We were lucky to catch up with Alicia Padilla recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alicia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

Scaling my wedding photography business wasn’t a straight line, it was more like a series of steep hills, tough pivots, and occasional leaps of faith. When I started, I was doing everything myself: shooting weddings, editing until 2 a.m., answering emails between school pickups, and managing bookings with a baby on my hip. I wasn’t building a team at that point—I was just trying to stay afloat.

But eventually, I hit capacity. I was turning down inquiries because I physically couldn’t be in two places at once, and emotionally, I was burning out. That’s when I realized: if I wanted to grow, I had to stop treating my business like a solo hustle and start treating it like a brand.

The first big move was bringing on second shooters, not just talented photographers, but people who understood our client experience and expectation, our shooting style, and the emotional heartbeat behind our work. I wasn’t looking for clones of me, I was building a team with complementary strengths and aligned artistic style. That required documenting processes, setting clear expectations, and letting go of the fear that “no one can do it like I do.” That mindset shift was hard but necessary to scale the business.

What really helped us grow was treating the business like an ecosystem, not just a service. We systematized everything from client onboarding to file delivery to post-wedding touchpoints. I created workflows, templates, shared calendars, and backup systems so we could grow without dropping balls. I also stopped trying to edit everything myself and brought in our in house editing team. That one decision gave me back hours of time to lead and scale and most importantly, be there for my family and growing kids.

There were definitely mistakes along the way, hires who weren’t the right fit, RAWS that didn’t meet our standards, and miscommunications that made me want to crawl under a rock. But every challenge pushed me to even furthur refine our process, our brand, and get better at leadership.

Today, we’re a tight-knit team of photographers shooting weddings across the region and I’m not just proud of the work we produce, but the trust we’ve built as a team. Scaling didn’t mean working more hours, it meant building something bigger than me.

Because at the end of the day, I didn’t just want to be a great photographer, I wanted to build a great photography company.

Alicia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m Alicia Padilla photographer, creative director, wife, mama of two, and founder of a wedding photography team that believes in capturing love with both soul and intention. I didn’t grow up thinking I’d be a photographer, but I’ve always been drawn to stories, the ones written in glances, gestures, and quiet in-between moments. Photography became my way of preserving those fleeting feelings that words often miss.

I officially stepped into the industry over a decade ago, camera in hand and curiosity in heart, documenting love stories for friends and family. What started as a side hustle organically turned into a full-time business as referrals grew, word spread, and I realized that people weren’t just hiring me for beautiful photos, they were hiring me for how I made them feel.

Today, I lead a team of over 20 talented creatives who share that same mission: to create an experience that feels effortless, warm, and deeply personal. We photograph weddings, proposals, elopements, families and all the real-life magic in between. Our work blends editorial polish with genuine emotion—think clean, timeless images that don’t just look good, but feel like you.

What sets us apart? We don’t show up just to shoot a timeline, we show up to tell your story. We prioritize connection over perfection, emotional presence over staged poses, and we work with intention so you can be fully immersed in your day without worrying about the camera. Behind the scenes, we’re highly organized, communicative, and invested in every client from first email to final gallery delivery.

We also value representation and inclusion. As a Latina business owner, I care deeply about reflecting the richness of different walks of life and love stories in our work. Our brand is rooted in kindness, creativity, and professionalism, something I’ve nurtured while balancing motherhood, entrepreneurship, and my own creative evolution.

What I’m most proud of is the trust our clients place in us. We’ve had couples cry when they see their gallery, not just because the images are beautiful, but because they felt seen. That’s the greatest compliment we can ever receive.

If you’re looking for a photography team that will celebrate your love, honor your story, and bring a calm, joyful energy to your day, we’d love to meet you.

Have you ever had to pivot?

A few years into running my photography business, I hit a point where I was booked solid, constantly editing, replying to messages at midnight, and trying to be everywhere at once. From the outside, it looked like success, but internally, I was stretched thin and burning out. I loved my clients and the work, but I knew that if I kept going this way, I would either resent the business or have to walk away from it.

The pivot came at a parking garage in Austin, Texas chatting with my cousins about the potential of scaling the business and I realized I didn’t need to do it all to grow, I needed to lead.

That meant building a team, creating systems, and trusting other photographers to carry our brand values. It also meant shifting from being “just a photographer” to becoming a mentor, creative director, and business owner with a wider vision. I had to unlearn the idea that hustle equals value and replace it with sustainability, clarity, and most importantly delegation.

Since making that pivot, not only has the business grown, but so has my sense of peace, creativity, and purpose. I get to show up more fully for my family, my team, and myself and that version of “success” feels far more meaningful.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

In the beginning, I was a one woman show and it was just me posting sneak peeks from weddings in between editing marathons. No strategy, no schedule, just sharing what felt beautiful and true. Over time, as our portfolio grew and our team expanded, we started realizing the power of not just showing our work, but sharing the heart behind it.

All the credit to Jaclyn, our Assistant Creative Director and social media manager, who brought real strategy and structure to our presence. She didn’t just polish our feed, she prioritized SEO-rich blogging, implemented keywords intentionally, and transformed our online reach. When she joined, we were buried on page 30 of Google for local wedding photography, now, we’re proudly on page 1. That shift alone changed the game for how clients find and connect with us. She helped us move from “pretty photos with pretty captions” to actual storytelling, making sure our blog and feed reflected not just the weddings we shoot, but the emotion, intention, and humans behind them.

We also owe so much of our growth to our amazing creatives who don’t just photograph the most incredible weddings, but also capture the emotion and intention behind every story. And to our assistants who record behind-the-scenes short-form footage while we’re shooting, it’s those candid, chaotic, emotional snippets that have become gold for TikTok and Instagram. People don’t just want the final image, they want the feeling, the process, the realness behind it all.

For anyone starting out, my advice is:

Start messy and start now. You’ll refine as you go.

Show your process, not just the polished result.

Prioritize storytelling, whether in a caption, a reel, or a blog.

Learn the basics of SEO early—it’s a long game that pays off (this one I feel is the most important)

And if you’re ready, build a team. You don’t have to do it alone—and the right people (like Jaclyn!) can elevate your entire brand.

We’re still growing, still evolving, but we’ve built a community that feels connected to our purpose, and that’s the kind of success that means the most.

Follow along at @alicialuciaphotos to see the love stories we’re honored to tell ✨

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alicialucia.com
• Instagram: www.instaram.com/alicialuciaphotos
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliciaLuciaPhotography
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@alicialuciaphotos

Image Credits

Alicia Lucia Photography :)