"Perfect"

I have been thinking a lot about how I have gotten to where I am today; my career, family, even physically and emotionally. I would like to share this journey with you, so, now where to start...


I got married to the man I set my heart upon April of 2007, we moved from Utah to Minnesota in July of the same year and moved in with my parents. We barely had any responsibility. I got a job paying very good money, all we were doing was making money to spend! It was an easy life but not my dream. Long before I got married I knew I wanted to do something artistic with my career. I had dreamed of doing photography I just never thought it realistic.


September of 2008 I found out I was pregnant and struggled with many of the things that come a long with pregnancy, what to do about my good paying job was one of them. I always wanted to be a stay at home mom and thankfully I met a man that supported that but we both knew I needed to still bring in some cash. So here I was, about to make my dream a reality. I had been taking pictures of pretty people for years already but now I was going to become a "professional". Make it my career.

It has been 3 years now since my first baby girl was born and when I established Alyssa Rei Photography. But that is not the end of my story. As many artists a like, you struggle with your niche, where you belong. With photography there is so many different directions you can take. In the beginning I tried to do them all and I struggled with my identity as a photographer. I believe that to be great at one thing is better to be good at all things. I wanted to find what I could be great at. It took me 2.5 years to figure that out. I realized I am great at making people feel beautiful.

For almost half of my life I struggled with self image problems, I treated my body poorly and disliked every part. To me there was always someone thinner and prettier, I strived for unrealistic goals. When I found out I was pregnant in September of 2008 I was half ecstatic and half devastated. I was afraid of how my body might change. I got severely depressed and was put on medication. By the end of my pregnancy I gained 70lbs. I struggled at first but then realized what my body had just done! It had made a miracle, it had created life! God entrusted me with one of his children and I came to understand that I was pretty amazing. Despite my extra weight I felt beautiful for the first time in a long time.

My little girl is now turning 3, marking my career a long with it and I have added another few lbs a long with another precious child. I can honestly say my children changed my life in more ways than one. They changed my definition of beauty and life, and they gave purpose to my photography! That purpose is to help women believe in themselves, see their inner beauty and their strengths and remind them to love themselves. We are all individually perfect. I found my strength and my beauty and have learned to love myself for who I am and what I can do and let that translate into how I look on the outside. I am perfectly me.
Let me show you your perfection!