Meet Alli Farudi | Maternity and Family Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alli Farudi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alli, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Photography has been my passion for as long as I can remember. While I didn’t major in it in college, I always took classes and remember loving those days processing film in the darkroom. And while my career path didn’t go that way for a long time it was always there filling my soul. So much so that instead of a traditional gift on my wedding day, my husband bought me my first DSLR camera. That was 11 years ago! I took that camera and spent the first year of our marriage in Brussels writing a blog and photographing everything Europe. At the time my passion was for nature so people were more of a rarity in my photos. But then my babies came and as many moms can relate, I didn’t want to capture anything else. Every day right before my eyes, they changed and grew and even though I was with them all day every day, it never felt like enough. I wanted to document every moment and I pretty much did. But what I forgot about was myself. As I look back at photos, of course I was in selfies but I have very few professional photos of my family together. I remember always having an excuse that I would do it later when I lost the baby weight or it didn’t matter because I was taking them myself. But the thing is when the moment passes by, there’s no way to get it back. This is when I knew I wanted to do this for others. I wanted to take my passion for photography and capture what I found to be the most important thing in life, family. I wanted to document families special moments to include mommy (and daddy), to include looking and feeling beautiful, to include gorgeous lighting and backdrops and mostly to include seeing and being able to feel a moment in time that otherwise would have been lost forever.

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.
I am a family photographer documenting love and connection. I think what sets me apart is that I’m not a photographer doing every shoot that comes my way. I photograph families because it’s where my passion is and what I believe is most important in life. I also work hard to make the process as easy as possible for my clients. I send all my clients a Style and Prep guide to help them with everything from what to wear, to how to best prepare the little ones for the shoot. During the shoot, I pose every moment so that they don’t have to worry about what to do. But they will never look like someone else’s photos since every family brings their unique connection to the shoot. I also follow the little ones lead making sure not to keep them standing in place too long. If they want to run or play then that’s what we’ll do. And that’s when we’ll usually get the most authentic moments. I always try to answer my clients questions before they even ask me (like when they should expect to receive their gallery). And then in post, I edit my photos paying attention to every detail, to make sure every client always gets the best of me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Temecula is known for being wine country, so wineries are definitely on top of my list! While bus and limo tours are fun, I’d definitely go out on your own to check out the best ones. My favorites that have the most amazing food, vineyards and mountain views and of course incredible wine are Leoness (must try the cajun fries) and Altisima Winery. You can’t go wrong with either! There are also so many kid friendly wineries so if they’re coming with little ones, checking out which ones have festivals, comedy shows or plays is always good. Also Peltzer is a great spot too especially during the holidays with pumpkin patches in the fall and ice skating rinks in the winter. Doing a hot air balloon rides over the vineyards in the early morning is a must (or at least waking up to see them). Also checking out Old Town Temecula where you can find shops and tons of restaurants and bars. My favorite restaurants are Goat & Vine (for the best pizza) and Public House (for seasonal food and good beer).

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?
Oh wow, I’ve had so many photographers that I learned from through the years, that I wouldn’t even know where to start. But I don’t know that it would have ever happened without my babies. Without them I wouldn’t know of how fast it all goes by and the importance of making sure to document it before it’s too late. Also my husband. He is an entrepreneur and has been building and growing companies since I’ve known him. I don’t think I would have ever really believed I could create my own business doing what I love without watching him always follow his dreams.

Website: https://www.allifarudiphotography.com/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allifarudiphotography/

Image Credits
I need to give photo credit to Kristina Yorks Photography for the one of me.