We were lucky to catch up with Alicia Lansford recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alicia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?
One of my biggest hero’s is without a doubt, my dad. He has been such a great example in my life and is someone I look up to everyday. When it comes to building a business and creating a specific work ethic, he is the one that has helped me create that for myself. I can see my entrepreneurial spirit through him and I always go to him for advice on being a business owner and I am truly thankful to have that kind of example in my life.
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 describe myself as a Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer serving in DFW. I entered the wedding industry in July of 2022 and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Not only do I get to meet and work with the best couples, but I get to work with amazing other creatives that are apart of the wedding industry.
Even though I entered the wedding industry less than a year ago, I have created a really positive stress-free experience for my couples. I help them from start to finish. Sending out different locations for engagements, sharing vendors details with them, and helping design their preferred wedding day timeline.
I am very proud of the quick growth I have experienced since starting my business in 2019. Families were my main focus when I started but once I introduced wedding services, I think it has really helped me expand my business. Growing and offering more is scary but taking the risk has a really great outcome.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I bought my first camera four years ago solely for enjoyment. I was living in Utah and was surrounded by beauty and I wanted to document it. I was working as a receptionist at a school district full-time but I really enjoyed having a creative outlet.
Once 2020 rolled around, things changed and so did my career. I decided to take on photography more seriously instead of doing it as a hobby. I would offer free sessions to family and friends to create a portfolio. That kept me happy and busy for about a year and a half, but I knew I wanted to expand more. I started to participate in styled shoots that would help me gain exposure and experience in the wedding industry. Now here we are in 2023 and I have started to book my own weddings. That is one of my biggest accomplishments for sure.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I could see how someone on the outside could see me as a photographer and think that my job is easy and not a lot of work goes into that career. But the reality is, it is actually a lot of work.
My job could be quite time consuming. If you think about a wedding day, you are capturing a variety of things that the couple wants to remember for about 10+ hours. But the work continues at home. After the wedding festivities are over, I have to go through the thousands of images I take, select a certain amount, edit and fine-tune all of them and then send out later on. The edit process is definitely the longest process but most important.
While yes it is a lot of work, it is the best job I have ever had. I definitely encourage anyone who is looking for the opportunity to enter the photography world, do it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aplphotos.com
- Instagram: @aliciapaige_photography
- Facebook: Alicia Paige Photography
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aliciapaige_photography/ The Knot: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/alicia-paige-photography-keller-tx-2071261