Today we’d like to introduce you to Alissa Wyle
Hi Alissa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story started in the midwest, growing up in Bloomington, Indiana. I bounced around from many interests as a child and young adult, feeling the confusion of an uncertain path. At 21, I moved to Boston where I blossomed my love of portraiture. I was taken in by the Berklee College of Music community, despite at the time, not being a musician of any kind. There was a symbiotic relationship between me learning to photograph people and the incredible, vibrant music students and music professionals of Boston. I feel deeply indebted and grateful to that city and the community I found there. I followed many of the connections I made on the East Coast over to the West Coast. As I landed in LA in 2020, Hollywood ignited my interest in videography. Happily still in community with musicians, I began working on music videos and art films. With the help of incredible collaborators, trusted friends, and a lot of deep breathing, I managed to build a budding career I am proud of.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh god, it has not been a smooth road. Haha! But regardless of the pot holes and faded road signs, the views have made the trip absolutely worth it. Throughout my life I’ve often felt as if I didn’t know where my path was leading, feeling defeated by what I saw as repeated dead ends. Before and a little ways in to discovering my passion for portraiture, I felt like a failure. Strangely, I was not aware that I felt this way. Instead, it showed itself as a near constant hum of self doubt which took me a decade to unearth. Once I realized the roots of that feeling and forgave myself for not succeeding in every dream I had as a young girl, I opened myself up to creating new dreams and rebuilding trust for myself. Trusting my instincts has proven to be an extremely important part of being a director. Of course, in the cyclical nature of all things, I’ve faced self doubt, dressed up in new ways, again. But on the whole, I’m finding that focusing on being curious disempowers my fear. And on the other side of fear is most everything I hope for.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
For those who may not know, I am a director, cinematographer, and photographer working under the name Holy Smoke Photography. I specialize in creating with other artists, primarily musicians. I offer portraiture, promotional photo/video work, music video directing, cinematography, event photography, and more. In my portrait and directing work, I have been known to play with vibrant colors, ask my subjects to move through their feelings, and remind myself and them to breathe. I love creating things that are honest and/or unexpected. I want someone to have an initial reaction looking at my work but come back to find surprises and secrets at a second glance. And, most of all, I want everyone I capture through photography or videography to feel like they are representing not only who they are in that moment, but who they want to be. I want to show people how absolutely beautiful, interesting, and powerful they are. My aim is to aid people in manifesting themselves.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
My favorite resources are friends and collaborators. The folks that I work with and talk to inform my work constantly. Part of why I love this field is it is inherently collaborative. I would not be where I am today without the guidance, vulnerability, knowledge sharing, and care from the community of artists in front of or next to my lens. A few of the people who have taught me a great deal are director/producer Jacob Mccaslin, photographer Kaya Blaze, creative director/makeup artist Sammy Singleton, artist/creator Scott Frenzel, and producer/musician Claire Gohst. There are so many more, but these artists have all directly influenced my work and life.
Pricing:
- Feel free to reach out to me by email or through my website for information on rates & pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://holysmokephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holysmokephotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holysmokephotography
Image Credits
All photographs were taken by Holy Smoke Photography.
In frame: Izzy Dumaa, Imani Maxine, Julia Gartha, Rylai, Hunter Hawkins, Olivia Gatwood, Maxx Lancaster, Jeeves
