Today we’d like to introduce you to Allie Siarto.
Hi Allie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started my career working on the digital team for a global public relations agency in downtown Chicago. I realized I needed a hobby outside of PR, so I signed up for classes at the Chicago Photography Center, a non-profit run by professional photographers. A year later, I had taken every class they had to offer, I was volunteering as an instructor there, and I was assisting a wedding photographer on the weekends.
That grew into photographing families and weddings in Chicago before I moved back to the Lansing area to be closer to family. I kept photographing weddings and families as my “alter ego” as I built my own agency and started teaching a few advertising and PR classes at MSU during the week.
Since my background is in advertising and public relations, it was only a matter of time before my photography transitioned to align more that background. I transitioned into branding, product, and headshot photography. Branding photography is usually focused on businesses that want to show their actual employees and spaces on their websites and in marketing instead of soulless stock photos. I also work with solo business owners who know that showing themselves in their marketing will help them to connect more with potential customers.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing happens overnight. I spent my first year hauling gear and acting as “third photographer” for an established wedding photographer in Chicago on the weekends. I was essentially making minimum wage, but I would have done it for free just for the mentorship opportunity.
I had to take risks and make sacrifices along the way. I gave up a lot of weekends as a wedding photographer while I was still working during the week. I put money into advertising before I had an established reputation on my own. I think the key was that I really loved what I was doing. I loved the challenge of growing the business from the ground up, but I wasn’t just trying to grow a business for the sake of growing any old business. I really enjoyed the work and wanted to do more of it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m focused on branding, product, and headshot photography. Branding photography is personalized photography that compliments the business’s brand. Instead of using stock photos on the company’s website, in social media, and in other marketing, the business gets a custom set of photos of their own team, usually in their own space. We work together to understand the audience and incorporate the brand’s colors and style into the images so that everything works together. I always love looking at website refreshes after a team gets their own photos to replace filler stock photos.
What sets me apart as a headshot photographer is that everyone gets to see their photos on my computer instantly and make their own final picks. I tell them it’s like instant retakes. Some people have told me that more than 50% of their team members didn’t like their previous headshots from another photographer because they never got to see them after they were taken. Now, if you don’t like your smile or you’re not sure if you want your hair forward of back, you can see the difference right away and decide for yourself.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Don’t make the hustle last forever. Some people get so caught up in trying to grow grow grow that they forget to live their lives. I’m not looking to grow and expand. I’m very solid about the fact that I’ve built a lifestyle business for myself. I don’t want to scale up or have employees. It’s easy to get caught up in the entrepreneurship culture of continuous growth, but it’s important to know what you want to get out of running a business.
Pricing:
- $150: Single studio headshot
- $550: First five employee headshots on site (plus $40 per additional headshot)
- $600: Starting rate for branding photos
Contact Info:
- Website: https://alliesiarto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alliesiarto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliesiartophotography
