Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alayna Nowoslawski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Alayna thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?
As a photographer part-time, my full time job is as an intervention specialist (special education). This is a topic that is important to me in so many ways. I have seen students love school, hate school, do great in school and really struggle in school. As a teacher, one of my main goals is to not only help my students succeed academically but also socially, relationally, personally and actually LOVE school. I feel like most of my teaching career has been made up of testing. We test our students on so many different things (state tests, weekly tests, formative tests, reading tests)…ALL OF THE TIME. I feel like it is hard to actually teach them something. I think if as an educational system, we started making school more fun for students than a stressful thing, kids would start seeing school as something enjoyable rather than prison! I want my students to come in to a comfortable environment where learning is made fun!
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
My name is Alayna Nowoslawski. I am the owner of Alayna Brooke Photography LLC. I have been doing photography as a part time gig for the past few years. During the school year you will find me in the classroom. I am a PreK-3 Intervention Specialist (special education). After school and on the weekends you will find me running from photography sessions, boxing and spending time with my friends and family. During the summer catch me in another country. This summer it was 10 days in Greece and almost 3 weeks in Italy! I am constantly busy and I love it.
I capture all of life’s biggest moments for people. I want them to be able to put down their phone and enjoy the moment that they are in. Proposals, families, newborns, seniors. I love them all! I am so thankful to have been voted Cleveland’s Favorite Family Photographer in 2022!
I am so thankful for the community I have built through photography. I have met the sweetest clients, the most incredible photographers and the kindest friends.
One thing you should know about me, I am not a huge poser. I love to capture whatever naturally happens during our session. If your kids are running wild…its OK! Let me capture it. If your baby is exploring grass for the first time, its OK! These make the sweetest pictures. I don’t want a photo session to ever be intimidating. I try to be as flexible as I can for what you and your people need.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a photographer is seeing the confidence grow from the beginning of a session to the end of a session. 90% of people come to photo sessions with at least one area of concern about themselves. (“Hide my stomach, photoshop my face, make me skinnier”. I absolutely love when they look at the photos I have taken and see the unique and beautiful person that they are.
You don’t have to wait until you feel like you are ready for a photoshoot. Don’t let life’s best moments pass by without being captured. Your photographer can work with you to give you poses or outfit ideas that are flattering and make you feel most confident too!
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
The COST…
Non-Photographers have no idea what goes into their photo sessions. Money is such a touchy subject with so many people. To non-photographers, a $400 photo session might seem like a lot of money (and it is!), but they don’t know all of the things that go into a photo session.
Here is a breakdown going off of my equipment:
A laptop: (needs replaced every few years) ~$2000
One camera body: $4,000
Lenses: $2400+ each
Insurance: $1,000+
Editing Software: $1000+ per year
Flash: $300
Batteries: $80 each
Memory Cards: $400 (cf express) + many sd cards (~$50-200)
External HardDrives: SSD drive $500 + Lacie Hard drives $179 each (multiple)
Chargers, Card readers, Photo Mechanic, Photo Sharing Systems, Gear bags/protection, Client software, + $1000
This is not all of the equipment to take into consideration. Don’t forget about taxes, gas, car repairs, gear repairs, emergencies,
AND photographers making a decent living wage.
There is so much planning, shooting, commuting, culling, editing, delivering and communicating that goes into one photoshoot.
All of this to say, appreciate your photographers! Don’t be upset when they charge more than you think they should. Oftentimes if you are curious about why something costs so much, ask! I am happy to help break it down for you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alaynabrookephoto.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: @alaynabrookephotography
- Facebook: Alayna Brooke Photography
- Linkedin: Alayna-Nowoslawski