Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Wiley.
Hi Alicia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As cliché as it sounds, I’ve always had a camera! I used be the kid snapping photos with the disposable cameras at family weddings, I’d take my film cameras with me everywhere and develop the film as often as I could. I got my first digital polaroid camera as a teen and then newer digital cameras every couple of years until my first DSLR in 2011 when I started taking photography classes as filler courses in college.
One of our photo assignments was to photograph humans which was different than the usual object or landscape assignments. I asked some friends if I could photograph them and I loved taking family photos. In 2013, just before my own wedding I photographed a small backyard wedding and loved it. By 2014, I was photographing weddings regular and I have grown each year since then! In 2016 I quit my 9-5 and have been running my business full-time.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s been smooth-ish. I have had steady growth since I started my photography business, some years were too busy and I was burnt out but I learned to manage my calendar better. 2020 kind of threw all of that off, it was a rollercoaster or ups/downs and not knowing what will happen with the wedding industry. 2021 went from 0-100 really quickly, I thought we were easing back in but it’s two wedding seasons all in 1 year now! I love the hustle of it but because I am aware burnout is easy, I am trying my hardest to balance it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I’m a wedding and portrait photographer. For weddings think I am known for my love of details, visually curating galleries based on the color palette and styling flat lays. I mainly do family portraits and for the last few years, I have created styled mini session sets at my studio. The sets range from giant balloon walls to monochromatic themes with different backdrops in various shades of the same color. I am most proud of the amount of detailed information I have on my website, it was time-consuming to lay it out in a way that’s easy to digest and not too overwhelming for clients. I LOVE photographing big weddings, couples and families.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I’ve learned that it’s necessary to learn to pivot quickly. I was often months behind others in my industry because I do not handle change very well. I’m a planner and thrive in an organized calendar with a schedule up to two years out. Coming to a screeching halt and not knowing what to expect for the next couple of years was difficult to navigate.
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@aliciawiley.com
- Website: www.aliciawiley.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/aliciawileyphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aliciawileyphotography
