We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Alyssa DeGraff. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Alyssa below.

Alyssa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

I recently had the privilege of being a part of a surprise styled shoot like no other. My friend and colleague, beauty professional Dannielle Robeson contacted me to let me know a client of hers had been stranded by their wedding photographer. They’d had to cut some corners on their wedding back in October 2022 due to devastating family illnesses, and despite their budget photographer photographing the whole day, they never received a single image.

Dannielle coordinated an entire team of vendors to donate their services and with the help of the husband, we pulled off a surprise that brought his bride to tears – an entire styled portrait session in their wedding attire, and a micro wedding re-do, with their closest family in attendance.

When I say that this day was a pinnacle highlight of my career, I am not exaggerating. It was incredibly rewarding to be able to give back to this sweet couple, who more than anything had wanted photos with precious family members, some of whom had passed since their wedding date. It was also an opportunity to give back within the wedding vendor community, whose reputation is harmed whenever something like this happens. It takes an incredible amount of trust for couples to thousands of dollars on services provided by near strangers, and if I am ever able to help heal or bolster that trust or educate clients on how to seek out legitimate vendors I will absolutely do so.

(I’m not sure whether to include this or not but if possible, I’d like to honor the vendors who donated their services to this amazing success story, here are their names and instagram handles )
Venue: @MilagroWinery
HAMU: @dannielle_robeson
Photo: @alyssadegraffphoto
Coordinator: @FruitvaleDesigns
Florist: @Events_by_bd
Desserts: @twintreats
Officiant: @Chrisozofficiant
Rentals: @farmandfieldevents
Video: @sageblossommedia
Calligraphy: @beautifuldaycalligraphy

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a wedding & family photographer based in my hometown of San Diego. I specialize in capturing lightly posed portraits that feel genuine and true to life. I have around 10 years of professional experience, but when people ask how long I’ve been doing photography I’m never quite sure what to say – it’s in my blood at this point.

It all started with my Dad who is a graphic designer, illustrator, and photographer. I’ve been stealing his gear for as long as I can remember (I still do sometimes.) When I was in elementary school, he caved and surprised me with my own Nikon 35mm film camera so I could shoot alongside him. I have vivid memories of taking landscape and wildlife photos on our summer camping trips to Yosemite, and I remember being completely entranced by the magic I was creating with natural light and depth of field changes.

In college I began my formal training in dark room development, digital photography, and photoshop. It was at this time I was pressured to overcome my greatest fear – photographing people. I’m not sure if I was afraid of failure, or if photographing human subjects just felt too precious, but once I started I never looked back.

What might surprise you is I still feel that same nervousness before every single photoshoot. Photographing people really IS that precious, which I realize now more than ever as a Mom of two little girls.

Often times people will reach out to hire a photographer because they need that one fall family photo to put on a holiday card, with everyone stiffly cheesing at the camera. But having the professional and personal experience I’ve earned, I am now able to help create and capture genuine in-between moments that I know will be treasured by my clients for decades. These are those moments where a toddler flashes her truest grin at a sibling, or where a father holds back tears walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. These are the moments that keep me on the edge of my seat at every session and wedding, and remind of how truly lucky I am to have such a meaningful career and gift that I can share with others.

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

Photography is known as a super common side hustle for many. For me, it took years before I was confident feeling compensated for my work, because I felt like in order to be legitimate I had to be “full-time.” And yet, it has taken years of working part-time to build up to being a full-time photographer, so there is this huge grey area that many find themselves in.

Looking back I wish I had taken myself more seriously from the get go. I wish I’d treated my business as legitimate and not just a creative outlet, despite it being small. It wasn’t until I worked as a contracted photographer for a large national company and several local photographers that I realized I was both fully qualified and ready to run a legitimate business. I then realized I would also personally thrive off of being able to create my own client experience and I haven’t looked back.

Some milestones for me that I know many aspiring photographers often put off included purchasing business insurance, building a website, licensing, tax certification, etc. Having those structures in place launched me mentally into a place of taking myself more seriously, plus they weren’t all that difficult to do.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of my job as a creative is that I get to know my clients. Personality-wise, I’ve always been very personable and connection driven. I appreciate deeper conversations and understanding other peoples’ “why.” I absolutely love that the quality of my work directly reflects how well I’m able to understand my clients, and is something I don’t take lightly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alyssadegraff.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssadegraffphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alyssadegraffphoto

Image Credits
Alyssa DeGraff Photography