12/07/2025
Remember when I said it was my goal for 2026 to get a little more personal with all of you? Long blog-style post ahead 🤭
My photography journey started from exploring my need for a creative outlet when the world was spiraling in 2020. I didn’t have any plans to make it a business or stream of income, I just wanted to create, satisfy my passion for learning and find a way to connect with people when society was forcing us to “socially distance” from one another.
Slowly I became drawn to watching the people in front of my camera shift from being uncomfortable to confident and having fun! I’ve gotten to witness the admiration felt between a mother and her children, pure love and adoration between couples, unspeakable knowings between generations of families capturing photographs they will cherish in 50 years.
Before I knew it, it went from me reaching out to people offering sessions to people reaching out to me to book! Not just friends calling me anymore but strangers and ‘friends of friends’. This was the turning point where I had to decide - do I go for it? I knew this ‘project’ needed structure. People wanted to know what they could expect and I had to cultivate something uniform I could follow and provide to people who were reaching out. Thus, Al Marie Photography LLC was created! No expectations, just following wherever this went.
But at some point I kind of fell prey to the idea of having a business and what that meant. The excitement shifted to anxiety. I was worried about EVERYTHING. Am I charging enough? Am I charging too much? Am I good enough to produce what people are expecting? How do I get more followers? Are people talking poorly about what I’m putting out? How embarrassing will it be if this doesn’t take off? I started focusing on everything except what I loved about it in the first place!!! I still loved taking photos and turning them into something I thought was lovely - but it was different. My insecurities wouldn’t allow me to comprehend that people just genuinely enjoyed working with me.
I’m sure so many people can relate. You start a job or a hobby you LOVE, then you dive in head first and get a little lost in the noise, and then wonder how you got there.
We’re not socially distancing in the same way we were in 2020 - but improving Artificial Intelligence is creating more distance in creative spaces. It’s a blessing and a curse. But AI will never feel as fulfilled as we creatives do when creating with our clients which is why my goal is to be a little more vulnerable to keep that human connection as long as possible.
Allllll of this to say I want to find ways to get back to creating special little moments WITH people that we can both be proud of so that passion continues to overflow into everything I produce ☺️ To keep that spark alive I’ve been toying with the idea of offering limited black & white mini sessions year-round in 2026. Contrary to belief, black & white can actually be really challenging. It forces you to go back to the basics of composition and light.
So if this sounds like something you resonate with and you want to be a part of this journey with me, keep an eye out for more information!! It’s not set in stone yet and maybe I’ll think of something else instead but cheers to what’s to come 🥂
