The
Alisandra Photography Blog

Confession. When I was in middle school, I scared my mom. I went shopping and bought all black and started getting into the make-up trends. So, immediately they signed me up for my preferred version of charm school – John Casablancas. I’m told now that it is a scam, but it got the job done. I learned a lot about the fashion world, but most importantly to my mama, I learned how to apply make-up. One other fact about myself I learned was that I actually like to be in front of the camera. Behind, more, but in front ain’t all that bad.

Fast forward to post college. As you may know, I attended a photography school called the Center for the Digital Imaging Arts in Georgetown, DC. It was awesome, but we were all photographers. Brand spankin’ new photographers. When we would have assignments, who else was there to shoot besides each other? So we all got so used to being photographed. The funny part is that nobody new anything about directing a shoot. We didn’t know what looked good or how to tell people to stand and what emotion we wanted to convey. We just put people in the lights and started shooting. But by the end, we were wearing more make-up, doing our hair, and using tear sheets to give us posing ideas.

1 // Kyla Hollingshead, 2+3 // Samantha Zippilli, 4 // Kristen Finn, 5 // Jaqueline Campbell, 6+7 // Nick Finochio

After CDIA, my next time being photographed was at my wedding. The nice thing about wedding photographers is that they know what loos good and they know how to direct. Everything is on location at a wedding, so you have backgrounds to play with – and a new husband. Adam Barnes made that whole process easy and being photographed by him was never EVER a worry.

Modeling for a shoot and paying someone to photograph you are two totally different feelings. When you pay someone, you have more confidence – you know that these photos are for you and you don’t worry about “messing them up.” At least I don’t. But when someone asks you to sit in for them, you get a little more nervous! But you just take direction, and step out of your box.

Here is a styled shoot by my good buddy Jill, and a workshop Chad and I stepped in to model for!

And that time when I said I loved hiring people? Laura Gordon photographed us just a few months ago. Not only was I pretty excited about the results personally, but being in front of the camera is so good for my business. I get to see what it feels like. I can tell my clients the truth when I say, “I’ve been there!” Or, “I LOVE our photos – I hang them everywhere.” I love being able to be a consumer of the service I provide. I think being photographed is a must for any photographer!