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

Alright, Alissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken was dropping out of University. As many do. I went right from high school to college, majoring in contemporary dance. At the time the only photography I was doing was for my own sentimentality. I had not yet tried portraiture, what later would spearhead my career. I decided to leave school despite the dream I was holding on to at the time of being a professional contemporary dancer, because the everyday life of training for that dream was withering my self confidence and leaving me feeling deeply unmotivated. I had always been a driven person, able to work hard toward my goals, but as I got deeper into this dance program, the more I watched myself drag my feet. When I reached my “breaking point,” crying in the back of my ballet class, I decided to withdrawal from all of my classes and leap into the unknown. I knew it was a necessary choice because of how little I recognized myself by that point, and yet I feared the lack of direction leaving school would bring. Despite those fears, the decision was made and that choice began a snow ball of events which lead to a life more fulfilling and inspiring than I could have imagined at the time. After leaving school, I decided to spend some time in Boston, where my partner at the time and a few friends were going to school. I was immediately drawn into the Boston arts community, surrounded by primarily musicians, and felt a pull to create with the people around me. The way I felt I could contribute was through my budding interest in photography. On my first photo shoot with a friend, I fell in love with portraiture. On my fourth photo shoot for fun with a friend, I was offered payment for my work, awakening in me the idea of pursuing a career in photography. Following my gut to leave a path that felt dissonant despite the inherent risk of the unknown was the beginning of discovering a path that was better suited for me. And despite what I felt at the time was leaving behind a dream, I have since been able to return to dance with a new sense of perspective, inspiration, and curiosity, connecting it to the new path I’m on and the new dreams I’m moving toward.

Alissa, 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?

Hi all! My name is Alissa Wyle and I run a photo/video business based in Los Angeles under the name Holy Smoke Photography. I work primarily with musicians, shooting album covers, press photos, music videos, and more. With my background in dance as well as training as a yoga instructor, I focus on guiding my subjects to find ease in front of the camera. From spending some time in front of the lens myself, I’ve developed an awareness for the vulnerability inherent in being photographed. As such, I center my client’s comfort first to lay a foundation for a space with room to creatively explore. I also have a deep love and fascination for lighting which leads to imagery from my studio photography and videography work that is distinctive in its use of shadow, color, and reflections. Part of what has drawn me to working with musicians, is the opportunity to develop another artists idea. One of my strengths is bringing someone else’s vision to life. As such a focus on photography and directing broadened into a love for cinematography as well.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

One goal of mine is to be a safe space for women, queer folks, and people of color. Photographs are intrinsically linked to the perspective of the person taking the photo and as such I work to be as considerate as possible of the vulnerability inherent to being seen. I want the people I photograph to feel celebrated, feel comfortable to express themselves, not feel the all too present need to be in survival mode. Similarly, I have the goal to be visible as a queer woman in photography and cinematography. I would love to encourage other women and queer folks to make visible their perspectives through this powerful, vibrant, and sentimental art form.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the most rewarding parts of my job as a photographer is aiding people in making visible the parts of themselves that they’ve wanted to express but haven’t known how to. It is a gift to watch a subject look back at the photos that were taken of them and find love and admiration for what they see. It is an honor to help people see themselves with care and compassion.      

Contact Info:

• Website: holysmokephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holysmokephotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/holysmokephotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissa-wyle/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-btLh4YlZc

Image Credits
All photographs by Holy Smoke Photography / Artists In Featured Photographs: 
Claire Goh of the band Paper Citizen, Isnard Depoux, Isabel Dumaa, Idara Ndon, Divyanka Gupta, Jans Alcantara, Miette Hope, Izzy Schwarz, Aimee Vant, Sammy Singleton, Darien Bernard, and Sofie