I come from a family of photographers and have been taking photos all my life. I have always loved capturing fleeting moments: a laugh that wasn’t planned, a quiet exchange of energy, the joy of a dog smiling. My work began in black-and-white street photography, using natural light to capture people as they are, real and unguarded. That instinct, to wait for what’s real rather than manufacture something polished, is still the foundation of everything I do.
Before building my business as a portrait photographer, I spent many years as a Chief Marketing Officer. I sat in the rooms where decisions were made about how brands would be perceived. I understand the pressure of first impressions, the responsibility of representing something larger than yourself, and the weight a single image can carry.
That experience taught me to think strategically about visual identity, to ask not just “what do you want to look like” but “what do you need this image to do for you.” I bring that thinking to every session, whether we’re creating executive headshots, building a visual brand, or preserving a loved one or family portrait you’ll treasure for the rest of your life.
But strategy is only part of the work. The rest lives in something quieter.
Bring Alissa your camera-shy human or skittish pup, and she’ll coax out the magic hiding underneath. She reads your energy, connects with your soul and clicks the shutter at the exact right moment. Her clients cry when they see their portraits. Their dogs’ tails wag. With wild curls and a laugh that puts everyone at ease, she doesn’t just take pictures. She captures souls, fur and all.
I am trained in animal communication and energy work, including Jin Shin Jyutsu. I came to these practices through my deep love of animals, particularly dogs, who experience the world through sensitivity and intuition. They respond not just to what is happening around them, but to what is felt beneath the surface. Working with them taught me to listen differently, to pay attention to what is present but unspoken, and to trust what I sense in a room before a single word is exchanged.
What surprised me is how profoundly these practices have shaped the way I work with people. My ability to read energy, to notice when someone is holding tension or needs a moment to settle, to create an environment where the nervous system can quiet down – these are not skills I reserve for animals. They are woven into every session I hold. Whether I’m photographing a founder preparing for a rebrand or a woman seeing herself clearly for the first time, the foundation is the same: attunement, patience, and trust.
I believe that authenticity is not something you perform. It reveals itself when you feel safe enough to be seen. My role is to create those conditions. I do that through calm, intentional guidance, through the quality of attention I bring, and through an intuitive understanding of what each person needs in order to arrive fully in the room.
Every experience begins with a private consultation, a real conversation where I learn how you lead, how you want to feel in your images, and what this moment in your life represents. From there, I guide you through every detail, wardrobe, styling, environment, so that by the time you step in front of the camera, you feel prepared and at ease. During the session itself, I direct you through posture, expression, and presence in a way that feels natural and grounded. Nothing is forced. There is always space for you to breathe, to settle in, and to simply be yourself.
This is true whether we are creating professional headshots that communicate credibility and leadership, branding photographs that tell the story of your business, empowerment portraits that reconnect you with your strength, family portraits that preserve love as it exists right now, or pet portraits that honor the bond you share with your dog. The context changes. The care does not.
Many clients get emotional when they see their images for the first time. Not because the photos are flattering, but because the portraits are a true reflection of who they are. There is something powerful about being seen without pretense, about looking at a photograph and recognizing the person looking back. I often hear “you’ve really got me.” And that is the work.
I don’t believe in creating images that look beautiful but feel hollow. I believe in photographs that hold your energy, that carry something of who you were in that moment, and that feel unmistakably like you. The result is not just a portrait. It is a record of presence.
I am based in New York City and New Jersey and happy to come to you, whether that’s on-site at your office or abroad and every session is an experience designed around you.