I got my first camera when I was five. It was a kid's point and shoot and I took it with me everywhere! When I was 12 years old, I got very sick and lost all of my peripheral vision. It was around this time, I got my first "big girl" camera (a DSLR) and it became my escape because it was through that lens, that I could see the world in a way I couldn't with my eyes alone.
Since then, I have had four brain surgeries which helped me regain my vision. Ten years later, I've made my coping mechanism through pain into the way I share other's stories!
So, how why turn it into my job?
In college, I studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and traveled to ten countries and brought my camera with me everywhere. One of the countries I went to was Morocco. There, I spent time in Marrakesh and the Sahara Desert. I met tons of incredible people and through those connections, a Moroccan travel agency reached out asking to use my photos. This was the encouragement I needed to turn my passion and hobby into my job. Shout out to Morocco Desert Safari for pushing me to create Grace & Alethea!
I believe in the power of visual imagery by capturing your most precious moments so you can hold onto them for a lifetime!
I am based out of Pittsburgh, PA, but LOVE to travel! If you are out of town but want to talk about what booking a session might look like, let's chat!
Booking with me is simple - click the button below to be redirected to the Inquire page. There, we can get in contact and start planning your dream shoot!
This depends on the type of session you book. If it is a Mini, In the Middle, or All In session of any kind, you will receive your gallery within two weeks of our session date. However, if your session is a unique package, the turn around time for the completed gallery may vary.
I know being in front of a camera can be intimidating, so my goal is to make the process as easy and seamless as possible! To do this, I like to pose all of my clients using prompts. Prompts help take your mind off of the camera and allow you to feel loose instead of stiff in the images. With families and couples, we can have even more fun with prompts because it allows you to divert your attention to your loved one. These moments allow me to capture the raw and genuine emotion we all want in our gallery!
The biggest priority is your confidence! If you wear something that you feel uncomfortable in or not yourself, it will likely show in the end product.
For singles (think grads, seniors, portraits), I would recommend wearing something that shows off your personality and that is genuinely you. If something doesn't come to mind, you can never go wrong with neutrals!
For families and couples, I recommend "matching" loosely. Typically, matching too much isn't as visually pleasing in photos as complementing. When picking out your outfits, try picking a color palette that pairs well together. For example, one person may wear a floral blue dress while the other wears a white shirt and khaki pants. Think about outfits that look beautiful together, not trying to match as much as possible.
Pro tip: Pinterest is your best friend! Check out my boards for outfit inspo here.
I store galleries for one year, so I recommend downloading your photos and storing them in the cloud, when you receive your gallery.