Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Russo.
Hi, Alyssa. Thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
My first experience involving photography was actually when I was modeling! I did a ton of modeling, which started at the age of 13. I modeled every year for a photography conference called Shutterfest. I also modeled for the Chicago photography conference as well, Clickcon. When I saw all the creativity you can explore in photography, I instantly was mesmerized by it all and wanted to start creating images for myself. I begged for a camera for my 18th birthday. I graduated high school a year early and was doing online college while also exploring with my new camera my parents got me! I grew up doing competitive dance, and I knew dance photography was what I wanted to focus on. After about a year, I started getting more serious about it and wanted to get good at this craft. It blossomed to where I started my own business and got to live every day with a job that I couldn’t love more. I excel working with kids, so capturing these dancers’ talents and helping them feel confident is the best gift I could ever have. It makes my heart full. I focused on getting to know my camera and how to work all the settings, and I also focused on learning how to edit. You can genuinely make an image POP look so beautiful in post-processing.
Can you tell us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth?
I have always faced any challenge thrown at me with open arms, and I had a vast support system between my family and the dance families I am surrounded with. They helped me overcome any bumps in the road I had on this journey. My mom was my biggest cheerleader, and she passed away in October of 2021. This was the biggest change in my life. She would come with me to 99% of my shoots, and when she passed away, it was truly such a weird experience not to have her there with me. She helped me so much to get to where I am today. Regardless, the support system I am surrounded with has cheered me on the whole way and is always willing to help me.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
Since I grew up a competitive dancer, I knew I wanted to specialize in dance photography. Dance photography allows me to be creative and open my horizons in many ways. It is more than just your typical session; dance poses are so much fun to play around with, especially in specific locations. I always try to do cool themes with my dancers, which challenges all of us! I am very proud of how much my business has built up recently. I always keep in the back of my head how proud my mom would be of me, and that is my daily motivation to keep going. I want to continue to make her proud, so I have been trying to challenge myself lately in many ways! What sets me apart is I am a dancer myself, so I know actual dance terms and can help demonstrate poses or help the kids get into them. I also teach dance since I have graduated high school, so I am constantly staying on top of trends and learning ways to help dancers most effectively.
What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me in my business is making the clients feel confident and beautiful. This applies to all shoots, not just dance. My clients become family to me, and I get close to most families I am blessed to work with. Most of my clients know I am very lenient, and they can come to me about anything. I am an open book with everyone, and I will do whatever I can to ensure my sessions are fun!
Contact Info:
- Website: russophotography58.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russophotography__/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russophotography18
Image Credits
Russo Photography
