Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra McClung.
Hi Alexandra, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in St. Louis, I come from a family of three girls, with me being the youngest. All of us have various shades of red hair and striking blue eyes. We now all live in the St. Louis area with our significant others and children. To say we are close would be an understatement.
I met my husband, Heath, at the young age of 19 while working at Mike Duffy’s in Town and Country. We started dating just two weeks before he shipped off to basic training for the US Army.
After basic, he was stationed at Fort Drum New York with the 10th Mountain Infantry Division. I was going to school at UMSL for Business and starting my first internship in Boston for the summer. Heath was set to deploy in early 2011.
While in Boston I received a phone call that would change everything. Heath was hit by an IED and was being airlifted stateside. And after a few days, I was put on a flight to meet him in Augusta, GA.
Heath proposed later that year, I was just 20 years old but so very much in love with him.
After two years of in-patient rehab, a dozen or so surgeries, we made the decision for him to amputate above the knee as a veteran so that he could come home and start his life over.
Now, I fancy myself as an adventurer and am always down to try something new. My family always did beach vacations where staying at a Holiday Inn was considered “ruffing” it. I love being outdoors and feel the most connected to the earth, myself, and God outside. Before his injury, we loved to hike but given his injuries, hiking was now painful. We were then introduced to a hobby called “overlanding”. Overlanding is self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal. We were instantly hooked. We married on April 26, 2014, and Heath had his amputation two weeks later.
One of Heath’s many talents is driving any and all vehicles in any and all-weather and terrain. Because of this, we quickly learned me driving his beloved Tacoma during these adventures was not good for our relationship (ha)… And that’s when he bought me my first DSLR camera. I loved photographing our adventures, especially when we would make it out west.
At the time I was working in Corporate Marketing with the goal of becoming a Chief Marketing Officer of a Fortune 500 company. But after working for one, I quickly learned that was not the path I really wanted. I started volunteering with nonprofit organizations in the St. Louis area and attended a Mission Continues service project with Heath. I remember climbing into his Tacoma after the project and saying “how cool would it be to do this for a living.”
I ended up applying for a development position and made the career change from corporate to nonprofit. It’s almost like that’s when my adult life really started. I was married, we had bought an adorable starter home in Webster Groves, Heath was working towards his Mechanical Engineering degree and I had a job that I loved.
It was during my time at The Mission Continues that I fell in love with photographing people at our service projects around the country. Once I had our first child, Wyatt, in 2017 I was hooked on photographing children and families. And since my sisters were also having children, I had plenty of adorable subjects to hone in on my craft with.
At the end of 2019, it was time for me to move on from The Mission Continues and I took a Marketing and Public Relations Manager position at a local nonprofit. We had just moved from our starter home in Webster Groves to a five-acre home in Wildwood. Then the pandemic hit.
Like most, the pandemic changed everything for me. I left my full-time position to stay at home with our son, Wyatt, so that Heath could actually get work done at home. Wyatt and I spent the majority of our time adventuring around our land. Instead of trying to find part-time marketing work, I decided to finally start my own photography business, and Lillie James Photography was born. The name is from my maiden name (Lillie) and James stands for the first names of my family of origin (Jessica, Alexandra, Meghan, Edward, and Sherry).
Soon after the launch, we found out that we were expecting our daughter. My pregnancy wasn’t easy from the beginning. I was sick every day up until I was 20 weeks and once, I hit 30 weeks, I had gestational hypertension and had to be on bed rest, which obviously halted my business.
We welcomed Shea into our lives in November of 2020, our silver lining for the year. She is the perfect addition to our family.
My first and most important job is being their mom. Being able to be present with them and watch them learn and grow is so much more of a blessing than I ever thought it could be.
Lillie James Photography is my passion and being able to do both photography and be a present mom is everything I never knew I needed.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wish it was a smooth road! That would be too easy though. The struggles really came during seasons of change. Because we really like to “go big” and cram a lot of changes into a short period of time. Becoming a mom has by far been the most challenging, yet rewarding experience. Given my husband’s injury, I typically do all of the middle of the night feedings and diaper changes. I have also been blessed with a baby who refuses to take a bottle so my biggest challenge at the moment is being able to separate myself from Shea in order to work. While I have experienced professional growth within my first year in business, I am not where I would want to be. As she continues to grow more independent, I have been able to slowly take on more clients and can’t wait to continue the journey!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Lillie James Photography specializes in lifestyle and family photography in the St. Louis area. I love taking everyday moments and turning them into cherished memories. I am most proud of having long-term clients, where I capture memories during all seasons of their lives. Walking into a client’s home with my images hung is equivalent to seeing my baby girl smiling up at me. Simply put, it fills my soul.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I was lucky enough to meet my husband at a young age and still have the opportunity to grow into my own person. I was given the opportunity to study abroad in Germany at a discounted rate the summer Heath had moved back to St. Louis. I was lucky to have him support my decision to explore Europe on my own and every decision after.
It was lucky that my dad gifted Heath the book “Gods and Generals” during his time on R&R because that book slowed the ball bearing enough to where it only dented his spine, not severing it. It was lucky that the only serious injury Heath suffered was to his leg.
There have been times where luck did not seem to be on our side. Before our move to Wildwood, I had broken my arm on a work trip, Heath was scheduled for surgery, and we had to put our beloved rescue dog, Aussie, down at the age of 6 due to liver disease. Our hearts were shattered.
Every season in life comes with both good and bad luck. The suffering that comes with bad luck opens room in your heart for when the good luck comes back around. Whatever it may be, just keep moving forward. Adapt and overcome.
Pricing:
- Mini sessions – $200 for 15 digital images
- Family sessions – $350 for all digital images
- Special events (inquire about pricing) – business openings, service projects, brand images
- Maternity and newborn – $400 includes all digital maternity session images and all digital newborn images
Contact Info:
- Email: amcclung@lilliejamesphotography.com
- Website: lilliejamesphotography.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/lilliejamesphoto
- Facebook: Facebook.com/lilliejamesphotography
Image Credits
Lillie James Photography
