Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Curtis.
Hannah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a child, I loved the camera and my parents indulged me by developing every blurry photo I took. I thought of it as a hobby through high school and when I was hiring my wedding photographer in 2004, she suggested I come to be her second shooter. That’s when my thinking shifted. In 2005, we were married and moved to Idaho where I started doing photography part time as I finished my degree in Business Management. Getting my first DSLR was a huge milestone. As newlyweds in a new area, we spent time in the mountains, camping and seeing all the nature Idaho has to offer. I took that time to get to know my camera and found that portraiture was for me. I am drawn to children, always have been, and I started narrowing in on family photography. Over the years, I have shifted my focus more toward newborn and children with family still in the mix.
When we decided to start a family of our own and realized that we couldn’t do that without help. Miscarriage, loss, and IVF drew me more toward photographing the littles. In 2011, we chose to move forward with adoption and a year later we became parents. The best day of our lives. Being a mother gave me more love for photographing children and families. I knew how quickly they changed but watching my daughter day to day made it very clear. Having photographs of her in each stage and being in those photographs is something I will cherish forever. We adopted our son in 2016 photographing my children as newborns were such a gift for me. I took those and those are my children. Something I didn’t know if I would get to do at one point.
2018 began with our move to California. A new beginning for both me and my business. My husband was offered a job here and while it was hard to leave our friends, family and my clients it has been exciting to meet new people, see new things and start to grow my business here in Southern California.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been anything from smooth. There has been a lot of learning through mistakes. I had a battery go bad so I had to reschedule in order to go get a new one. I had a memory card work until I went to transfer my images of an engagement. People want me at their events and ask me to just “bring my camera.” Clients want a discount on the cheapest package. Clients mad because they won’t pay the rest of their bill but want their images, NOW!
Learning taxes and all the business stuff along with creating systems to make things smoother is a process. A small portion of what I do is actually behind the camera.
I would say to anyone starting out on this journey. Get to know your self, know what you can handle and be ready to be pushed a bit further. Know there will be ups and downs but if it is something you love then embrace the chaos and push forward as it’ll all come together while you learn, connect with others and grow in your life and career.
Please tell us about Alessi Photography.
I am a portrait photographer specializing around the children. That includes maternity, newborn, children’s milestones and family. I worked in childcare for years so I often hear clients say “thank you for being patient with my children.” Children are children and they aren’t meant to sit by a backdrop for an hour. They move, they wiggle they cry they giggle. I am here to capture that while making the experience less stressful for Moms and Dads. I am proud that I can give my clients a good experience and capture those fleeting moments. May sound odd but for me! There is only one of me and I think I’m what sets me apart. I like classic colors, sorry no moody super warm images here. I like bright and pure for my style. I focus on the emotion and those little expressions with both posed and lifestyle images. I want my clients to have a good session and know they can come to me through the whole process.
Giving back is very important to me and I hope to encourage those going through infertility and adoption with Buckets of Hope and Worth the Wait. I hope to help everyone realize they are not alone in this process and it is worth talking about all the emotions that come with infertility and adoption.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
I think people and potential clients assume a woman will be softer and more easily pushed into giving a deal or do what they want. If we stand our ground we are told we are mean but if a man did the same he’d be called bold or strong. I feel that what someone might pay a man without question makes a client pause when the photographer is a woman. Even if the work is equal or better.
We have a long way to go but we have also come very far as a nation. I think as woman we need to continue to push for equal pay and educate clients that we are just as capable as our male counterparts. As moms we need to teach our girls that they are worthy, they are strong and they deserve all the best. They must work hard for it, but they can achieve it. And we need to teach our boys how to respect women, that women deserve the same as they do and that they can achieve anything with hard work. We can shape the next generation to think in a way that creates men and women as equals.
Pricing:
- Mini sessions start at $150
- Maternity starts at $450
- Newborn starts at $450
- Children start at $400
- Family starts at $450
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alessiphotography.com
- Phone: 208-921-3572
- Email: hannah@alessi-photography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/alessiphoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/alessiphoto
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/alessiphoto
- Other: www.pinterest.com/alessiphoto
Image Credit:
Kelsey Masaitis of Cam On Photography, Hannah Curtis of Alessi Photography
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
