Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexandra Sczudlo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alexandra, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
When I was first starting out in my industry I lacked a lot of confidence both in myself and in my work. I was painfully shy. Over the last six years it’s been something I’ve worked at. Putting myself into situations to force myself outside of my comfort zone in turn slowly expanding my comfort zone. I started slowly by trying to put more of my personality into my social medias. Then I started accepting more invitations to social events. I started forcing myself to say yes to things. As a photographer it’s all to easy to hide behind the camera. I started saying yes to being on podcasts and videos. As my work improved and gained notoriety I was asked to give speeches at events and to present awards. At first I found these difficult but slowly I became more comfortable with public speaking with stepping out from behind the camera. Every time I said yes to something outside of my comfort zone I was inadvertently expanding that comfort zone, gaining confidence through experiences.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a photographer. I work primarily in the automotive genre but I also do product, lifestyle, event, and portrait work. I started photography six years ago because I had a love of cars and I saw photography as the gateway to spending time around truly special cars. However the more photography I did the more I fell in love with taking pictures. It started as my side hustle through university and is now my business. I’ve had the opportunity to photograph cars all over the country. I’ve had publications in Forbes and DuPont registry. The automotive space is truly special in the way it creates community amongst enthusiasts.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three of the best skills/qualities that helped me establish my photography business are creativity, editing, and networking. Creativity is huge when working as a photographer, for your content to stand out you need to find creative ways to distinguish it from others. Editing is another important skill, editing allows you to take an image and make it unique, it also allows you to establish a style that is almost like a signature. Networking is probably however the most important skill to have, in the automotive photography world who you know and meeting the right people is important for launching your business and getting your work seen by the people who will want to book you. The easiest way to improve on all these is practice.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
The biggest challenge I’m currently facing is motivation, sometimes it can be extremely difficult to stay motivated. Photography is a work of passion and that passion is what motivates me but when work is slow or when you are comparing yourself to others or photographing things that aren’t as enjoyable it can be hard to keep that motivation up. Reconnecting with the cars and the community is how I rekindle my passion for what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://automotivealex5.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/automotive_alex/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092045469276&mibextid=LQQJ4d
Image Credits
All photos taken by me
