Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Mason.
Hi Alisa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started taking clients when I was 16. I remember my cousin, also a photographer, telling me I had a real eye for photography, so I saved all my babysitting money and bought my first DSLR. In college, I studied photography for a year and then had a year-long internship with Kristina Curtis Photography. I learned so much from those opportunities! Over the years, I have stopped and started many times.
I went to college, served an LDS mission, got married, and had two kids. With each transition, I have had to relearn a few things and refresh. I have always loved babies, which has fostered my love for photographing babies, birth stories, and young families. I have had so much support from friends and family.
Overall, my love for making people smile and feel seen and beautiful is why I keep doing it!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Yes and no. I’m definitely not as “successful” as I thought I’d be at this point. I definitely thought that after this many years, I would be a lot busier, have a lot more clients, and have more consistency.
What I have learned though is that if I’m doing it as a job, I don’t like it as much. But if I’m simply doing it to explore my creativity and create memories for people, then I love it a lot more. So I’ve decided I’m ok with a bit of a slower pace. I take the jobs that I want, and that I think will be the most fulfilling for me creatively.
It had also been hard to have to run a business through social media. As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, I benefit greatly from being away from social media. My business, however, does not. Learning to strike a balance between the two has been very tricky.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Having been a photographer for about 10 years, I have learned many different aspects of the business. I have photographed everything from weddings and funerals to small businesses, and childbirth. I also worked for a year as a food photographer for Brigham Young University.
I worked with chefs, project managers, graphic designers, and students to create new menu items, menus, ads, and portraits of food all over campus. I was even published in a university magazine. Living in Provo, it still makes me proud to drive by campus and see my work hanging in places like the Creamery on 9th, and the Cougar Eat, photos that thousands of people see every day!
I think my versatility sets me apart. I am willing to try new things and learn new styles in order to create something beautiful for my client. Rather than staying with a set shooting or editing style, I like to learn and try different things, making me accessible to many different types of people.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
So so many. My family of course, and a husband who has supported me to have a job that is not always reliable. Kristina Curtis is a fantastic mentor and gave me an awesome internship opportunity that taught me so much about the photography world, and myself, and gave me a lot of networking opportunities.
When I came home from my mission, my dad bought my old camera off me to help me afford a new one. It was incredibly kind and really helped me to get a leg up. He and my mom also always praised my creativity and encouraged me to keep creating.
I also have so many friends, and my amazing sisters, who let me photograph them all the time. They have stayed with me through the learning process and it’s kind of funny to look back at all the pictures I’ve taken of them and see how we all have grown, both physically and professionally.
I am so grateful for their support. It has been hard for me to “take” money from them for my photos, but their constant support and cheerleading have helped me to believe that my work and the memories I capture are worth it. I am so incredibly grateful to them.
Pricing:
- Family Portraits begin at $250 (up to 5)
- Couple photos (maternity, engagements, etc.) begin at $200
- Individual portraits begin at $150
- Newborn photos (in-home or in hospital) begin at $200
- Birth Stories begin at $300
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @alisamasonphotography
Image Credits
Alisa Mason Photography
