We were lucky to catch up with Alexis O’Brien recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alexis, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so we’d love to hear about how you got your first client or customer. What’s the story?
When I was first starting out I put an ad on Groupon just to get more practice with real strangers. I got several inquires of people either traveling to Florida and wanting their vacation documented or local people who wanted life events documented. It was great practice and I would have kept my ad going however, Groupon takes over 65% of your ad price which felt like highway robbery!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I am Alexis, of Alexis Lee Photography here in sunny Tampa Bay. I am a Motherhood, Newborn & family photographer who loves capture the sweet smiles of children. Photos are the only tangible memory we can hold onto after a life event and that’s why my motto is “making your memories last a lifetime”. I have always loved and appreciated the feeling that a photo can bring to you. I love how it can tell a story and bring back a special memory especially after a loved one has passed. I grew up spending several summers with my mimi (grandmother) and we had so much fun together. She taught me to journal, to be creative and to make life fun! With all the fun that we had we only have a few photos to show for it and I so badly wish we had more. That was one of the many reasons I got into this biz. I want to capture the “now” of your life and tell your own story through photos so that one day you can look back at the images and remember the moments. Before actually starting this as a business it was just a hobby. My husband Murphy had brought the idea of getting me a “fancy” camera for a birthday gift and I immediately was bought in. I did some very vague research and ran to Best Buy and the next thing I knew my Sony a6000 was in my hands. That was a few months before COVID and as soon as the shut down happen I decide to dig in deeper. I took several classes, had and still do several mentorship programs, and basically shot photos of all of my friends and family for free for a few months. Once I felt semi confident I decided it was time and that’s when Alexis Lee Photography was created!
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The most helpful resource that I have utilized is mentorship programs. There are SEVERAL wonderful photographers I still look up to that were in my area at the time (South Florida) who let me tag along with them, zoom chat, and constantly pick their brain. I would be very lost with out them!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
6 months after starting my business my full time job moved me to Tampa! I finally had felt like I was on the right track booking several clients, feeling confident and then we decided to move. As we transitioned to Tampa I reached out to all of my friends and friends of friends here and started over doing a lot of shoots for free. I utilized instagram as well to meet other local photographers who then started referring some clients over to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: alexisleephotography.com
- Instagram: alexisleephotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexisleephotos