Meet Alexia Ferranti-Neilson | Photographer and Business Administrator/Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alexia Ferranti-Neilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alexia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I am really just beginning my sort of 2nd act journey and part of that was definitely finding out how to manage work like balance! I started out in photography 20 years ago but it was always stuck as a hobby while I worked long hours working in business administration. Two years ago I realized I needed to create that space for me to engage more in my photography, and to really set it up as something to make a small business out of. I started selling work at seminars that had a featured artist, started submitting work to exhibition contests around town and online and sold some greeting card prints to a couple gift and book stores. This summer I will be launching a website to sell prints, cards and other photo print gifts.

Sometimes the tough grind can get in the way of your dreams but as soon as you prioritize even half an hour a day or a coupe of hours a week to your passion then keep taking it to the next level, the balance becomes easier and your focus can change for the better. Taking the time to go out and look around, travel, explore and create images of our beautiful world gives me so much energy and appreciation for everything around me. I spend much more time on creating now. I’ve also been a writer for many years and would love to add photography books into the mix someday!

I’d say to anyone, take that time to do somethings you love! If you can share it with others and earn something for your efforts, even better! It’s also never too late to start a business! No matter how small it starts out, you never know how fast it could expand! I still believe there is room for small business in the online market which can also be a great option when you’re still working a full time job. Creating that balance to pursue a photography print business feels great and keeps me going!

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.
My journey to becoming a nature, artistic and scenic photographer started when I was a little kid but absolutely expanded once digital cameras came on the market. I had always had an interest in photography, as a kid my parents took me to many museums, I loved fashion magazines and art magazines, and I watched nature shows every week on TV. My family was always involved in the arts, architecture, fashion and many other creative outlets.

What really got me started on my own journey and personal take on photography was during a tumultuous time in my mid-twenties. I was traveling a lot for work, not in good company, and needed an outlet to break free of the struggles both mentally and physically. Photography was a great way to find joy and inspiration in everyday things, animals, places and people.

After working to build a home and life back in Tucson, I was able to start my photography business. It started slowly with small shows and sales to family and friends but then expanded to a website which will have sales coming soon. The journey to this point wasn’t easy but I am so grateful for the experiences and look forward to the adventures to come! Starting a business is never easy but making that jump, even a small one, is so rewarding!

What I would like people to know about me would be that I value this incredible world we live in, there are so many more beautiful things, beautiful places and beautiful people than there are negatives. I want my work to always reflect that and really show how beautiful things can be in their own way. Your eye through the lens tells your story but it also tells the viewer a story. I always want to tell stories that move people in a way toward appreciating our wondrous world.

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?
This is such a fun but difficult question because Tucson and this area in general have so many amazing things to see! I would definitely have to take them up Mt. Lemmon. Tucson is so fortunate to have such an amazingly bio-diverse place right in our backyard. Mt. Lemmon is special for its amount of biozones you pass through in such a short amount of time.

Another thing to see that ties in with Mt. Lemmon would be to visit one of our world-renowned telescopes or the mirror lab at the University of Arizona! I am an astronomy enthusiast along with all my other interests and that is something else that is special for Tucson. While visiting the UofA, I never miss a chance to stop at the Creative Center for Photography. Ansel Adams’ great friendship with retired UofA president and avid photographer Dr. John P. Schaefer led to the Ansel Adams foundation providing his body of work to the Center of Creative Photography, at any given time there are wonderful exhibitions there along with the permanent works.

Sabino Canyon, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and our Reid Park Zoo are all great places to see animals both native and non-native and places I always love to go for photography. Depending on season and time of day, both Saguaro National Parks, east and west, are both amazing places to see as well.

If you have time to travel a little farther of field, it is always fun to see Madera Canyon, Pena Blanca, Nogales, Bisbee, Tombstone and Benson. Puerto Peñasco is also a favorite. We are so lucky to be able to travel to the beautiful Sea of Cortez just 4 hours from Tucson. On your way down to Nogales for some great shopping and dining you could stop to see San Xavier del Bac Mission and Misión San José de Tumacácori, both are spectacular historical buildings.

Back in town, downtown Tucson is amazing for food, museums, music and night life and Mission Gardens, the Botanical Gardens, Yume Japanese Gardens and Tohono Chul Gardens are wonderful places for easy walking and beautiful sites. Catalina Foothills is also a favorite place to take visitors, there is great shopping, galleries, food, and beautiful golf courses. Two of my absolute favorite restaurants in Catalina Foothills are El Cisne Mexican Restaurant and Vivace Restaurant. A favorite gallery is the must see Degrazia Gallery in the Sun.

A visit to Tucson wouldn’t be complete without a visit to South Tucson, the amazing food, people and art galleries in the historic barrios de Tucson are a must see! Check out Taqueria Pico de Gallo for lunch or the super fun American Eat Co for multiple restaurant offerings in one location, and for gallery recommendations, just two of many, check out Galeria Mitotera and the Etherton Gallery.

I could go on and on for my love of all things Tucson, which I never get tired of even after having travelled so to so many places, but this is definitely a week’s worth of awesome things to do and see!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A lot of adventures and living life, during really bright and really dark moments, made my photography better over time. Changes and journeys can be hard, but what you learn and who you meet can really affect your creativity in amazing ways! My first photography heroes were Ansel Adams, Richard Avedon, Annie Leibovitz, Phil Oh then later photographers like Paul Nicklen, Cristina Mittermeier, Brian Skerry, Charlie Hamilton James, Angela Scott, and Clark Little among many others! Learning techniques and different ways to create nature images from studying them really shaped how I look at a scene but it also allowed me to find my own style. Time spent working model shoots, events and school photography also shaped me as a photographer! I am so grateful to those influences and training!

My biggest influences are really my family. My parents always encouraged education in the arts, languages and sciences, so much of that is in photography, and they always encouraged me to pursue creativity. My dad is a retired professional golfer and current restaurateur/entrepreneur and my mom is a retired architect, financial planner who is now focusing on wonderful painting and mural work, she has shown and sold her work in several galleries, and has published her writing, Both of my parents had so many experiences and ways of seeing the world that they shared, plus trips and activities I did as a kid, that really broadened my view and sparked the desire to capture some of those moments through my life then seek out moments to capture.

My husband, who recently started on his creative photography and videography journey has always been supportive of my drive to get out and take so many pictures, He is always super patient while I work to get what I want through my camera lens! We travel often and are always packing lots of camera gear!

Website: https://alexiakphotos.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexiakphotos/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexiaferranti/