Alison (Dewhurst) Conklin, ’98 has a special affinity for photographs. After her mother died, it was through photographs that Alison was able to discover further truth about her mother. They became a way for Alison to remember her and to, as Alison recalls, “understand a little more clearly who she was, what she experienced, and where she had come from.”

This is why Alison is a professional photographer. Through her own photographs, she tries to help others more fully understand and enjoy their own lives and the lives of their loved ones. As Alison says, “to deny ‘what was’ is to deny ‘what is’.” Her photographic creativity allows her to capture what was so those she photographs can discover the truth of what is.

National Acclaim

Alison is married to Geoff Conklin, ’98 and is the mother of “two amazing children:” Jonas (5) and Moses (4).

Alison is also a highly successful photographer, despite never going to school for photography. As LVCHS photography club facilitator John Moser says, Alison has one of those uniquely creative eyes that allows her to create art with her photographs. This creative eye helped her to break into the photography world, and, after doing so, she was able to gain some of the textbook knowledge that has helped her become one of the most prominent photographers in the region.

Alison photographs weddings, engagements, family portraits, and children’s portraits, and she handles commercial photo needs as well. She photographs people in whatever location they desire, and she promises a relaxed atmosphere during the shoot. These make the pictures natural and allow the truth of her subjects to shine through. It also allows her to capture beautiful, artistic shots.

Alison does more than just photograph small private affairs. She has photographed radio personalities on Cat Country and other stations, and she photographed the 2008 Inaugural Iron Pigs Baseball Wedding. She has also photographed the National Ad Campaign for the March of Dimes.

Alison’s work has been featured in Parade magazine, which is a national publication that is included in the Sunday papers, as well as in The Morning Call, The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Wedding Style, and InStyle.

Alison’s newest project is a book tentatively called Undressed. This unique book will feature her photographs of “women who have been married already in their wedding gowns” and will explain the stories of truth behind each of those collections. Her goal is to take a “non-traditional look at the ‘bridal’ portrait.” As she says, this is a “series based on women, based on relationships, based on not just fairy tales but truth, not just ‘happily ever afters’ but life’s real experiences stripped-bare of shallow facades.”

Alison takes the lessons she has learned about photographing truth in wedding pictures and transfers them to these already married women. Her goal is to take a look back at a defining moment in these women’s lives and photograph them so they can more fully come to grasp with its truth. She hopes that by taking pictures of married women in their bridal gowns they will be able to go back in time, so that by remembering what was they can understand more clearly what is. Alison hopes these pictures help the women photographed and all those who view them to better grasp the concepts of “marriage” and “family.”

Giving Back to the LVCHS Photography Club

Despite all of Alison’s success, she has not forgotten from where she herself has come. On April 9, Alison returned to LVCHS to give guidance to the photography club.

The photography club meets on Wednesdays during activity period and is headed by John Moser. The members are appreciative of Mr. Moser’s guidance and many of them credit him with improving their photography skills. Presently, the club, which is about a dozen strong, is preparing for its second annual photo contest.

The club members greatly appreciated the help given to them by Alison. She had previously attended the club meeting and had given them a homework assignment. Each student was to identify a painting or a picture that inspired them, and then they were to take a similar photograph. Alison came back on April 9 to view their work and to offer them advice.

The students were impressed by Alison’s advice, and they all learned something from her. Kara Spangenberg, ’10, who has been a part of the photography club for two years and takes sports pictures for the school’s website and flyers, took Alison’s “simple but great advice” to “just keep shooting.” She was reminded not to wait for the perfect picture but to photograph everything. Crystal Kirschner, ’11 learned from Alison’s zooming techniques. Grace Lee, ’08 was impressed that Alison answered all of their questions, and Beth Lausell, ’11 thought Alison really related well to them.

Many of the students also appreciated seeing Alison’s work and hearing her story. They were inspired that she could rise relatively quickly to photographic prominence without a lot of formal training, and, of course, they were impressed by her spectacular work.

Rachel Rivera, ’11 summarized the students’ feelings well, saying, “It was cool” having Alison come back to her alma mater.

For more information on Alison’s LVCHS trip, you can read her blog on the experience at: www.alisonconklin.com/press/2008/04/09/collecting-homework-being-unique/.

To view more of Alison's work or to schedule a photo shoot with her see her website at www.alisonconklin.com.