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Ep. 174 - How to turn your photos into art - Olesya Alferenko
46 Plays10 days ago
Olesya’s work reaches deep into your soul, leaving an indescribable impact that sticks with you. She’s got this knack for capturing not only moments but also the true essence of our family and the love that holds us together.
https://olesyaphotography.com/
https://instagram.com/carissawoo
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Transcript
Introduction & Digital Marketing Insights
00:00:00
Speaker
Happy Woo Wednesdays! If you haven't been on my IG lately, I talk a lot about digital marketing. I post like seven second reels pretty much every day. um And it's pretty much just selling digital products.
00:00:13
Speaker
This world is crazy booming and it's such a simple business model. I just want to share it to the world, share it to the wedding industry and make sure everyone knows about it. um It also gives you like the power to wait for the weddings that speak to your heart and pay the prices that you want to charge.
00:00:29
Speaker
So watch my nine minute video in the show notes. It's going to explain everything. Today i have Alessa Alfranco in the Get A Hequez house. We met through a mutual friend and we actually went to Dream State together in Long Beach.
00:00:44
Speaker
We were sitting in the bus together and she told me she was a photographer. This actually happens a lot, but um I checked out her Instagram and my mouth dropped. That doesn't happen a lot.
00:00:56
Speaker
Alessa's work really reaches deep into your soul, leaving an indescribable impact that sticks with you. Go check it out. I love her story about defeating Lyme disease to find her passion, photography, but and I've been stocking her photos for the past couple days because she is in Japan.
00:01:15
Speaker
Today's hot topic is how to turn photos into art. I am so inspired by her.
Carissa's Background & Transition to Coaching
00:01:25
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host Carissa and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all.
00:01:35
Speaker
I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:53
Speaker
Time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey.
00:02:06
Speaker
i hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon.
00:02:16
Speaker
everyone, welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with your girl, Karissa Wu.
Alesha's Journey from Siberia to Photography
00:02:20
Speaker
I'm here with a friend. Her name is Alisha Alfarenko and she is your Los Angeles family photographer and her work is probably the best family photography I've ever seen in my life.
00:02:30
Speaker
She's living in Hermosa Beach near me. She is from Siberia, russian Russia and moved to the US s at 15. She loves exploring with her hubby and her twin boys and after beating a chronic illness, her mission is to capture family stories full of joy the joy that comes from playing with our family, snuggling our loved ones and interacting with nature.
00:02:52
Speaker
Welcome, Alesha. Thank you Thank you so much for having me and for the great introduction. um So yes, so I am a photographer artist and I live in South Spain, our beautiful Hermosa beach.
00:03:05
Speaker
um We've been here since 2016 and my boys are now, i have twin boys, they're now in high school, so they're quite old. um And I photograph families and also couples.
00:03:17
Speaker
And together we shoot cinematic love stories and adventures. So I actually go on like an adventure or an actual date with my couples that we plan together. We plan like your dream experience.
00:03:28
Speaker
And then we go out together and i capture it for them, you know, with like a storytelling idea. And I photographed all over, really all over Southern California, also Central Coast California.
00:03:40
Speaker
And just more recently, I also started doing travel sessions. So last year I was in shooting in New York and Singapore and Bali. it was so much fun. And I would really love to do more of that going forward too.
00:03:53
Speaker
So Wow. That's quite the introduction. I mean, you met through mutual friends, so we had a nice time at a little party.
00:04:03
Speaker
um you were really You were quite the dancing queen. So i I enjoy watching your joy. Let's take back to your childhood. let's take it back to your childhood. What were you like as a kid? Tell us anything about your family, family dynamic, anything you want to share?
00:04:21
Speaker
Sure. um So I think my childhood and sort of what I've done before this is a good example of like how being an artist is a learned process, you know, because I don't think anything that I've done in my past really has anything to do with what I'm doing now.
00:04:36
Speaker
But I was born in Siberia in the former USSR. i was an only child. My mom was a professional ballerina and my dad, she was geophysicist by training, but he was really more of like a social entrepreneur.
00:04:50
Speaker
He started nonprofit organizations that promoted relations of USSR and USA at that time. um And so I was really like very introverted. I was a very good student. You know, I was not creative at all in any way. you know, in fact, creativity, like was not really encouraged in um school, in the school system.
00:05:10
Speaker
of ah the Soviet Union, you know, it was all about like, did you memorize your passage and come up to the board and recite it?
00:05:21
Speaker
and write creative essays. No, yeah we like practice marching, you know, in our uniforms and red scarves as young, young pioneers. So it was kind of all about that. Right. And so, you know, I was a quiet, smart kid who did her homework.
00:05:36
Speaker
And I dreamt about having a dog. It was like my parents would not let me have a dog, but you know, I lived in this like internal fantasy world with like my fantasy dog, who I like trained and groomed and fed and you know, whatever, but didn't never actually have a dog.
00:05:51
Speaker
oh So yes, very sad. um So for high school, I actually ended up in the United States and how that happened is my family move to Moscow.
00:06:04
Speaker
And then I happened to meet an American couple through my dad's work who did not have any children and we became fast friends. And they said, Hey, you know, how would you like to come and study for a year in the U S and live with us?
Cultural Shock & Creative Career Shift
00:06:15
Speaker
And I thought, Oh my God, wow. What an opportunity. Like, that sounds amazing. And just for a year. So I was like, you know, it's doable. Right. yeah I pack my bags and I leave the country for the first time.
00:06:27
Speaker
Super excited. Um, not knowing that I was going to stay in the U S for the rest of my life. So I had no idea at the time. Um, so i ended up in Northern California when I was 15.
00:06:38
Speaker
Um, and you know, when I came to the U S like the first thing I remember is that like, I was obviously a huge culture of shock. Right. But like, I was super enamored with advertising, um, and marketing because i have not seen anything like that in the USSR.
00:06:54
Speaker
And so I started analyzing TV ads and print ads and watching them endlessly. Like, and I think that, okay, when I grow up, I think I want to do something like that. I think I want to be in the ad or marketing business somehow.
00:07:06
Speaker
Um, so then I also applied to university and decide to see, okay, if I get it anywhere good, maybe like I'll stay in the U S. And I got into Stanford and then decided, okay, now I'm going back to Russia.
00:07:22
Speaker
So at that point, you know, the Soviet Union fell to Russia. Right. So, um, I decided to stay in the U S I majored in, um, psychology and economics. You know, I loved learning about consumer behavior and was interested in business.
00:07:34
Speaker
Um, after university, I worked in brand, um, food and beverage consulting. Um, and then I also worked for a.com. Like I was part of that whole, you know, dot com bomb and boost, uh, uh, uh, Francisco.
00:07:53
Speaker
So it was very exciting. Um, you know, and then as my startup fails and we all, you know, like leave the office, you know, I put in some applications for business school. Um, I decided I wanted to be a brand manager and that was kind of like a prerequisite to work in brand management.
00:08:07
Speaker
And then I take off for a trip around the world with my best friend. And that's when I really got like the travel bug, you know, just visiting all these beautiful and carnival places that I've never been to. And, um, you know, that was really a cool experience and I have not stopped traveling.
00:08:23
Speaker
Um, so then I got into business school and decided to do that. In post-business school, I work in brand marketing. So, you know, I was in charge of like creating brand strategy and working with advertising agencies and marketing agencies to launch campaigns to deliver brand growth and brand equity.
00:08:41
Speaker
um And so actually my most favorite part of my job was like the creative stuff, right? It was working with those agencies to to on those actual ad campaigns. And secretly, even though, you know, I loved being a brand owner, like I wanted to be the creative, like I wished that I could have those skills that the creatives had in the room, you know, but I was just not like that. It was just a, like ah a dream, a wish. Right.
00:09:07
Speaker
Um, so my big career shift actually happened after, you know, I worked in brand marketing for 11 years. Um, I, I worked for, you know, big, uh, consumer package, this company,
00:09:20
Speaker
And then i had to quit working because I was diagnosed with a chronic illness. um So I got Lyme disease and Lyme disease, you know, sometimes you like take antibiotics and you're fine, but other times you can evolve into chronic disease where like no one knows how to treat it And so you have to become your own advocate and figure out, you know, what treatment is actually going to work for you. wow Doctors are going to see. um And so I got to a point where like, I could not function.
00:09:47
Speaker
Like I had, would just lay in bed, flat as a pancake, you know, and if I'm able to like go downstairs for 10 minutes, I see my family for dinner or like take a walk around the block. Like that's a huge win, you know, is's that bad.
00:10:00
Speaker
And so this is when you're working in corporate. So sorry. This is when you were working in corporate. So at that point, so yes, it was when I was working corporate and at that point I had to quit my job because I like could not function and could not go to work anymore.
00:10:15
Speaker
um But you know, what the illness then gave me though was like an opportunity Right. Because like I started noticing things that I didn't normally notice before. it Like I noticed how the light streamed through the window in the morning, how the leaves change color slowly in the fall.
00:10:31
Speaker
How my boys were like squeezing each other tightly as they rolled around and playing on the floor. So like little moments that I've never paid attention to before just made me so happy and filled me with such tremendous joy that I just wanted to like capture them and hold on to them forever. Yeah.
00:10:48
Speaker
um And so I started picking up my camera. So I got a camera like when I was, um you know, became a mom, right? But didn't really know how to like use it in manual. I was just like, oh, let me take all these great photos.
00:11:01
Speaker
But never learned how to shoot manual. I never, cause I never had the time, but now I had the time, right? So I was laying there in bed. I'm like, okay, this is something I can do. Like I can actually like, I actually had the space to learn how to photograph.
00:11:13
Speaker
And so I start taking photographs every day, you know, at least like each day I wanted to create a photo. um And then by the time we moved to Los Angeles in 2016, you know, like I, at that point, I'm ah i'm starting to feel better.
00:11:28
Speaker
And like, and I moved to this beautiful place where right where I just can't like stop hiking and going to new beaches and exploring in nature with my camera. You know, i'm like everywhere capturing everything.
00:11:39
Speaker
And photography turns into like this huge passion of mine.
Philosophy & Art in Photography
00:11:43
Speaker
Wow. Was that Hermosa? Yes. I'm trying put the pieces together. was like, okay, this beautiful place is that you're hiking like near us right now.
00:11:57
Speaker
you know i mean I would go everywhere in California, in Southern California. like I just could not stop traveling and and exploring with my camera. And the theme of like enjoying um you know, nature, being in nature, the feeling of freedom in nature becomes like a big theme in my personal work too at the time.
00:12:16
Speaker
So then my friends and family start noticing that I'm photographing um and ask me to photograph them. And um I actually, you know, and and I had to make a decision like, do I go back to corporate, right? And look for more brain management jobs or do I try something totally risky and very different and have a creative career? And so I decided that, know what, life is short, like,
00:12:39
Speaker
I want to do something that really fills my heart. Um, I'm going to, yes, I'm going to earn way less money, but I'm just going to be so much happier right now for where I am now to give that joy, um, to my clients too. And to myself, um, to capture, you know, the feelings of love and, um, um, exploring in nature and our love together.
00:13:02
Speaker
um you know That's ah what really drew me into photography. And so I decided to start my own business. So that's how really... That's how the career shift happened. And i have honestly, I have not looked back since...
00:13:14
Speaker
Wow, you're really good at pacing because I told you to talk about yourself for 12 minutes and you talked about yourself for exactly 12 minutes. Oh, are you serious? So you're really good, yeah.
00:13:24
Speaker
I want to ask you so many more questions, but I'll just ask you like just a couple more before Hot Topic, but like what does your um business look like today? Because when I saw your Instagram, i was like, oh my God, because usually when people are like, oh, my friend, yeah, she's a photographer too. And then then like,
00:13:38
Speaker
I look at their Instagram she's like, Oh, whatever. You know, like they have like nothing on it. But when I saw yours, i was like, my mouth dropped. I was like, my goal in life is to like be able to afford like your photography. Like it's just ridiculous. So what does your business look like today? And like, how did it like, I kind of know the backstory from like our bus ride, but like, how did you get so good so fast?
00:13:59
Speaker
but You're so sweet. Thank you. Thank you for those kind words. I'm glad to hear that my work, my art is resonating. That's, that's, um really makes me happy. Thank you. um So I got started photographing, you know, first friends and then um like events. I did a lot of events. I did a lot of kids birthday parties and bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs. I never did weddings. So hats off to you for being wedding photographer. I just, I don't know if I could do that.
00:14:26
Speaker
It's a lot. It's challenging. um So, so yeah, it's a, so it's kind of started there and now it grew into this like cinematic adventure storytelling,
00:14:37
Speaker
Um, you know, it's very core to my brand. And I think, you know, the kind of clients who hire me are the clients who were very much like romantics or dreamers, they're explorers. They also love the same things as I love. Like they love art. They like being in nature.
00:14:51
Speaker
um you know, they really appreciate, uh, and art. Um, and so we have those values in common and, um, you know, it's like every client I shoot down is like, it's my dream client.
00:15:02
Speaker
Um, um And I think because my brand is so clear, um you know, and it's communicated clearly, like people know what to expect and they know, you know, what they're getting into when they're, when they sign up for a session with me.
00:15:16
Speaker
um I also mentor other photographers too. So, you know, I help artists at any point in their creative journey, whether it's like as a online calls or in-person meetings or in-person shoot-alongs or creative sessions, you know, like I love being part of other artists' creative journeys too.
00:15:35
Speaker
Did you have a mentor as well? um I had several mentors along the way. Yes. Yeah. I was doing myself learned. Like I learned through ah click photography school with, um you know, just like online classes.
00:15:47
Speaker
And then, um you know, the big thing that i did was like really go out and like shadow photographers who I admire and sign up for their workshop or like, you know, shoot a session with them. And I think that has, you know, and then, you know, but and they, but they all have very different styles. Right.
00:16:02
Speaker
um And like pulling something, learning something from each person. It's been like really valuable along my journey. So I definitely highly recommend that. The latest artist who i learned from was Ukrainian artist who is now resides in Germany. And he's just it's so incredible. Diva Mali.
00:16:18
Speaker
So that was like, you know, i flew to Germany last summer to shoot with him. so oh That's crazy. Okay. What is your hot topic and why is it so near and dear to your heart? It's kind of like alluding perfectly alluding to everything that you just said.
00:16:32
Speaker
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00:16:46
Speaker
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00:16:58
Speaker
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00:17:12
Speaker
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00:17:28
Speaker
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00:17:51
Speaker
So my hot topic is how to turn your photography into art. Um, and the three important elements that go into that, which are mindset shift, practice, practice, practice, and fueling sources of your inspiration.
00:18:05
Speaker
o And the reason that the topic is so dear to my heart is because I think that creating art, when you're creating art, you can command a higher price premium and you're going to attract different clients who share those values of, of, uh, you know, buying art with you.
00:18:22
Speaker
And, um, you know, like to me, I'm living my dream life and my dream job doing this. So that's why like, you know, for anyone who wants to be an artist, like I think it's, you know, I think the the key step is like starting the journey and really like taking the step to say that I am an artist, which, ah you know, kind of goes to my first point of mindset shift, but actually before, okay. So before we go into that, first I wanted to say, talk a little bit about like what actually is art, right? Because art is so subjective.
00:18:53
Speaker
So to me, your photography turns into art when you, when your creative point of view is evident in your work, when you've given a piece of yourself in the in the photograph while conveying the feelings of the moment, right? So like oftentimes you look at a photograph and it's like perfect styling, beautiful people in beautiful clothes in the perfect location, right? And it's like, okay, it's a beautiful photograph, but it doesn't move you in some way. doesn't move you deeply. And I think that's because the artist has not given a piece of themselves and has not captured feelings.
00:19:26
Speaker
Um, so, and I think that creating art is very much a learned process. I think that, you know, is you really have to practice, practice, practice over and over. And um people say to me often, you're so talented, you know, and I'm like, no, I'm actually not that talented. It's true that some people are like naturally born creative artistic, right? Like it was definitely not me. And I think for a lot of us, like it's we really have to learn and we have to work hard couldn to become an artist.
00:19:56
Speaker
And that's definitely been my journey. Um, so I think the first kind of element in that process is mindset shift. And it's saying like, I am an artist. Yes, I'm a photographer. I'm a business owner.
00:20:09
Speaker
I'm a client service provider, but primarily I'm actually an artist. And once you do that, you give yourself the permission to create and the permission to share, right? Because a lot of the time we're like in our head, we're, you know, we're ah comparing ourselves to other people. Are we good enough? Should I share this weird photograph I've taken? Like,
00:20:27
Speaker
Once you say I'm an artist, you just, you've given yourself that freedom to just go out and create and share. So for me, that turning point was when I won a major photography contest. So I often submit my work to contests.
00:20:40
Speaker
And in 2021, I won like the Click Magazine voice collection. It was like best photographic category for shadow and light, you know, and yeah it wasn't, and it wasn't just like second, third, it was like best in category.
00:20:52
Speaker
I'm like, all right. And then I had this printed magazine in my hand with the photograph, you know, and I was looking at it and thinking like, okay, you've now been recognized as an artist officially. Like, what are you doing?
00:21:04
Speaker
you're like why Why do you not believe in yourself? Right? Yeah. So, you know, and I think that really like lit a fire under me to just go out and create like endlessly and share and just like not be afraid and go for it with like all my heart.
00:21:19
Speaker
um And so, you know, looking for a kind of like, what's, what's going to be that thing for you that's going to give you that kick in the butt, right? To like go and feel like you're an artist and be one. um I think, you know, I encourage people to look for opportunities
Techniques & Creative Flow in Photography
00:21:32
Speaker
like that.
00:21:32
Speaker
An easy way to get started though is, and this is what I tell my mentees, is to like create, aim to create something in every session that you're photographing, to create something for you, right?
00:21:44
Speaker
um Not only for the client, but also for you. And actually for your client will thank you because like, that's going to be probably one of their favorite images that you created it for yourself in their session, right? So, um you know, you could think about like before each session, identify what it is about the session that makes me like really excited. Like,
00:22:03
Speaker
Is it what they're wearing? Is it where we're photographing? Is it the couple themselves? You know, it's like the picks one, one aspect that inspires you and then envision what you want to create, like a piece of art that you want to create around that. And then, you know, and just, just pick one thing. Cause if you have a list of like 10 things, like you're not going to do it. You're going forget.
00:22:22
Speaker
yeah' love the time Set an alarm on your phone or your watch for the session. And then when it rings, you go out and you, and you create that thing. Right. And maybe sales, maybe it's like the wrong moment, whatever, obviously you don't do it during the ceremony. Right. It's like blurry. not
00:22:45
Speaker
But like, um, make sure that you take the time to do it because it's, it's the attempt and it's the effort that really counts. Right. Um, so an example of something that I may use during a session would be like, so right now it's pretty cold. You know, everyone is styled in a gloss of layers.
00:23:01
Speaker
So I just had a family that was styled in like knit sweaters. And so I'm like, Oh, okay. I'm actually going to use that. Like going to use the knit sweater and like the sense of warmth and intimacy of like holding each other closely, sense of coziness as my inspiration for, you know, some of my creative shots.
00:23:18
Speaker
And I'm going to shoot really close in. I'm going show texture. I'm going to really like squish clients together, you know? um So that's like one example of, you know, something I did recently. It's just like the,
00:23:29
Speaker
Just pick one thing and then create art around that. Right. I see that in like, I, cause it was, I was watching all your reels today. So it's like, I like the, the bubbles ones like at sunset and then you're like getting like all these crazy angles. And then the other one where you're like, literally like upper, upper belly. che So actually yes that was the shot I had in mind right. Going in.
00:23:52
Speaker
And I did that shot, but then the bubbles was like a serendipitous thing that just happened. And then, you know, so I use that as inspiration. Yeah. So then, okay So the first element is like, give yourself the permission and right.
00:24:05
Speaker
I say I'm an artist. The second is to practice, practice, practice. And cause I think that like, once we practice more, then we can incorporate those techniques into our flow, into our creative flow. Right. The flow is like when you're just like,
00:24:18
Speaker
photographing, right? You don't even know what you're doing, but you were like changing your settings and you're doing compositions and you don't have to think about it. don't have to like get out a list and refer to it. It's just happening, right? Yeah. you're There you're feeling it and you're doing it. And so the more of techniques you have under your belt and the more you've practiced something the more, they start to be incorporated into your flow when you don't even have to think about it anymore. Right? Yeah.
00:24:42
Speaker
So there are two things that I would recommend practice. One is, um, Um, identifying feelings that you want your brand to stand for and to practice conveying them and pick like two or three, you know? So like, and this is what often I talked with my mentees about. so not only know what your brand stands for, like what's the main idea of your brand, but also like what feelings is your brand going to be showing up with regularly and showing, um, to your clients.
00:25:09
Speaker
Um, and then those will also be the feelings that your clients will start to play in your sessions to you when you're photographing them as well. So it's like, it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, right? Um, so for me, those feelings are freedom, their romance, their closest, intimate love, playfulness, exploration.
00:25:27
Speaker
It's a beautiful life kind of feeling. so you know, obviously it's a longer list, but like I sort of worked one by one on these. Yeah. Um, and so, you know, so start to shoot those fields for those feelings in every session.
00:25:37
Speaker
and um, you know, so you may say to me, okay, but like my client, what if the client happens to be not emotive, right? Like what do I, how can I shoot for feeling case? And I think you still can, right? Because it's in the way that you, in the way you frame the shot, you can get super close in, you can zoom far away, you can direct the client to perform a small action and zoom in on that hand, kissing the baby's hand, you know, or something like that. You can,
00:26:03
Speaker
um You know, you can you can how you use light and shadow. So like you can make something look a lot more intimate if you're using shadows when it's actually even not that infinite intimate at all. um You know, if you're personal, faceless, cropped, unrecognizable, like that all adds more to the feeling. So, yes, you can shoot for feeling even if.
00:26:22
Speaker
Even if not, it's not being expressed explicitly. Do you have a trick where like if the client's um a little bit stiff or a little bit, um some people have like those those faces out, don't move. yeah What's your tip and trick to kind of like loosen them up? um Honestly, for me, it's always movement.
00:26:44
Speaker
Right. The easiest thing is movement. So like we're always going to walk from one location to another and we're going to photograph them while they're walking because I think once people are walking, they're more at ease. Right. Or I'm going to have them do small movements like they're just going rock together.
00:26:57
Speaker
Or I'm going to go with something big, like play their favorite song, you know, and then the people like their faces just light up, you know, like they break into dance, you know all kinds of exciting things happen. People hear their favorite music. So actually that's like like the extreme more high energy form. Right. But like, yeah. So it's always like movement is, is, I think it's very key and it doesn't have to be,
00:27:20
Speaker
be very small or it can be very big. What's an experience like with working with you for like a family session? Like how many hours and like how many locations, like outfit changes and like what's experience that they walk away with?
00:27:34
Speaker
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00:27:46
Speaker
I am seriously blown away by the precision and five hours a week I get back in my life. My life is so much better and I literally don't have any more anxiety. It's so crazy.
00:27:59
Speaker
I remember being at barbecues with my laptop because I had to get out a shoot and and that was so stressful, so not fun. And the best part about after shoot compared to their competition is that it's a monthly minimal cost, not cost per image because I am a true overshooter. I could shoot like, I don't know, 3000 photos in an engagement shoot, which is not good.
00:28:21
Speaker
But anyways, use my code in the show notes to get a 30 day trial and 20% off. You're going to get in the software and just go crazy with it. And after shoot edits 2.0 just released and they have a lot of new features that you are going to love after shoot. I can't thank you enough for giving me back my time to focus on this podcast.
00:28:42
Speaker
Oh yeah. Back to the podcast.
Family Photography & Creativity in Children
00:28:45
Speaker
Um, so usually it's about sessions is about an hour and a half. Sometimes it can be two hours. Just depends on like, what's the story that we're shooting.
00:28:53
Speaker
Um, sometimes I do start like at their home or at the hotel where they're staying, if a client is traveling from me and then we go to like a nearby outdoor location, if it is close by. So sometimes it can involve two locations.
00:29:05
Speaker
Um, but most of the time we're probably just traveling somewhere beautiful and new where they're going to have a great time exploring together. and they're going to walk away not only with like, you know, gallery photos, but that like really fun and new family experience that they're remember.
00:29:21
Speaker
Yeah. I love that. How, um, are you big on like printing, um, or selling big prints because it is considered art? You know, ah have not gotten to that, um, necessarily, although like I, um, provide my galleries through pick time. So my clients do print albums and, um, prints through that, but I have not like explored like other, you know, like anything beyond that. Honestly, just haven't had the time or the opportunity, but I would love to, i think like,
00:29:52
Speaker
um Yes, it's definitely something I would like to look into more in the future. Yeah. And you told me about you have a trip coming up. um Tell me about that trip and what you're excited to shoot. um Yes, we're um going to Japan during the peak cherry blossom season.
00:30:09
Speaker
And so I'm super excited to shoot cherry blossoms. um And I have like a creative idea in mind of like how I'm going to shoot it. And, you know, and it's going to involve a scene from a K-drama because I'm really inspired about K-dramas right now. and there's a lot of like cherry blossoms and K-dramas.
00:30:26
Speaker
So like, we'll see what it ends up being, you know, like I'm i'm not quite sure yet, like how what we're able to capture, but that's, those are definitely some ideas going in. Oh, crazy. So was, were your parents kind of surprised when you became like an artist, artiste, since you like kind of grew up like not, you know, having like those creative outlets um as a kid?
00:30:49
Speaker
um Yes, I think they were. I think that they were surprised, but they're, you know, they're so proud of me now and they're just happy that I found my passion and that I'm doing what I love.
00:31:00
Speaker
um But I don't think they would have ever predicted that. I mean, I did like drawing when I was a kid, that you know, but it was like a brief period. Like everyone likes drawing when they're young. Yeah. yeah how do you like instill the creativity in your twins your twin boys um and are they artistic and do they like uh being photographed by mama at this point you know teenagers don't like being photographed to be honest i think there's a period of time when like they stop liking that and then they'll like it again once they're like on social media and they'll need good photos um but one of my twins is an artist like a painting artist so he um
00:31:37
Speaker
um Yeah, he loves, he's really into drawing and painting and he loves painting nature. And, you know, sometimes we've actually gone out together or like he would be like painting, know, and i would be photographing and So, but you know, that was probably earlier on. Life with teens is very different now. So. Yeah, I know. 14 year old, that's crazy.
00:31:56
Speaker
I wanted to ask, like you said, like your message is so strong, which it is. And like your website and your brand and your, um your Instagram, like your storyteller and you give this like full experience, but like, what was it like in the
Pricing Strategy & Client Attraction
00:32:07
Speaker
beginning years? It like conveying that ah message and um being like, this is art and it has a premium dollar for it. Like where there are struggles with that?
00:32:17
Speaker
Um, yes, absolutely. i think i had to like slowly increase my pricing and kind of give people tiered packages to, uh, to get into it. Right. Because you got almost have sort of have to like trial, you know, maybe I'll just get 10 photos and I don't need the full gallery.
00:32:34
Speaker
um and you know, and therefore like spend less. Right. But then, but then like once everyone saw what the work involved, then, you know, I think like everyone said, yes, i actually do want the full story.
00:32:45
Speaker
So I think like easing your clients into it and and making them understand like what they're going to get, um you know, makes it much easier for like have return clients coming back. And, you know, when my prices have increased. Yeah. um And I think that, you know, given I have like a large body of work now, that that's so clear and clear in terms of the brand and the feelings that I capture.
00:33:10
Speaker
Like, I think now new clients understand, you know, what they're getting into and what they'll get out of the session. Wow. Yeah. And then you, um since you are a mentor, you are like ah pretty much like a coach to a lot of mentees.
00:33:23
Speaker
What is like one thing that you feel like um your mentees are getting stuck at? And like, how do you like help them get unstuck?
Inspiration & Mentorship in Photography
00:33:31
Speaker
That's a great question, actually. Yeah. So i think a lot of mentees come to me when they want fresh sources of inspiration. And so I think that's actually like the third element that goes into turning your photography into art is like seeking constantly seeking new inspiration sources um and you know it's like people just want a fresh perspective they want fresh techniques they want fresh tools they want to see someone who photographs you know differently from them who they admire um like they want that like stimulus to just get like unstuck and be propelled again and to like go out and shoot what they really want to shoot you know
00:34:08
Speaker
with like new techniques under the belt, new point of views. um So I, so I find, so actually I look, I work with a lot of great artists who are, who come to me and who, who seek that um in their creative journey.
00:34:25
Speaker
And so that's – and it's actually a lot of fun to work together. and so we would actually go out shoot together. we would design, like, you know, a really fun creative shoot and, like, just go out and create together. So, yeah, i love doing that. Interesting. Yeah, it's almost like you're giving them, like, permission to be, like, their own unique artist. But they need that permission and they kind of need a little bit of, like, hand-holding in the beginning. – um so Yeah. So, so that, and but also like he fresh sources of inspiration, right? Like i think as an artist, you always have to be like inspired by something, you know? and yeah And, um,
00:34:56
Speaker
Um, and so, and, but do we have so much around us. It's like, okay, do know I look at books? Do look at music? Do I look at, um, other artists, you know, quotes, songs? Like there's just so much, right? So I, my thing is like, just pick one thing, pick one thing you're super excited about now and like dive deep into it until you're super bored.
00:35:14
Speaker
And then move on to the next thing, you know? nothing to So, um, so yeah. And I love shooting with other artists too. And it's, it's part of my own, um, creative of ah journey process as well.
00:35:26
Speaker
Oh, I love that. And then this podcast is all about like getting your heck yes. So, um you know, you got you got the brand, you got the photos, you got the creativity. Is there any like um heck yes techniques that you kind of built over the years on like your sales calls or like just getting people to book? Yeah.
00:35:47
Speaker
To be honest, to me, like I'm, I don't actually get on the phone necessarily to with my clients always before they book me. I know that's, I probably should. You don't have to. You don't have you don't have to.
00:36:00
Speaker
I honestly think that the most important thing is knowing your brand mission and, um and keep bringing it to life. Even when times are slow, even when, um you know, you start to not even believe in yourself anymore. It's always like,
00:36:14
Speaker
just keep bringing your brand to life and keep being at it and keep showing up for people because clients are very literal. Like they will want exactly what they'll see. And eventually they will see something. i'm like, Oh my God, I want that too. you know um So I, so I think the key to getting a heck yes, it's just like keep showing up and being on brand, like extremely on brand and, and being there all the time, you know? So it's like, if you can't do a post, just be, do a story,
00:36:44
Speaker
You know, show something that you're doing um and like get to keep keep keep being back of mind for your potential clients. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. i Every time you post, I'm like, love it.
00:36:57
Speaker
It's so fresh. It's so unique. It gives me a feeling. It's vibes. Like it gives me like that inspiration of all artistic. Like I love watching your artistic journey. thanks me yay rapid fire questions more shorter answers um did you ever get the dog okay it's a sad story I did and my dog died the first day that i had my dog was killed by a car Oh no. When did you get it? Like, like when you're a little or like when your kids were little little and it was in, when I lived in Siberia. Um, but we couldn't just go out to a store and like buy a leash and a collar for a dog.
00:37:35
Speaker
Yeah. You couldn't just walk into the store and find that easily. Yeah. You have to spend like a week trying to look for that somewhere, you know, and like during that week, that's what happened. Oh, I'm very sad. I'm sad.
00:37:48
Speaker
I'm so sad. So true. Did you get a dog for your boys? Um, No, okay. Yeah, yeah, It's too hard.
00:38:00
Speaker
Forget the dog thing. I want to have a dog Yes. Probably when boys leave us. you have any Instagram hacks that people don't know about? Wedding pros.
00:38:11
Speaker
do you have any like um instagram hacks or like technique not instagram hacks that people don't know about one in prose I have a new and exciting opportunity for you to make passive income with digital products and courses and affiliate marketing.
00:38:27
Speaker
The space is booming right now and you have to take a look. Sky is truly the limit in the digital space and you can just stop trading your time for money and scale your business.
00:38:39
Speaker
And life just got a lot easier. Get your weekends back and comment at me at Carissa Wu, the word info, and I'll send you a free sneak peek guide on how to make passive income.
00:38:50
Speaker
And if you're ready to start making money from home while being there for the moments that matter, I can't wait to connect.
00:38:59
Speaker
People don't know about. um I would say one thing that's been successful for me is being part of an engagement pod. don't know if you know that. know if you do that, but like you're just in the group group of people who either like post together as ah as a loop at the same time or can be announced as a loop. Can we just message each other after you post and then yeah everyone in the pod has to go in and engage with your posts.
00:39:27
Speaker
Yeah. um And they have to do it as soon as possible, you know? So I think that helps to keep the engagement. And me, and me for any of them. I would love to be a part of the pod. Yeah. no it And then you also like bookmark it, not only, not only like comment, but also save and comment with like four words or more, not including emojis. oh yeah So I think all those things really helped for you then to like stand out in the search process.
00:39:53
Speaker
when people search for, you know, as long as, and then also using keywords, right. When you're posting. So keywords in your description, maybe hashtags are maybe potentially less important now. I'm not sure. Yeah. It's very important. Okay. Okay. Okay. That's good to know. It's always like this.
00:40:10
Speaker
Keywords. Okay. I'm like, okay, I'm going to do it. Yay. Okay, cool. And then any mom advice? um My kids are a little bit younger, but boss mom, photographer advice for me.
00:40:24
Speaker
and I know, like enjoy it every minute, even when you're like in the thick of things and you're like, oh my God, why is it getting better? Like just enjoy it because kids grow up fast and then they don't want to hang out with you anymore.
00:40:41
Speaker
So yeah, enjoy the time. Enjoy those little moments because it's going to change fast. Oh, I love that. I mean, it must have been like, not just the thick of it, but you're like double trouble. I
00:40:56
Speaker
actually wanted to be a twin myself. Oh, interesting. When I was little, like i always imagined that that would be really cool. um And then so I was really surprised when I had twins. Wow, that's awesome. They're very lucky to have each other, yeah. best friends for life.
00:41:10
Speaker
Okay, so I guess last question, and you could take it away with like where to find you, but just tell me one, like what it's like to work with you um as a mentor, um since we talked so much about being a photographer and the experience, and then like what they will gain, because a a lot of photographers are listening, and then where to find you.
00:41:29
Speaker
um so in terms of how work without photographer, it's really designed around you. So we talk about you know, what your goals are and how, um you know, what you like about my work and how do you think I could help you? And then we design, you know, the right sort of like way of doing that. um And whether you're in California, or whether you're out of California, you know, and it's and it's very individually tailored. So there's no like a certain way that I work with people. Although I do have like a sort of a curriculum that I take you through and I pull from depending on, you know, what we're discussing. So I have like a curriculum that I use.
00:42:03
Speaker
in mind, but also obviously like, you know, what we shoot together and how we shoot it will hugely vary. So, um, so yeah, I just love, um, uh, meeting other photographers and being part of their journey.
00:42:17
Speaker
I love that. And then I guess um I lied one more question. Um, just any last words about how to turn your work into, art just for the hot topic and then where to find you?
00:42:30
Speaker
Um, so don't stop creating, create, create, create, share, share, share, you know? So it's like, tell you yourself I'm an artist, keep practicing, keep creating, create keep sharing and use, keep using fresh sources of inspiration to inspire yourself. And like, you know, and just, and especially when you're in a funk or when you're, you know, uh, when things are slow, that's like the best time to do it. Right. It's like, just go out and create.
00:42:59
Speaker
and I'm on Instagram at my name is spelled. It's a little tricky. It's Alesha, O-L-E-S-Y-A underscore. My lesson is.
00:43:10
Speaker
A-L-F-E-R-E-M-K-O. Yeah, I was practicing all morning and I still butchered it. I was like, damn it. Alesha Alfarenko. There we go. this he's called that My business is called Alesha Photography. So yeah my Instagram handle is my first and last name. yeah Yeah. Oh, thank you, Alesha. This is a fun conversation. Thanks so much for having me.
00:43:36
Speaker
Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine.
00:43:51
Speaker
See you next time, wedding pros.