Today we’d like to introduce you to Alia Alsaffar.
Hi Alia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was in college, I volunteered at a nonprofit working with child victims of abuse and their families. I really enjoyed the time I volunteered there and deeply respected their mission. After graduating from UT with a psychology degree, I was grateful they hired me for a full-time position doing direct service work with the children. From there, I really grew into my role as a social worker, focusing specifically on trauma victims. I later developed a career as a victim counselor for trauma victims of violent, felony crimes at the Travis County District Attorney’s office, working regularly among law enforcement investigators and prosecutors. I never imagined trauma would be the work I’d specialize in, knowing how much of an emotional toll this could take. However, I thrived in my job, left long-lasting impacts and reaped rewards I would never imagine I could gain in a professional setting. I could feel its draining impacts at times but really sought to balance the emotional toll with healthy self-care. This is what led me to not only practicing yoga and ultimately training to be a 500 hr certified yoga teacher but also to photography…
I remember picking up a camera when I was younger and always being fascinated with what I could see through the lens and how it captured my unique interpretation of an individual, moment or scene. I loved the feeling and more so, the outcome when developing the photo. With the advent of digital photography, I was even more intrigued by the differences I could make in a photo while editing it. Photography really tapped into my creative drive that had felt stagnant for so many years.
I remember when I learned how to monetize my creativity…A family asked to pay me to take their photos. I remember at that moment, it clicked (pardon the pun): “Wait, I could actually make money from this and enjoy it thoroughly at the same time?!” It never occurred to me that both these things did not have to be mutually exclusive: both making money and enjoyment while doing it. After doing trauma for so many years, it taught me that forging through an individual’s pains and horrific experiences is what I needed to do in order to have a lucrative career. It dawned on me that by allowing myself to enjoy a hobby and make money, I could help myself in more ways than one.
With time I started to notice my work in trauma and its emotional toll. I felt drained and tired most of the time. I had a strong distaste in interacting with anyone after leaving work. My views on the world around me was limited to seeing the worst in everyone and everything. I was losing my cheerful sense of optimism and hope. My relationships were suffering. I went to therapy. I did energy work. It felt as if I was trying everything and yet, I would cry at my desk…
I was breaking down. I knew it. The trauma work had a ‘shelf life’. It was beyond its shelf life at this point but I was scared of what was out there, feeling I had pigeonholed myself in a career and specialization.
So one day, I decided in order for me to truly be happy and salvage my mental health, I had to leave. So I did. I left the only work I’d ever known to plunge into an entirely different world. A world in which I had to grow in different ways both as a professional and an individual. This was in February of 2019.
I tried pursuing photography full-time and took on part-time gigs to help fund an industry I knew was already heavily saturated. Then, COVID. In March of ’20, the lockdown took place and everything, literally, stopped. I knew I had to tap into another creative side of me which was to find a freaking job that could pay the bills! I worked vigorously to get my resume out to as many opportunities I saw. I focused on reminding myself of my skill set, hoping others would see its transferable value. It was such a tough time leaving the only career I knew and walking into so many unknowns. I was (and still am) someone who likes to have stability and was literally throwing everything up in the air, waiting to see what would land. It was nerve-wracking, terrifying yet exhilarating at the same time. I was free of trauma and slowly trying to detox from the many terrible stories I took on over several years.
Yet through all of this whirlwind of emotion, I found myself. I opened my heart. I felt happier, freer and later met the love of my life. I got a job in an industry I never have had experience in but have grown and learned tremendously from it. I still do photography part-time, reaping the creative value it adds to my life. It has certainly been a journey but one I am so grateful I took on. All of it is what has made me a better woman, partner, professional and photographer. I would not change any of it for a second and am beyond flattered that my journey could maybe help inspire someone else.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not. In my pursuit of photography, I had to take on a lot of part time work from ubering, nannying and any little side hustle I could take on. All of which taught me even more how to hustle and survive to make it happen.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I believe what sets me apart from others, more particularly as a creative, is that I have a keen sense of others and their moods, interactions and overall energy. Something I learned after doing direct service for many, many years. I know people and have a hyper-awareness of their interactions and nonverbal communications and behaviors. So as a photographer, I am known to capture a moment that is authentic and far beyond what any ‘pose’ could gain.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
How opening both my heart and mind to taking on grand changes or leaps is the most important thing anyone can do for themselves in order to truly grow.
Pricing:
- I normally charge $250 for most one hour sessions.
- $1,500- $2000 per wedding depending on the number of hours needed as well as if another photographer is needed
- $300 for the first hour of a special event and $100 for each additional hour
Contact Info:
- Email: alia.alsaffar@gmail.com
- Website: www.aliamichellephotography.net
- Instagram: aliamichellephotog
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AliaMichellePhotography
Image Credits:
@goodthunderphotography: Dale Murphy
