Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Emily Allison. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

It was back in 2006, 2007, when I was working as a freelance newspaper reporter, for a few different, local newspapers when I first picked up a digital camera. Newspapers were “going out” as I was trying to “come in”. The budget didn’t include hiring a photographer for the stories I was writing, so that’s when I picked up a camera. It was the first time I had done so, since being on the yearbook staff at my high school. It was during that time when my little sister was studying Photography and Graphic Design in Chicago. She decided to put an ad out on Craig’s List at the time, to see if anyone would be willing to let her photograph their wedding, for free! A kind couple reached out and my sister then asked me if I’d be willing to come along to help her. We had no idea what we were doing. I didn’t even own a digital camera at the time, so we set out to do our best! And what a rush! It was the scariest, yet most exciting moment to get to photograph two people saying “I Do”. The couple, their family, friends, were all so kind and gracious as we were navigating this new experience. But after that first wedding, we decided this was something we had to pursue. It took years and countless free photoshoots to understand how this new technology of digital photography worked, but we kept working at it, photographing everything and anyone who would let us and decided to make a business out of it. In 2016, I quit my full-time job in the news industry to pursue photography full-time and I haven’t looked back since! And while my sister has now moved on and has her own photography company now, I will remember fondly those years of failure and success. They were all stepping stones to get to where we are today and I am grateful and humbled that taking the risk was worth it.

Emily, 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 actually didn’t pick up a digital camera until I was 20 something. And the only reason I did was because I needed one to photograph the stories I was writing, for a few newspapers I was working at in South Bend. Before jumping into photography full time, I was in the news industry, first working as a newspaper reporter and then in broadcast television as a web producer and copyeditor. I graduated from Indiana University back in 2005, with a Mass Communications degree, and thought I’d be working as an investigative journalist, but newspapers were on their way out at that time. I began my work as a freelance writer at the South Bend Tribune, along with a smaller publication in Granger, Indiana, which is where I picked up my first digital camera. And when my sister asked me to photograph our very first wedding, after placing a Craig’s List ad, I rented my very first DSLR and we ventured to a little chapel in Michigan, where we fell in love with documenting love. It was then that we both recognized the power of an image. The power of remembering the moment through an image. It was something we decided early on was the most important thing. Capturing the emotion of who we were photographing. And still today, that’s the goal. To help the people we are photographing, remember how they felt in that moment. While my sister has since moved on to form her own company, I still can’t believe that this is what we get to do as a “job”, that never really feels like a job at all. Super thankful for all these years of learning, growing, and meeting the most amazing people along the journey.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

When I graduated from college back in 2005, I never thought photography is where I’d find my landing. And it was all happenstance. But the hustle to get to where I am now, was very real! My sister and I started our company with nothing. We didn’t even own digital cameras so we rented them and photographed everything and everyone we could, while learning, but also working full-time jobs. It was slow-going, but the determination was always there … determined to figure out how to grow something out of nothing. People were so gracious as we started the journey. We had to teach ourselves everything and encountered many hurdles along the way. Both financially, within our personal lives and within a sometimes, unkind industry. But trial and error has always been the way forward, and thankfully, we met a few wonderful people, who helped guide us along the way. But it wasn’t until 2016-2017 where we really saw growth and direction as business owners. And it has been a whirlwind ever since. Both my sister and I are now doing different things; she now owns her own photography business with her partner and they travel the world photographing weddings and elopements. While I have pivoted my business and focus on photographing families and college/high school seniors. But I will never forget where we once were to how far we’ve come. It has been the adventure of a lifetime.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A few years ago, I recognized that I needed to make a change. My sister and I were photographing weddings all over the United States and I felt I was missing out on my son growing up. After the pandemic in 2020, and the forcible slowing down of life and work, I knew something had to shift. I also felt the pull to my first passion of writing again and I wasn’t sure how to navigate the way forward. And while the pandemic was one of the scariest times as a human, and also a business owner, there were quite a few revelations that have led to this moment. We were forced into a new reality and we couldn’t have stayed afloat without changing, and growing and truly, moving with the times. It was heartbreaking and beautiful, all at the same time. And over the past five years, since the pandemic our worlds have changed drastically. My sister started her own company, which is thriving and she gets to travel around the United States doing what she loves; photographing love. And I pivoted to focus on what I really wanted to focus on and that was making memories with families. Including my own! And also photographing high school and college seniors at the time of their lives, where they’re getting ready to embark on their next great adventure! I also was able to start writing again. And recently published a photography+poetry book that I am extremely grateful to have put out into the world. It’s been a whirlwind, but my gratitude truly is ten-fold.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heysistersphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heysistersphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeySistersPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyallison/
• Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/ZQr3iyKBXOPtk2kugwjkkg
• Other: I have a writing website where people can purchase my new book!
  I offer a bi-monthly newsletter, where I share poems and photographs as well.
  https://withlovefromemmy.com/

Image Credits

I photographed each of these images.
Emily Allison
Hey Sisters! Photography