Local StoriesDecember 29, 2021

Rising Stars: Meet Luciana Alarcón

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luciana Alarcón.

Hi Luciana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
The honor is mine, thank you for having me! I was born and raised in Lima, Peru. I moved to South Florida in 2001 and pursued a degree in Digital Filmmaking and Video Production. Photography was definitely always a passion and a hobby and I took some photography courses during college.

Some friends saw my potential early on and would ask me to take their pictures occasionally. In 2015, I moved to Knoxville with my husband and I also became a mom so I started exploring more with my camera because I wanted to take the best pictures of my baby. Two years later in 2017, I finally decided to start my photography business.

Since then, I have photographed hundreds of families and the more I practiced the more I learned! I also continued investing in my education and enrolled in different courses and mentorships because I believe you can always learn more and get better! In these last 4 years, I have come across so many talented photographers who I have learned so much from and have helped me become the photographer I am today.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t been a smooth road because it’s not easy to just drop it all and become a full-time entrepreneur. Besides having my photography business, I still have a full-time job and I am also a mom. Sometimes I struggle with not having enough hours in the day and making sure I am giving my 100% in all the areas of my life, especially with my family. There have been times when I’ve had to sacrifice my business, when I’ve had to say no, when I haven’t been able to market myself as I’d like to or post more on my social media accounts, etc. It’s an ongoing challenge.

Another thing is that there is a LOT of competition out there! Sometimes I’ve found myself comparing my work to other photographer’s work and self-doubt has crept in and made me wonder if I am good enough to do this and if I should continue, but here I am and nothing can stop me! I’ve learned through the years that every photographer has their unique beautiful style and as long as clients keep coming and hiring me it’s because they appreciate my art and my uniqueness. I will always strive to do better at what I do and give it all my heart.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a portrait photographer. I specialize in family, children and maternity photography but I also do some weddings, engagements, and business headshots. I am currently focused on growing my business and learning new techniques to better my work. Like I said, there’s always room for improvement. I’m also focusing on expanding my knowledge in studio photography (specifically newborn and portraits) so you’ll see more of that work in the new year.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
I like risks. I think taking a risk is worth it most of the time. I don’t like to regret things that I’ve done in my life. But I also think I’ve been privileged to take some risks and I understand that not everyone is able to take risks.

Moving to Knoxville with my husband was a risk because we didn’t know the area, we had no support system, we were about to become parents, and it was moving into the unknown with the hopes that it would be the best for our family. Thankfully, that was the case, and moving here paid off and we couldn’t be happier to have made the move.

I also recently took a risk of quitting a really good job I was unhappy at and where I wasn’t being respected and went for a an opportunity that was a little bit less stable but it was one thousand percent worth it because it is related to photography and the big plus is that now I feel valued and I’m treated with respect.

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