Hello and welcome to my new blog! I am so excited to share what has been happening behind the scenes at Allegra Anderson Photography and show you my work.
It’s a rainy Friday in Glastonbury, Connecticut and though the sky seems sad and tearful, I am excited for my first post! Allegra Anderson Photography is now up and running full time. Six weeks ago I departed my position as Still Photographer at This Old House. It was a hard decision to leave my family there. You might be wondering what it was like working at This Old House and it really was a privilege to work there. I will tell you that all “the guys” are as down-to-earth, honest, intelligent and as cool as they appear on TV. Norm, Tom, Kevin, Roger and Richard are the epitome of craftsmen and the best at what they do. And what makes it even better is that when you are around them, they are approachable and kind, and that makes you respect them even more.
During my time there, I worked with the best of the best in the television and magazine world, had my photography published in This Old House Magazine and even received an Emmy® award for my role as Supervising Producer on a beautiful documentary New Orleans: Getting Back to Normal. I feel very blessed. Another one of my favorite memories was a segment we did on Ask This Old House with the guys and Jimmy Fallon in Times Square in New York. Does it get any better than having them in one place? It was a scorching 90 degree day, but the excitement and adrenalin outweighed the heat. You can check out a photograph from that day on the This Old House Facebook page: http://goo.gl/0tRcc. It was a very difficult decision to leave the guys and all of my other coworkers, whom I respect greatly, but it is exhilarating to now be able to work with such a wide array of clients, and concentrating on my own photography business full time means great things for YOU too.
In hopes of avoiding any cliche stories about how or why I became a photographer, I will be brief and blunt. There was never an “ah-ha” moment for me. Rather, it was a slow build-up of creative interests. I loved photography when I was young, and I still do. I consider myself both an artist and a photographer. That explains my four-year stint in television. I guess being an artist also explains why I love cooking, why I loved working as an inn keeper when I was 20 and why I went to art school! Since I was 14, I’ve been interested in working and learning in a variety of jobs, but photography was a constant in my life. I never saw myself as a number cruncher, I was always drawn towards creativity. I took local photography classes during the summer, then during high school, and eventually attended art school with a concentration in photography. My parents always supported my interest in photography, and I remember receiving a camera for each of my monumental birthdays. Looking back, these cameras provide an excellent timeline of changing technology. My first camera was a small point-and-shoot film camera, then an SLR film camera, and now I shoot all digital. The industry has really changed even in my short lifetime.
With my experience at This Old House and my photography education at Tufts University and the SMFA under my belt, I am focused and excited to continue capturing and developing beautiful artistic work. I am looking forward to working with a diverse group of personal and business clients in the New England area and also traveling for photo shoots. As a lifestyle photographer, I focus on several events and subjects: weddings, engagements, architectural and real estate photography, food, portraiture, and story-telling narratives. I have already met so many amazing individuals in the Hartford area and I can’t wait to continue meeting and collaborating more.
Now that you know a little about me, I look forward to hearing from you soon to discuss making gorgeous photographs together. Thank you for visiting my blog, and be sure to come back for updates! I hope you enjoy the photography that I post, and I’d love to hear from you on my email – allegra@allegraanderson.com.