Hi!
Happy to see you've navigated your way to the contact page of my website. This likely means you'd like to get in touch. Below is a form that will allow you to enter your question or comment. If you'd like to know more, scroll a little further down and you can get a better idea of who I am and what I a passionate about.
-Alex (and Sid)
alexkhopes@gmail.com
402.672.2359
My name is Alex Hopes. I grew up in small town Iowa, but when I'm asked, I simply say Omaha to avoid a long drawn out conversation about how my hometown of Treynor (pop 909) is just twenty minutes from the city of Omaha.
When I turned eighteen and graduated highschool, I moved to Maryville MO to study elementary education at the University of Northwest Missouri State. Two years later I decided to switch majors and move to Omaha. Another two years went by and I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a degree in public relations/advertising that included a concentration in elementary education.
Near the end of my college career I picked up a six week old little mutt, who I would later name Sid. There were no dogs in my childhood, so my infatuation with this adorable creature was immense. Sid was two years old when I decided to move to Austin TX. In many ways, Sid was the catalyst for my photography career.
Obviously, everything thing Sid did needed to be documented. Whether it was him waking up, being awake, sleeping, eating, not eating, playing, not playing and everything in between, I was always ready with my camera. Once we made the move to Austin, I began taking pictures of other things, like people and landscapes. The more I photographed, the more passionate I became about my hobby. I began to realize how much there was to know about photography, and it fascinated me.
I moved to Austin with a friend, Sid and everything we could fit in my car. There was no job lined up, nowhere to live. I knew no one, and had never been to the city before. After sleeping on my friend's friend's couch for two weeks, jobs and a home were found. I began work at a restaurant, as a server. Interestingly enough, it was a joint owned by Sandra Bullock, called Bess Bistro. I'm not one to be star struck by a celebrities, but the famous owner guaranteed a great flow of traffic that kept me busy!
I spent six or seven months working at the restaurant. Near the end of my time there I began to feel down because I felt I wasn't pushing myself enough. That December, of 2012, I quit my job and purchased a camera I couldn't afford with the idea that I was going to start my own business.
The idea, to me, was simple. I was good with social media and decent with photography, so I'd do both of those things. Sure, there is a tremendous saturation of photographers in Austin, but I felt I could offer something different. I picked up my first client in January, a local burger joint with two locations in the Austin area. My role was to take photos, and integrate them into marketing strategies throughout different social media avenues. It was successful, but I was broke. I needed more clients.
It wasn't long after that I was able to pick up another client, a local gym. Initially, I was working for free, and received a gym membership in return, but after just a month I was put on payroll! Things were looking up, and I was excited about it. It was two months later that I received my big break, I picked up five new clients. They were all bars owned by the same person and from this point forward I was a busy man.
I eventually hired an employee to help with social media. The extra help and my flexible schedule allowed me to travel. This is when my love for photography really took off.
My trusty companion at my side, Sid and I have traveled all over the nation covering more than 20k miles. He and I have hiked to the highest points at Glacier NP (BC and Montana), Zion NP, and Archers NP, to name a few. We even hiked 25 miles to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back!
It was during the fall of 2012 and the summer of 2013 that the love of travel became a huge part of my life. Now, my goal in life is to provide beautiful images for people as a way to support my travel habit.
Recently, Sid and I finished a six month road trip and are in the process of settling back down in Austin. We are truly blessed to have had this experience, and look forward to the next one!
© Alex Hopes Photography 2015