We recently connected with Aliscia Klenke and have shared our conversation below.

Aliscia, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I won’t lie, I do often wonder sometimes what it would be like to have a 9-5 job like my husband and my friends. It would definitely give me peace of mind in knowing that I’d be getting a steady paycheck. It would also give me a routine that I find myself seeking out from time to time. But in all honesty, nothing gives me as much joy as photography does. As wedding photography does.

Like I said before, a steady paycheck would be amazing. Because the life of a wedding photographer, or any wedding vendor, can be days and months of tons of work and always on the go. But it can also be days and months of wondering, “when is the next booking going to be?” And that can be scary. You have no one else to rely on. It’s just you. And I won’t lie, that’s not always fun.

But I wouldn’t trade this business of mine for anything. Do I love photography? Yes. But do I love the people and experiences it brings me more? Yes. First, it’s a privilege to come alongside a couple and share in these special moments of their lives with them, and with their families. Second, it’s an honor to become someone that they actually want to have around. Not just for the photos, but I’m constantly being told by my couples that they want to have fun WITH ME! To be someone they can spend time with, while also capturing these intimate moments for them, there’s nothing quite like it.

So I would definitely say I’m a happy business owner.

Aliscia, 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?

For those of you who don’t know me, Hi! I’m Aliscia! I’ve been photographing weddings since 2008 and have no intentions of stopping anytime soon!

My specialty is couples. So that would include engagement photos, anniversaries, weddings, elopements and maternities. Couples are my jam, so whatever it is you’re wanting to do, I’ll more than likely be down for it!

I actually kind of fell into wedding photography. It was never something I had envisioned myself doing. I had wanted to travel the world photographing different cultures, people, even animals! I was super into the whole National Geographic side of photography. And then one day, a good friend of mine asked me to photograph her elopement, and I was hooked! I was studying Photojournalism in college and had just gotten to the artsy side of the program, and I just felt like wedding photography just finally made sense! You could combine the journalistic, story-telling side of it with the artistic side. And it could be whatever you wanted it to be. And at that time, and even still today, I found that to be so freeing.

So couples that are looking for a documentary style photographer who also wants each photo to be print worthy, they seem to gravitate to my work. I don’t just provide photos from the day. Anyone can do that honestly. But the problem with that is, everyone’s work starts to look the same. I don’t just want to photograph your day, edit the photos, send them off and be done. My goal is to give you photos that you can’t but stare at. And I think that’s what sets me apart from a good chunk of photographers right now. I aim to push my creativity and create work that’s a little different than most.

Not every moment is perfect, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important, or any less mundane. I love drawing all the emotions out, all the love, all of your peace. And we’re going to have some laughs and enjoy ourselves throughout the whole process.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I don’t know if I would say resources I wish I KNEW about, but more of I wish they had been available in general.

I started wedding photography before Instagram, before people were using Facebook to promote their business. You had your website, and word of mouth, and any other forms of marketing and advertising you could find. The fact that there are so many different FREE avenues you can use now to promote yourself is insane to me. Also that you can find a photographer anywhere in the world, in 10 seconds, is wild. Smart phones were also not a thing yet. You jumped on your desktop computer or laptop if there was ever something you needed/wanted to find.

And along with what technology has given us in terms of searching out info and such, is the whole avenue of online education. When it comes to wedding photography, I taught myself almost everything I know. It’s only been within the last 3 years that I’ve taken the dive into online education. Before, you could ask other photographers if you could shadow and learn from them. But most of the time, it didn’t happen.

So seeing how quickly people can learn their trades now, it’s crazy.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think what I find most rewarding is being able to deliver a product that I know my clients are going to love. They’ve seen my past work, they know what I’m capable of. They know I can deliver.

It’s an amazing feeling when you put your heart and soul into what you’re offering, and having it received with joy an appreciation. There’s nothing quite like it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alisciamariephotography.com
• Instagram: @alisciamariephoto
• Facebook: Aliscia Marie Photography
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/aliscia-klenke

Image Credits
All photos copyright of Aliscia Marie Photography.