a few years ago) and learned everything I could about developing film and printing my own photos.

After studying photography in high school and college, I struggled to find my niche. I explored working photographing products, fashion, nature but didn’t quite feel like it was right. I kept reminiscing about my very first job out of school, working at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena photographing newborns.

I quit my full-time product photography job and decided to try and go out on my own. It was a rough start getting myself out there but thanks to a ton of hard work and amazing reviews and referrals from previous clients, it’s going great. I think I have the best job in the world!

Has it been a smooth road?
I think I have been pretty lucky. I’ve been blessed with some amazing clients that have worked hard to spread the word about to me their family, friends, and co-workers. I feel like the toughest part about this type of job is getting your portfolio out there for people to see.

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
Being able to support myself financially! It’s a scary thing to go out on your own. There is a lot of risks involved. The first time I had enough business to be able to pay all my bills and still make a small profit, I was so proud of myself. I’ve worked really hard and it’s taken quite a few years of building clients to get here.

Were there moments when you had to struggle?
I struggled a lot with figuring out what I wanted to do. There are so many different areas of photography and I’ve dabbled in a TON of them. Loving something (like photography) so much and not knowing what you want to do with it is really difficult. There is a lot of competition out there. Without having a clear direction, it’s hard to promote yourself and have confidence in yourself which makes it hard to promote your business.

Is there something we can do as a city to improve the outlook for professionals like you?
I love being in Pasadena but Los Angeles is a hard place to make it. There is a lot of competition being a small business in a big city. But, there are so many little pockets of L.A. to get your start in before you branch out and try to work all over the area.

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