The Story of Alyssa Vanston Photography
Hey there!
So Let's start with the basics: I am Alyssa the face of AVP. Meet your new favorite third wheel. I am a big fan of all things art making, traveling, 90’s pop, brussel sprouts, outdoors, and so much more. I am originally from York, PA but have resided in Pittsburgh for the past 13 years. I have been a full time art teacher for the past 11 years, but decided in 2019 that I needed to express myself through a new creative outlet – photography. So AVP was born, and damn, I am so happy I took on this new adventure in life. Second shooting at weddings showed me all the amazing things about photography – the side where you get to interact, communicate, meet new people, and possibly make new friends. I knew at this point I really wanted to start photographing people and capturing moments. Capturing each couple’s genuine love story and most important moments in life honestly brings joy to my own life!
Alright got that covered now onto how did I get here? Well I have always been creative. My childhood neighbor was really into woodworking and painting so I was always begging her to cut me out something so I could paint it. I took every art class imaginable throughout my grade school years, especially high school. As a lover of all things art, I naturally pursued a degree in Art Education at Penn State University.
For the past 12 years I have been the K-8 Art teacher at a local Elementary school in Pittsburgh. In college I really focused on painting and ceramics it has not been until more recently that I have gotten into the photography world. It was always something I was interested but finally took the plunge and invested in myself by purchasing my first DSLR camera. What really made me eager to learn more about photography is when I met Tyler Norman. He photographed my husband and I's engagement photos in 2018. This made me see a whole different perspective to photography. The side where you get to interact, communicate, meet new people, and possibly make new friends. I knew at this point I really wanted to start photographing people and capturing moments.
So I took a basic DSLR classic at a local art studio, read the book Understanding Exposure, attended a photography workshop in Sedona, Arizona, and created this website. After that I started second shooting with photographers in the Pittsburgh area. Second shooting at weddings has been the most exciting thing! Capturing each couples genuine love story and most important moments in life honestly brings joy to my own life! So here I am today on this awesome adventure that I absolutely love with support from my husband Ryan, family, and friends.
I’m here to capture that feeling and turn it into something you can look at for eternity! Show me moments of you just being you. I want to document evidence of your love! When you do not know what to do, just be yourselves. Give me all the weird, quirky, fun, loving, emotional, and that feeling that sits at the depths of everything you two do. I will prompt you along the way when needed. Better yet, pretend I’m not there. I promise we will have so much freakin fun! Sound like something you are into…let’s chat!
-Alyssa
