Meet Alexandra Gloria | Photographer and Graphic Designer

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

Hi Alexandra, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
You know how you see these amazing images and want to duplicate it but give it something that it’s missing, or you think you can do better in your own way? THAT is what I wanted to do. I wanted to capture the moments I thought were missing in images. I started at Sears Portrait and it was dull, forced and ‘posed’. Back in the early 2000’s you didn’t see the candids unless they were celebrities out and about, I wanted to start seeing that with regular every day people and families. It’s been over 15 years since I picked up a camera and I still get an anxiety-driven thrill to meet clients and capture their day to day and special moments.

I also wanted to be in a headspace of my own where I could pick my own clients, locations, and not overwhelm myself with a day to day job that was for someone else, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and quitting the ‘9-5’ to focus on my creative outlet that I really thrived in and found a passion with, I can see the end result of a single image in the moment and I think; to me, that’s what being a creative and passionate photographer needs to have, you can’t simply slap an overlay on an image and call it art. You have to be able to see the beauty and depth in something, contort and skew the perception of something and change it to your vision, even if your chained to you desk for hours on end, it has to be something that you’re driven by. Starting a business that isn’t really … “work” that’s what I wanted to do. It has to be fun or it’s just a ‘job’.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what sets me apart from other high-end photographers is the quality and ‘quirkiness’ – I can be a chameleon and get along with literally anyone. I moved around a lot as a kid so I had to learn really fast how to talk to people and learn to open my perception and empathy in order to gain trust rather quickly to make friends and not be alone in the world. I also have this demand in myself to be ‘perfect’ in what I do so if I tell you it’s gonna be BOMB and take 6-8 weeks for a wedding gallery, you’re going to get what you paid for and then some. One thing my grandfather always taught me was to go above and beyond and kill them with kindness. Even if you don’t feel like you’re on your ‘A game’, do it until you’re 100% sure that it’s perfect for YOU to want to hang on your own walls. And that was with everything. Strive for perfection but don’t limit yourself if you can’t achieve it. I also think what sets me apart is my pricing. While I’m not the most inexpensive one out there, I understand being a human being in this world of chaos that cheap isn’t good and good isn’t cheap. My overall goal is to work with everyone and give them the option to have me photograph their moments. We all deserve amazing portraits hanging on our walls, not just on Facebook or Instagram.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh gosh in the whole DFW? My first stop would be the bridge in Dallas. Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge at night with some take out sushi. That would be a bucket list for anyone around here I think. If it’s in spring or late summer, definitely go to any of the botanical gardens. I think the Japanese gardens are so lovely. Probably stop off in the stocks at some point and go to H3 or any of the great BBQ places there. I’m an autumn person for sure being a native from Minnesota so if any of my friends or family visits around September I am for sure going to White Rock Lake park. its so beautiful there with the leaves. I’m a breakfast 24/7 person so if we were to go eat? For SURE go to SNOOZE. I can’t count how many times my husband and I have gone there. But the FortWorth one, Dallas is always busy (For good reason!) we usually have to get reservations! But the Cactus Peach Sangria? Oh gosh!!! the BEST! We live out in the country about 45 minutes west of Dallas now so my favorite sport? Home. I love my land and just watching the stars at night, listening to the wildlife, especially my neighbors peacocks! (No joke!) it’s like heaven.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think the inspiration I’ve gotten over time is from my kids – when they’re little, they have this curious nature and expression and you can see it in the photos. I would love to say another photographer gave me Inspiration or a famous actor, activist or something of that nature so someone could follow along that journey, but honestly – My first born was the reason I started shooting full time. I wanted other parents, family, etc to have those moments just like we had with our daughter and now our twins.

Website: https://www.foxvalleyphoto.co

Instagram: foxvalleyphoto

Facebook: Facebook.com/foxvalleyphoto

Image Credits
Alexis Gloria