The
Alisandra Photography Blog

We have officially made the call to stop photographing weddings after a 13 year career in the industry. Yep, I quit wedding photography. You are now reading the blog of a Virginia Beach Portrait Photographer. I can’t wait to see you in the North End. Pleasure House Point. First Landing State Park.

But let’s back up a bit.

In the fall of 2020, we got pregnant with our miracle baby, Hana. I knew that work would be hard, but I had seen so many women do it – a combo of grace and grit. We then found out about Hana’s diagnosis and I lost all care about my business. I knew I had weddings once she was born, but I had trouble caring about inquiries and following up. We had a stay in the NICU, but once she was home, I felt as most newborn moms do – just trying to get some sleep, let alone answering emails and figuring out how to do Instagram Reels with the rest of the world. I photographed the weddings that I had booked in 2021, and booked *just a few more.*

Suddenly, Hana was almost 2, Chad quit his job and started a company based in Virginia Beach, and we decided it would be best to move to limit his commute. In October 2023, I shot my last wedding.

Here are 2 main reasons I’ve made this decision:

1. I lost my passion for the ever changing industry.

   In the years leading up to now, so much happened that forced my job to the back-burner. After covid stripped weddings down to the bare minimum and my daughter’s birth really put life into perspective, I wasn’t sure I could stomach going back to the “way things were.” I had a hard time regaining the momentum and passion. Something in me was craving “simple.” I could see how the industry was changing – faster than ever turnaround times, more and more social media, and dozens of inquiries that ghost. Now don’t get me wrong. I LOVE being at all of these beautiful weddings and photographing them fills my creative tank and I LOVE my job, especially when I’m right there in the midst of it crying at first looks and toasts from daddy. But there I couldn’t seem to muster up the hustle.

2. Friends and family time happens on the weekends.

   With Chad having a job with traditional hours, I wanted to be able to reserve weekends for all three of us. Honestly, there’s not much more to it. I craved slow Saturday mornings at the beach with family and friends in the summer. I hated missing pumpkin picking in the fall and farmers markets in the spring.

So, now I’ve taken a long enough time to come to the conclusion that it’s time I quit wedding photography. Will I ever shoot weddings again? Maybe! I can see taking on more intimate beachy local weddings…maybe. And, I’m not quitting photography either. I am excited to regroup, relaunch, restart as a Virginia Beach Portrait Photographer. I can’t wait to get started and continue photographing amazing people, hearing their stories, playing in the sand and in the studio, chasing kids, and chasing light.

And I end this post, I need to say THANK YOU. To the couples who have trusted me with their day and referred me to their friends. Thank you to the vendors who came together as a team and made my job easier with their planning and creativity. Thank you God for the blessing and honor to work in the event space, to learn the art of humility and service in a creative job.