Many people would describe their wedding as the happiest day of their life. But if you’re in a toxic relationship or marriage, the day you get out of it is also worth celebrating.
This is where photographer Allie Siarto comes to the scene. In addition to her usual packages, Allie has recently started offering divorce photography. She helps divorced people reinvent themselves and regain their confidence. And at the same time, it appears that this genre has helped her reinvent her business as well. We chatted with Allie a bit about her divorce photography offer, and she told us all about it – how it affects both her clients and her as a photographer.
Allie’s business is all about photographing people. But I was surprised to learn that divorce photography has only recently become a part of her offer. She included it in early 2022, and funnily enough – she used to do mainly wedding photography. So how did this switch happen?
Like most wedding photographers, Allie’s business was also severely hit by the pandemic. So she started switching to brand photography. She tells DIYP that a few of her favorite clients were women who were starting businesses and reinventing themselves after divorce. “I realized that photography can be such an empowering experience to feel really great about yourself after going through something as difficult as divorce,” Allie tells DIYP. “So I thought, ‘Why not launch divorce photography as its own service?’” And the rest is history.
To get things straight, I’m not saying that divorce should be celebrated as such, and Allie and I agreed on that. Every divorce is a difficult, yet necessary new beginning. And this is what Allie puts an emphasis on. Her divorce photography is about helping people reinvent themselves, find themselves again, and regain their self-confidence which is often damaged after a divorce.
I asked Allie if there have been stories and circumstances other than divorce behind these photo sessions. She told me that she is still largely focused on branding photography, so she still sees branding clients who happen to have been through a divorce. “Their core need is photos for their businesses, but they tell me they have every intention of using the photos for online profiles,” she explains. What’s best, her clients’ reaction to photos and the photo session itself has been very positive. “I’ve had people tell me that they never like photos of themselves, and they love these photos,” Allie tells DIYP, adding that it’s the best feeling as a photographer. “I also love seeing them change out their profile photos and tag me so I can see all of the great reactions they get from family and friends.”
Since I only saw women in Allie’s divorce portraits, I was curious if she only focuses on them, or anyone can stand in front of her lens after a divorce. She reveals that she doesn’t limit to women only, but they just seem to book her much more often.
Finally, I was wondering how Allie felt about having a role in these women’s recovery and regaining their power. She tells me that, above all, she has a lot of fun throughout the whole process. Not only photographing them, but watching them go through the outfits they bring, watching them get more confident throughout the photo session, and watching the reactions when they share the photos online. “Being a photographer is the most gratifying job I’ve ever had,” Allie concludes.
Take a look at some of Allie’s portraits below, along with some photos before and after the shoot. You’ll find more of her work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.
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