Meet Alison Chesney | Owner and Photographer at Alison Frank Photography

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alison Chesney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison, what do you attribute your success to?
As a small business owner and a creative, I learned early on that my brand is actually me. I am the photographer and owner of my business, and I am the photographer you get when you hire Alison Frank Photography. Therefore, in order for my business to be successful, I need to make sure that I deliver creative, beautiful, and meaningful photographs to my clients while maintaining professional service. But in reality, South Florida is saturated with great photographers, and having quality work is not always enough. I have had my photography business for over 20 years, and I truly believe that the most important factor to my longevity and success (other than my images) is my relationships with my clients. Innately, I am a very positive, upbeat person, and this mindset impacts my clients’ photoshoot experiences. I am excited for each and every photoshoot, I love the challenges of meeting a new person and helping them feel comfortable in front of my camera, helping them pose, but also helping them feel like themselves. I believe this positive attitude creates a fun atmosphere and a positive experience for my clients, that they then relay to their friends and family. So when you couple the great photoshoot experience, from the first call through the delivery of images, with beautiful, creative images, I am able to maintain a successful and lasting business. This positive mindset comes to play not only during the photoshoot, but also in all communications with the client. It can also pervade your marketing, social media posts, interactions with the community (I always like to donate gift certificates to my clients’ fundraising projects), thus creating an inviting experience.

If I had to name one more factor that has contributed to my success is that fact that I am continually growing and learning. I believe that by continuing to educate myself about photography, business, marketing and branding, I keep my business current, relevant, and interesting. We are never too good, too old, or too successful to learn from others, to improve ourselves, and to find inspiration in people and the world around us.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am creative lifestyle photographer, specializing in high school seniors, teens, and personal/business branding. I have been a photographer in the South Florida area for over 20 years, starting out as a family photographer and growing from there. I used to be an attorney, but a few years into practicing, decided that I was meant to be a photographer full time. It was not always easy – balancing two young children as a single mom, building up my business and clientele, all the while learning, practicing, and honing my craft. But, I learned from every mistake I made – business mistakes, photography mistakes, and time management issues, and my business and I are much stronger and successful for it. I have learned so much in these 20 years of business – but most importantly, as a creative, I learned how important it is to stay inspired, to keep learning, and to carve out time for yourself. As an artist, it is very easy to get obsessed with creating and let things fall to the wayside. Self-care, time with family, and time to photograph for myself, not just my clients, keeps me creative, balanced, and happy – all of which transfers over into my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Places to check out – Ft. Lauderdale beach, Las Olas for dinner (almost every restaurant!) or beach restaurants like S3 and Casablanca and then Wine Garden when it’s a little cooler out. Also fun – Yellow Green Farmers Market on Saturdays.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Honestly, the support of my family – my husband, my children, my mother and my sisters

Website: www.alisonfrank.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/alisonfrank

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-chesney-8aa80b16/

Facebook: www.alisonfrank.com/alisonfrankphotography

Image Credits
Alison Frank Photography