Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Bell.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was holding a camera long before I had a baby. It was all for the girl scout badge in 8th grade when my sister was home from USC with her college photography textbook. That morphed into a science project on film speeds (like actual film in a roll!) Fast forward, I was the yearbook photographer and editor for my high school (did you know yearbook camp is a thing?!); graduated from the University of South Carolina with a glorified yearbook degree: Journalism and Visual Communications.
I married a Citadel cadet while doing my master’s at the College of Charleston and moved to Camp Lejeune, transferring credits from UNC Wilmington with an infant. Photography was something “I could do anywhere” and we were surrounded by young families, babies, and deployments. I started a blog on Tumblr and started charging!
Twelve years, four boys, and six moves later I’m still photographing families! It’s not something that truly moves well. I have to relaunch and restart my business from scratch with every PCS. But turns out I really enjoy digital marketing and our military community has connected me with so many people across the globe. It’s quite humbling.
As my kids get older and the opportunity for family sessions on weekends wanes with warm weather, I focus on in-home newborn sessions and personal branding. It’s still new, but it’s the modern take on a traditional headshot. Ever wondered how someone got such crisp images of them working or behind the scene shots like making coffee or something? That’s personal brand photography.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As an active duty military family, we move every 1-3 years. Most recently we had back-to-back moves – one from Japan summer of 2019 and again summer of 2020.
Not knowing if, when, or where we’ll move next makes it very hard to rebuild a client base. Unlike online businesses or even product-based businesses, photography is location-specific and entirely custom. I can’t ship it or reproduce it for anyone else.
It takes at least 18 months to build up in a new area – to show up on Google, to meet enough people to garner trust, etc. Another 12-18 months to hopefully enjoy a reliable stream of clients before we move again and I start over.
Currently, we’re set to move in summer 2023, but we don’t know if that will really happen right now.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a family photographer. I love the spontaneity of an ornery three-year-old, or toddler. I’m a high energy, I love setting up a scene and seeing what happens! I’m particularly fond of extended family sessions too. I thrive in the loud and messy chaos of a big family, I’m happy to take charge in a cheerful way.
The beach is my specialty in the summer. You just can’t beat it for a big family. It’s a simple, neutral location that doesn’t distract from the movement and people of a large family. And my number one priority for location is to allow kids to be themselves – free to run and scream!
When the beach isn’t available, I prefer to photograph families in their homes. It’s easy to get caught up in the grind of life, but to be able to relive everyday moments in the living room, or snacks at the counter are priceless.
Same thing with newborns. I think people understand how fleeting those first days and weeks are. I shoot newborns at home in a similar lifestyle approach – in their own homes with their blankets, furnishings, and such. It’s easy because they don’t have to leave the house and everything they need is right there. Decades from now they’ll gawk at the style of the house they came home to as infants!
I hear pretty often from other photographers that they don’t love working families bc the kids are a lot of work. I’m the exact opposite – kids are a lot of work physically and there is some psychology involved to get them on your side, but I feel awkward with just adults! I think my focus and joy with families are pretty unique.
I also photograph women business owners doing what they do best. It’s not headshots in a traditional sense, but lifestyle photos for a business. People buy from people. We’re nosy and we want to see the inner workings of a person’s brand or business (hello social media!).
I strategize with my clients on how to tell their stories visually – everything from brand colors to voice and problem-solving. Then we shoot! It’s very similar to family work if you can believe it.
What makes you happy?
Oh, there’s so much!
Family. That’s why we all do what we do right? To be free to enjoy the people we love most. That’s what I love to show mamas in their photos.
Light. Beautiful light whether it’s a sunrise over coffee or the way it comes through the trees at my son’s baseball games or clouds like cotton candy on a summer night.
A completed task or project. I”m great at starting… finishing always feels like a hurdle.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alisonbellphotographer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonbellphotog/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonBellPhotographer
Image Credits
Headshot photographed by Heather Johnson Photography
