We were lucky to catch up with Alycia Rogus recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Alycia, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
Honestly my whole life I have always played it safe and was fearful of trying new things and failing. It wasn’t until last year when I had a strong calling to photography that my husband encouraged me to leave teaching and pour my heart into this passion. Ever since then I have challenged myself to say yes to any opportunity that comes my way even if it scares me. It has been the most rewarding year because so many amazing blessings have come from me putting myself out there and saying yes.
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 lifestyle and wedding photographer based in San Antonio, Texas. While I’ve always loved photographing graduates and families, this year has sparked a new passion for capturing the love between couples. From proposals and engagement sessions to the wedding day, I love capturing love!
During sessions, I focus on creating genuine moments by guiding you and your loved ones through natural, prompted poses. My goal is to make the experience fun, relaxed, and truly comfortable in front of the camera. I am painfully awkward when you put a camera in front of my face so I know how important it is to talk you through the process and hype you up!
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?
I would have to say that having a growth mindset has been the most impactful quality of my journey. Having a growth mindset allowed me to take more risks and challenge myself to improve my photography early on. Reminding myself that it’s okay to not have it all figured out yet and to value progress over perfection.
Coming from my previous career in education, I have developed the skill of adaptability that has also helped me in my journey with photography. As a former teacher I understand the importance of showing up prepared with a plan but also being able to think on your feet and pivot when obstacles arise.
Being personable is something that I am extremely passionate about and believe to be a quality that has fueled my photography business. I never want my clients to feel like our experience together is transactional. We may start off as strangers but I want you to feel like a friend by the end of our session together!
My advice to anyone early on in their journey is to always continue their education. What I mean by this is have a mindset where you believe that you can always learn more from any situation or person. Although I have already invested in countless hours of photography education, I still enter every photography shoot with an open mind and leave reflecting on how to refine my practice. Collaborating with a variety of photographers and working on free shoots are a great way to experiment with your creativity with no pressure and improve your skill.
Also, I would not be here today without my amazing support system of family and friends. There can be a lot of negativity in this world so hold on to the ones that love and support you. When starting something new, imposter syndrome can creep in and when it does, focus on the progress you’ve made so far and let that fuel you to keep going.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal clients are anyone who value the interaction between their loved ones over perfection. Yes, we all want to look our best but if we focus to hard on every little detail of how we look, we miss out on being present with our loved ones. When looking back at the photos I want you to relive the emotions that were captured.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://leighphotography0.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: @_leigh_photography
Image Credits
Florals: Humble Beginnings LLC
Proposal Planner: Peyton with Sunshine Events
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
