We had the good fortune of connecting with Allie Wellner and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Allie, what do you want your legacy to be?
I think about this from time to time, especially in the last few years while I’ve been a stay at home Mom to my two boys, which, at times, can feel very isolating. I wonder, what will people remember about me? Have I melted so far into the background of people’s lives that they won’t remember me at all?
Since starting this business I’ve forged amazing relationships with my clients and felt a renewed passion for connectivity. And not just any connection, authentic connections! I want people to remember me as someone who cared enough to ask about their lives and truly listen! Someone who genuinely wanted to hear their story and to help them share that story through photography. I want to be remembered as a truth seeker, and a truth teller. If I have a legacy to leave, I hope that’s it.
Alright, so how did you find your passion for photography?
The road that lead me to photography is a very long one… I have always been very creative, and thankfully as a child I had grownups around me who encouraged my creativity! For career day in 8th grade I chose to shadow a photographer from the small town in Ohio where I grew up. She didn’t have a session that day, and frankly I don’t think she was all that into having me follow her around, so I didn’t get much out of it lol, but the desire was there even then.
I ended up going to college and graduating with a degree in marketing and apparel merchandising, which both definitely serve me well now as a photographer and business owner! I spent a summer in New York City interning for Coach and my plan was always to move to New York and pursue a career in fashion, but graduating during the recession of 2008 was hard and fashion jobs were scarce. I ended up pursuing sales and marketing for several years and eventually ended up with a great job as a national accounts manager, which consisted of a lot of travelling around the country. I loved my job but found myself needing a creative outlet during my long weeks on the road. That’s when I first picked up a DSLR camera. I would schedule myself what I referred to as “photography adventure days” at least once a week, or go shoot early in the mornings before work while I was traveling. I fell completely in love with photography and I found a joy in creating that I had never felt before. It was such a high finding beauty in all the new places I was fortunate enough to explore! I was mostly shooting landscapes and still-life’s, anything that inspired me really. I was always drawn to portraits and would frequently ask strangers if I could take their picture lol. Honestly, I didn’t even really know what I was doing (I mean, I was shooting in jpeg. totally clueless) All I knew is that I absolutely loved it!
In the spring of 2012 my then 82 year old grandmother decided to go skydiving to raise money for charity. It was a huge event and I decided this would be a good time to bring my camera along and try to document the day. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful days I can remember; our entire (very large) family showed up and everyone was just so happy! That day I took portraits of several of my family members, that are to this day some of my favorite photos I’ve taken! I was able to truly capture the essence of my grandmother through photos that day. She’s no longer with us, but I can look at these pictures and feel her spirit still with me. I can see her sweet, nervous smile just before she got on the plane and feel her energy all over again. And that’s exactly what I want to give to my clients!
Often when I’m in a session, or when I’m editing a gallery, I’ll ask myself, does this capture the essence of this person? Is this an accurate representation of this moment in their life? If they passed away tomorrow, would their loved one’s cling to this photo as a reminder of the person they loved? That might sound a little morbid, but that is the level of authenticity I am trying to capture with my work. I think there is no truer form of storytelling than photography; I want my photos to evoke the feeling of a memory, and to be the image you see in your mind’s eye when you think of someone you love!
When I first moved to Colorado in 2014, I buried myself in work and even though I had moved to this gorgeous place, at some point I set my camera down and didn’t pick it back up again until after having my oldest son. Like so many female photographers, the need to document my babies is what brought me back to photography. After working as a full-time mother for 2 years I was considering wading back into my professional career when I asked myself, what do I really want to be doing in 5 years? The answer was simple. Mildly terrifying, but simple. I knew it was time to finally pursue the thing that makes me happiest!
When my youngest son turned one I decided it was time to reinvest in myself and focus on my future, as well as my sons. Ever since I have been working my butt off to launch this business and learn absolutely everything that I can. I work during nap times, wake up at 5am, and go to bed hours after the kids, all with the support of my amazing husband who I legitimately couldn’t be following this dream of mine without! It’s been the beautiful rebirth of a side of me I’ve been missing and am so thankful I’ve found again!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I actually invited a photographer friend from Ohio to visit me recently and I had the best time showing her our beautiful state! We only had the weekend but managed to have an amazingly jam-packed itinerary!
First, we went to Boulder Falls and did a session in Boulder Canyon before having lunch at Half Fast Subs. Then it was off to shoot at the Flatirons and Lookout Mountain, followed by a quick editing session and beers at Upslope. (If you don’t have time to go somewhere further in the mountains, I think Boulder is the perfect place to get your fill of the rockies!)
The next day we had breakfast at Denver Biscuit Co. and went to Manitou Springs to check out the penny arcade before heading over to Garden of the Gods. From there we scooted over to Calhan for a session at the Painted Mines.
Before heading to the airport the next day we had lunch at Tocabe (drool!!! so good!), and ice cream from Little Man.
We were pretty tight on time, but I would have loved to take her skiing/snowboarding, and to check out all of the murals in RiNo! Obviously, everyone also needs to visit red rocks at least once, and when visiting Colorado it feels like you really should go to at least 3 breweries to experience the beer culture! Also, everyone needs to get soup dumplings from Lao Wang Noodle House!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many amazing women in the photography community have been there to answer my questions, offer words of encouragement, and have contributed to my success! (If I have stalked you on instagram and bugged you like a little sister would, I’m talking about you- I appreciate your help more than I can say!) I most definitely wouldn’t be where I am without my dear friend Chrissy Haudenschield of Chrissy Haudenschield Photography out of Ohio! She has served as such an inspiration to me in starting this business and is such a beautiful, talented, kind hearted and generous human! She is my constant cheerleader and mentor. I just love her so much and cannot put into words how much I appreciate her as a friend and as an artist!
And absolutely none of this would be possible without the love and support of my amazing husband, Cody, who has encouraged me to follow my dream from the minute I worked up the courage to say it out loud!
Instagram: www.instagram.com/alliewellnerphotography