Meet Alyssa Carpenter | Wedding & Elopement Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alyssa Carpenter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alyssa, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My story of how I ended up as a professional wedding and elopement photographer is a little untraditional. I always envy my peers who have that story of getting their first camera as a child, being into photography from a young age, and dreaming of this job. I’ve always been creative at heart, but kind of fell into it with no background in photography at all, falling in love with it very quickly after.

I went to college for business and found myself working in HR after graduation. I very quickly realized the 9-5 grind was not for me. I was switching jobs every few months, filled with anxiety, feeling a lack of a purpose in life, and just overall miserable. I knew pretty quickly that I wanted (and needed) to work for myself. The idea of becoming a wedding photographer came to me because I was thinking of something that was relatively low cost to enter (no brick and mortar), and that I could kickstart while I was still working my corporate job. I figured I’d give it a shot – and I failed at least I’d have some nice camera gear I could use for fun.

I very quickly became OBSESSED with learning everything about photography and starting my own business, building a brand, marketing etc. I taught myself everything on Youtube, podcasts, and help from a few great mentors. I would work 9-5 everyday in my corporate job and then come home and focus on photography from 5pm-the middle of the night. My weekends were filled with shoots and practicing nonstop. It was an exhausting start and so much work, but it all paid off.

After about a year, I had enough money saved and enough of a pipeline built to sustain myself for at least the next year, so I decided to quit my full time job and go all in to my photo business. If there is anything I’ve learned and any advice I can give – go in with your whole heart, find a few good like minded friends who build you up, and don’t give up. You can’t give something half effort and expect full results. Starting your own business is a grind at first (and let’s face it, always) and you will have so many failures and hiccups along the way, but it is so incredibly worth it.

5 years later I haven’t looked back. I have more financial freedom than I ever could have imagined at this age, and I am so genuinely fulfilled with my work. I always thought the phrase “choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” was such a gimmick – but I can honestly say I have found a “job” I am so in love with and doesn’t feel like work. Yes sometimes it gets stressful, but the amount of freedom I have with every decision, the control I have over my life, schedule, income, and the amount of joy that I get to bring to my clients everyday makes it all so worth it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think one thing that sets my work apart from a lot of others is the ability to capture genuine emotion and authenticity through my images. My goal is always to make “posing” feel natural and effortless rather than stiff and awkward. I approach every shoot a little differently depending on the way my couple interacts together, and just want their images to look and feel like them. It’s also a huge balance of capturing the scenery in Colorado with the couple and putting emphasis on both of those equally.

I think one of the biggest struggles starting out is comparing your work to others, and not feeling good enough. Someone once told me “comparison is the thief of joy” and I could not agree more. To over come this when I was starting I quit comparing my work to others, and instead focused on the reactions I got from my clients when I delivered their images. Just show up, be your self, and the rest will come. There is no better feeling in the world than delivering a gallery and making someones day. Run with that!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ohhhh this is a tough one! Even after 5 years in Colorado there is so much to see and do, it’s so hard to narrow down my favorites! If I was given a week, I’d say a day brewery hopping around Denver, maybe a concert at Red Rocks, and then venture out to Crested Butte or Ouray for a few days of camping, hiking, and hot springs!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
So many! My biggest inspiration is my mom who passed away suddenly when I was in college. She was one of the hardest working, most intelligent people I’ve ever known. She always pushed me to be a strong, independent woman and taught me that I can do and have anything I want in life. I will always strive to fulfill that and be the best version of myself that I can for her.

Another one is one of my best friends, Jill Houser. She is also an incredibly talented wedding photographer who is my rock in this industry. She is always there to support me, listen to me vent, and give me suggestions when I hit bumps in the road. It can get lonely working for yourself and it is so important to have someone you can lean on who knows what you’re going through!

Website: https://alyssacarpenterphoto.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssacarpenterphoto/