I recently started doing work for the North Scottsdale Lifestyle Magazine as their photographer! It is such an honor to get to be a part of this community-driven publication every month! When the editor told me they wanted to do a feature article on me to introduce me to their magazine readers, and I was so excited!

The feature article released in their April issue and hit the mailboxes of many of the homes in the North Scottsdale area! When that email with the digital version came through my inbox, my heart (and my body) did a little happy dance! LOL!! I quickly shared it on a couple of my social media platforms and was amazed by all the love and support I received! It was so humbling! A lot of people have been asking me where they can read the article, and so I thought it would be a great idea to just share it on the blog along with the magazine spread!

Here it goes!!

“And then he said the 4 most scary words. “Yeah, but what if?”

These were the words that propelled me into becoming a professional photographer. Sounds crazy, right? I didn’t know the adventure and the journey I was about to embark on at the time, but my husband’s words vocalized the fear I had been keeping inside. He meant it in a “What if you succeed?” type of way; I meant it as a “What if I fail?” type of way.

Photography for me started as a high school hobby, and at some point along the way it turned into a deep passion. As the yearbook editor for my high school, I was fortunate to learn the intricacies of photography and design. I loved being able to capture life’s moments, whether it was with friends or school events. It was something I loved being a part of and the creativity of photography came very natural for me.  I remember setting up “photoshoots” with my friends and siblings, just for the simple fact that it was fun to me.

I went to college and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business, but I never thought I would become a small business owner. I always thought I would work for someone else and use my administrative gifts in the corporate world. Photography was always something that I knew I had an eye for, but I kept pushing that passion away because I was too afraid of failure.

In 2016, three years after moving to Arizona, my husband Austin encouraged with those four words, which launched me into starting my own photography business, Aly Kirk Photo. It was intimidating at the time, because I had no clients, no portfolio, no hands-on experience, and a professional camera I barely knew how to use. But, when I decided to put my mind to it and give it everything I had to make it successful, I saw results. I started building a portfolio, building a social media presence, connecting with and learning from other local photographers, creating a website and a brand, and gaining clientele little by little. Over the past couple of years I have honed in on creating a brand I am proud of, which now focuses primarily on wedding and family photography. Add in the Arizona desert and a Dr. Pepper and I’m happy!

My story is not one of a quick race to the finish line, but rather a steady progression of hard work, dedication, persistence, and the pursuit of doing what I love!”

Again, I can’t thank everyone enough for all the love you’ve been showering me with the past few days! If you’d like to learn more about me, you can read that here!

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