We were lucky to catch up with Alexis Grimes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexis, thanks for joining us today. One deeply underappreciated facet of entrepreneurship is the kind of crazy stuff we have to deal with as business owners. Sometimes it’s crazy positive sometimes it’s crazy negative, but crazy experiences unite entrepreneurs regardless of industry. Can you share a crazy story with our readers?

The craziest story related to my business is probably how I entered the industry to begin with. I always had an interest in photography throughout my middle school years which manifested into many slightly embarrassing & very cringy photoshoots with friends, and even being tasked with taking a few photos at my cousin’s wedding on my little point-and-shoot (a job I took VERY seriously). My interest grew as I entered high school and began taking photography classes where I learned how to shoot on & develop film, as well as the importance of composition & basic editing knowledge. The summer before my senior year of high school, my high school sweetheart’s mother (who is now my mother-in-law and is also a wedding photographer) called me frantically asking if I was available to photograph a wedding with her since her original second photographer failed to show. I was terrified, but she was desperate and I was not going to say no to her in her distressed state. I grabbed my parents’ ancient Nikon D50 and whatever stock lenses they had for it, and headed to photograph my first wedding. I wish I could say that I knew that day that I wanted to spend my life photographing weddings, but I’d be lying. I enjoyed it, don’t get me wrong, but I viewed it as a fun little hobby for many years. I continued to shoot weddings with my mother-in-law and portraits on my own throughout my remaining high school years. Once I was in college, I began to book my own weddings. Looking back now, I must’ve started to realize how much I genuinely enjoyed it then because I sacrificed many weekends away from campus to photograph strangers’ wedding days, and the limited free time I had outside of classes and work to edit. I was a COVID graduate, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology in May of 2020 while sitting on my parents’ couch all alone. Despite this unfortunate ending to my college career, I was lucky enough to get a job as a research fellow at the FDA soon after graduating. I enjoyed the research, but I couldn’t fathom spending 8-12 hours a day working and commuting to-and-from work once I had a family. More than becoming a scientist or a photographer, I’ve always wanted to be a mother, so having the freedom to spend time with and raise my future children is very important to me. I spent 2 years at this research job, and during this time, my photography business continued to grow. I quickly realized I was booking as many weddings and portrait sessions a year as many full-time photographers I knew, at which point I made it officially and filed for an LLC. The more I worked at this job that I didn’t love, I also quickly realized how much I LOVED photographing weddings, as well as growing families, excited and ambitious graduates, headshots for new businesses, and so much more. Once my photography income surpassed my fellowship income, I decided to take the leap and run my business full time. It’s now been 2.5 years, and while it’s certainly been stressful, I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I specialize in wedding and portrait photography (couples, families, graduates, newborns & boudoir). On average, I photograph about 25 weddings a year, primarily in the Delaware-Maryland-Pennsylvania-Virginia region, but I LOVE to travel, so I am also willing to go just about anywhere to capture love stories. I would describe my editing style as very bright, colorful and true-to-life. With any event or session, I strive to take a mixture of both perfectly posed and imperfectly candid images. My ultimate goal is to capture the beauty in both everyday life and special occasions, while highlighting human connection, love and joy.

In 2024, I photographed my first two destination weddings – one in Kentucky and one in Connecticut – which was very rewarding and something I am extremely proud of. I feel honored anytime someone anywhere trusts me enough and likes my work enough to photograph their special day, but it feels extra special when someone chooses you to travel to them instead of hiring someone closer. Another thing I am very proud of is the amount of repeat clients I have. Nothing makes me happier than being in my clients’ lives from their engagement & wedding day to maternity & newborn sessions, then to full-blown family sessions. I love watching families grow and enter new seasons of life.

What sets me apart from others is my desire to make every image as perfect as possible, from the formal portraits to informal candids. I carefully curate, crop, straighten, color correct and retouch every image to reflect my best possible work because anyone who hires me deserves my very best. I don’t view clients as just clients – I view them as friends, as individuals who trust me to document and be apart of their important milestones and special events. I also never stop trying to learn more ways to better improve my client experience, workflow and final images.

Have you ever had to pivot?

My biggest pivot in both life and business was when I decided to stop pursuing a career in scientific research to run my photography business full-time. This was a huge life decision because I had dedicated so much time, effort and money into earning a biology degree at a very expensive university and into my research fellowship at the FDA. For most of my life I thought I wanted to do something in the medical field, so abandoning my plans to continue onto graduate school was a shock to many, including myself. While I still often miss using the scientific parts of my brain and working in a lab, I am so much happier now than I was then. I have lots more time to do other things I love, spend quality time with loved ones, and grow my photography business and better serve those clients.

I recently started working part-time at a local brewery and I joke that one day I will learn to brew beer and that will be how I put my scientific background to use!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I have a pretty minimal social media following, but most of my clients find me on Instagram, Facebook, or through friend referrals. The most effective way I’ve found I can meet potential clients (oftentimes clients-turned-friends) is through posting a lot about my personal life & interests (instead of just work) on social media. There are so many photographers out there who are equally talented & capable of capturing memories, so I feel it’s important to show potential clients who you are as a person and not just an artist. Your photographer is with you for almost the entirety of your wedding day, so it’s important to know you genuinely like them and enjoy being in their presence!

Many of my clients have expressed that they started following me and/or inquired with me because of how much they could relate to my love of my dogs, reading, traveling, etc. since they have similar interests. This opens doors for more productive and meaningful conversations when connecting with clients, which builds attachment and makes me even more excited to capture their greatest moments, many accomplishments, and/or growing families.

Contact Info:

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