Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandra Thomas.
Hi, Alexandra; please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Alexandra (Alex) Thomas; I’m a 23-year-old photographer, videographer, and digital marketing manager based in Austin, TX. I started taking photos when I was a toddler; at about 18 months old my great-grandmother handed me a disposable film camera and I toddled around her house taking photos of everything. I never stopped after that. At 14 years old I started my business, AETPhotos. By 15 I was touring with bands, working for music venues, a photographer, writer and head of the photo team for about 6 music publications, and doing digital marketing for companies and artists. I still run my business and now run my own music publication, Tour Life Mag, to help fellow women, LGBT+, and POC photographers and writers get started in the music industry. I recently started a mental health video series, Life With, where I interview people from all walks of life about their mental health conditions so that we can learn more about just how different each condition can look from person to person and hopefully help those struggling feel less alone.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s hard to say. I don’t want to complain because, all in all, it’s been pretty good. I’ve been very fortunate, and I’m so grateful for everything, the good and the bad, because it all has helped me to become the artist I am today. Having started my business as a child at 14 years old, there were a lot of bumps in the road and many difficulties in getting work or being treated as a professional because of my age. I’m 23 now, so I haven’t been an adult for too long I suppose, but I wasn’t even allowed into most of the venues/bars I would be hired to photograph at from ages 14-21 and would get kicked out of them most of the time, even when I was working directly for the band all because of my age. So that was tough and made it hard to work as much as I would’ve liked. I experienced a lot of negativity and hate from some established photographers that I looked up to at one point when I was starting out and asking for advice on how to be a better artist, which wasn’t fun. Still, that helped me learn to rely on myself and focus on growing independently, which was good for me in the long run. There’s also been a lot of heartbreak throughout the years of learning the difference between who is around me supporting me because they genuinely want to see me happy versus who is around supporting me because it benefits them. That’s always been a harsh lesson to learn as a creative in the music industry. But now I’m 23, I’ve photographed over 1,000 concerts/music festivals, I’ve worked for my favorite bands, I’ve had the honor of capturing so many beautiful moments for people, I’ve made the most amazing friendships because of my work that I couldn’t be more grateful for, and I’m thrilled with the life I’ve lived and the road I’ve traveled, even if it hasn’t always been the best or the easiest.
Thanks for sharing that. So, tell us a bit more about your work.
When it comes to photography and videography, my main focus is for sure on the music industry through touring as a visual artist (and sometimes tour manager/merch/publicist/lights if the lighting system is easy enough/etc.), photographing shows for media outlets and venues, creating music videos (storyboarding, directing, filming, and/or editing), capturing behind the scenes photos and videos in recording studios & on music video sets, and designing album covers/tour posters. But I also do weddings, family portraits, headshots, creative shoots with models, and I love documenting wildlife and generally being outdoors photographing nature. So I like to do a little of everything, but I’m most known for my concert photography/videography and would say that’s definitely my specialty. For my digital marketing work, I manage social media platforms, create all content, engage with followers through comments and DMs, and run advertisements on social media platforms for musicians and businesses. I also design websites, write blog posts, and help with branding, publicity, and more.
What are you most proud of?
I don’t know if there’s one specific thing I’m most proud of. I loved touring with my boys in Prophets and Outlaws over 2019-2021, especially helping them create marketing/social media campaigns raising money through their 2021 single “Little Bit of Love” for the North Texas Food Bank. We were able to raise over $10,000 in a week for the food bank, which provided over 30,000 meals to people across north Texas right at the time of the snowstorm best known as SNOWVID to fellow Texans, where many were left without shelter, power, or food for quite a while. So I loved working on that with Prophets and Outlaws and just touring with them in general. I was always proud of getting to create, learn, and grow with them. I’m proud of my new “Life With” mental health series, that’s been a passion project idea of mine for nearly a decade now that I’m just bringing to life this year, and I’ve been able to help a lot of people through that already, which makes me happy. I’m also incredibly proud of my music publication, Tour Life Mag, and every photographer and writer on my team from all over the world. It makes me so happy to be able to help new creatives learn how to navigate this industry and be there to answer any questions they have and give them the advice they need to grow. I could sit here naming things forever; I’m constantly working on so many different projects that all mean so much to me. I try to make sure everything I do would make me really happy and that I can finish it proud of what I did both as an artist and as a person.
What sets you apart from others in your field?
I was talking to my buddy on tour about this the other day. I think one of the big things that sets me apart from other photographers/videographers– especially with my work in the music industry– is the fact that I’m not there because I want money or want to ever use an artist or gig as a stepping stone to get to something bigger or better. I work with artists that I genuinely believe in and want to do all I can to support; so usually when an artist hires me for photo/video content– first off I always want to try my best to work with whatever their budget may be because I know how crazy expensive it is just to be a musician putting out music and playing shows having done artist management and that kind of thing before. I also know just how little they make off of streams and even live shows so I understand how difficult it can be to be an artist in this day and age. I also always want to make sure if we’re doing a music video or cover art that I am bringing the bands vision to life, because artists rarely get a say in what visuals go to their music, and I think that’s so stupid and they should always have the primary say in what visuals go to the music that they created. So unless they specifically say they want me to come up with the visual ideas I always want to make sure I’m bringing the bands vision to life, not their managers or their labels or anyone else, I want the artists to have control first and foremost. I also always want to go above and beyond for an artist when I’m working with them because again, I know how hard it all is, how much there is to do, and how expensive everything is and its wild. So if I’m touring with an artist or doing a lot of photo/video content with them, I feel like we have a good relationship, and I truly believe in them, then I’ll be very quick to offer up so much extra help with social media/website design/publicity/etc. for super discounted rates or on rare occasions I’ll do it for free for a short time or at the very least help give them advice they can use to grow. And if we’re touring together I’m always happy to jump on tour management or merch or something to help out wherever else I can outside of photo/video. A lot of the artists I’ve worked with have been amazing in supporting me through hiring me for so much photo/video stuff, hyping me up online, recommending me to their friends and so much else, so if they’ve been kind to me and they are an artist I believe in, then I will always want to support them back however and whenever I can.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
I’m all for taking risks. My whole career has been just endlessly taking risks. It doesn’t always work out the first time, but it eventually does. A great example of this is when I first started when I was 14/15. With minimal experience or knowledge of concert photography and being very new to working with a publication, I would always reach out for the crazy big shows and never think twice about it. In my first year– because I took the risk and asked for bigger opportunities– I photographed (as press) Fall Out Boy, Hangout Music Festival, Alt-J, Halsey, and over 100 other bands. I’d also request interviews and portraits with these same artists (and those opportunities didn’t happen with any of them, but I still got to photograph their shows in these massive arenas, which is insane as a 14/15-year-old with little to no concert experience and I’m all for shooting your shot to its biggest extent). I had no problem asking for those opportunities because, guess what? The worst they can say is no. And that doesn’t even mean never; it just means not now. Try again later. The best that can happen is you do it! Never go into it thinking they’ll say yes or even reply; that’s where you get your soul crushed a little, but as long as you go into it expecting a no, sometimes you get pleasantly surprised, which is such a great experience. And when you do get told no, just know that that doesn’t mean never try again; it just means this opportunity is not an option right now, so come back and try again later when you have more experience if it’s still something you want to do! Take the big risks in life always. Life is short, take the risks if they would make you happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AETPhotos.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AETPhotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AETPhotos/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AETPhotos
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7TKF5ujXgPa8jrBzlpSwqA
