Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Dahneke.
Alyssa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been a photographer. When I was 3 years old, a family friend offered to buy me and my siblings any book we wanted from the bookstore. I chose a blank kids photo album with a disposable Kodak camera cellophaned to the front. I took that camera with me everywhere. As I got older, I would borrow my mom’s camera to take photos on family trips. When my 8th-grade class was preparing for our Washington D.C. field trip, I begged and begged for my own camera to take along with me. My mom let me pick out a small digital point-and-shoot from Target and I took over 1,000 photos on that 3-day trip. After that, I was constantly taking and sharing my photos on Facebook and Capture Minnesota. I got my first DSLR camera as a junior in high school and started my own photography business back in 2014. Rather than flipping burgers at Culver’s like my older siblings, I employed myself in high school by taking my friends’ senior pictures and family photos. When I left for college, I didn’t initially plan to study photography, but taking photos was all I did in my spare time. When I finally decided to take the prerequisites for the photography program, I knew I had found my place! I graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography in 2021. While in school, I worked as a photographer for various departments and interned as a student photographer at BYU Photo, where I photographed everything from college sports to science labs to professors’ headshots. Since graduation, I’ve run my photography business full-time as a commercial, portrait and fine art photographer. Most recently, I’ve been hired by companies like X-Factor Strategic Communications to photograph various corporate events and Hello Dancer to photograph dancers of all ages.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Running your own business is no joke. As a high schooler, I definitely thought that getting paid to take people’s pictures was the dream job (and in my opinion, it is!), but there is so much more to it than just taking pictures. Figuring out the business side of things – taxes, marketing, creating a website, running social media accounts, etc. has taken a lot of hard work. When I first got to college, I didn’t want to study photography because I didn’t think it was “smart enough.” Now I realize that it takes some serious brain power to run a successful small business. You wear a lot of hats, not just the photographer hat, but the accountant, secretary, and CEO.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a photographer, specializing in commercial, portrait, and fine art photography. I especially love working with people and documenting their lives, from high school seniors to wedding days. More than anything, I love to photograph the beautiful world around me. I’m always amazed by light and nature and I love taking my camera on trips to photograph landscapes, architecture and culture. Along with my client work, I also sell prints of my fine art photography. Whatever I’m photographing, I strive to create high-quality, intentional imagery to last a lifetime. My photos are bright, happy, and full of color!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Ask any photographer for advice and they’ll tell you this: take lots of pictures. Keep your eyes open, notice the little things, and admire the simple beauty in the world around you. As for starting a small business, ask questions, take business classes, read or listen to books, there’s so much information out there! I wish I had studied business or at least taken more business classes in college. You can be the world’s greatest photographer, but no one will know or care if you’re the world’s worst business owner.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alyssadahneke.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alyssadahneke/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlyssaDahnekePhotography/
Image Credits
Savanna Richardson
BYU Photo
Alyssa Dahneke
Barton Dahneke
Becky Lyman
