Check Out Alex Youssef’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Youssef.

Alex, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been a creative at heart. I’ve had my hand in almost every proverbial, creative cookie jar. But something just clicked when I picked up an old camera from the back of a closet 13 years ago. I felt like I had finally found my thing, my craft. That summer if you wanted to find me, I was in a field taking photos of blades of grass, or at an old church photographing archways and stones, I was posing my sister & my friends. I was truly in love & captivated with holding space for moments & details.

It took me a long time, longer than I’d like to admit, to start doing photography as my career. While I have always had a love affair with art, I was stuck in loop of self-doubt, fear & caring far too much about the opinions of others.

Having my first child, my son Elias, changed that all. I realized I wanted him to see his mother happy and fulfilled. But also driven, successful & having enough grit & confidence to do things I’d always wanted to do.

So, I started Alex Youssef Photography two years ago. I have had the privilege of connecting with & being a part of so many people’s lives & in some truly beautiful moments of their lives. It’s just such an honor & nothing fills my cup like this work.

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?
I think everything worth doing is never easy. There have certainly been some challenges along the way… there are typical growing pains along with figuring out your style & how to juggle the administrative side of the business. But honestly, my greatest struggle has been more personal. I became pregnant with my second child last spring & we learned at 16 weeks along that our baby girl had a rare birth defect called a CDH, which has a 50/50 chance of survival, those months of being pregnant were taxing emotionally. In December our Aria Grace was born, she fought hard for 21 days and passed away two days after Christmas. Hard is an understatement. I will say though, I look at life differently now. I look through my camera differently. I shoot lots of families, newborns, children, pregnant women… I see the beauty in these moments more clearly than I ever did before. I see how special each new life is, each person in a family photo (seen & unseen), each pregnant belly & the hope & promise of that life. People often ask me if it’s difficult for me since we lost Aria… And sometimes it is. But then I remember what her life taught me. It’s so much more than what I could ever describe.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a natural light photographer. I specialize in families, maternity, lifestyle newborn sessions & weddings. I strive for authenticity, beauty & emotion in my photos. I like to give prompts to my clients instead of poses. So instead of – “Everyone stand here, shoulder to shoulder & smile!” I prefer – “Walk hand-in-hand and chat”, “whisper a joke in her ear”, “tickle the kiddos” that kind of an idea, this evokes genuine responses and allows me to capture emotion. Plus, it’s fun! It helps people relax.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
When I was around five my parents told me we were going to the airport to look at the planes, then they casually suggested we sneak inside & check the plane out, when it started to take off, they acted totally surprised and told me we’d just have to see where we ended up. I was giddy with the unknown & thinking we were breaking some major rules. We took a bus and were dropped at a big entrance; I’ll never forget rounding a corner & realizing where we were. Disneyland! It took me years to realize it wasn’t a happy accident that we ended up there.

Pricing:

• Family session – $350
• Maternity session – $350
• Newborn session- $450
• Wedding- starting at $1500
• Engagement- $350 OR $250 for my wedding clients

Contact Info:

• Website: https://alexyoussefphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/AlexYoussefPhotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlexYoussefPhotography

Image Credits
Alex Youssef Photography