Today we’d like to introduce you to Allie Kurcz.
Allie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Photography has always been my passion. I remember carrying a camera around with me when I was 12 years old and always being obsessed with capturing photos from friends at school to small flowers in the grass. I kept shooting throughout the years but didn’t think to take it professionally until one of my friends said to me, “hey, you’re really good and should be getting paid for this.” I didn’t think much of it or even consider asking for money from people since I just genuinely loved taking photos whenever and wherever, it was fun for me. I started doing photography as a “job” a few years ago. I started out doing portraits and slowly got into the MMA realm. I am extremely blessed for the opportunities I’ve had in my photography journey. I’ve been able to shoot and meet all kinds of people, from the ordinary business person to the current UFC Heavyweight champion.
Barbering is my second passion. I grew up in the beauty industry because my mom is a hair stylist. I remember being in the salon at 8 years old and painting my own nails where the nail techs worked pretending like I was one of them. My mom’s uncle was a barber and owned a barbershop for years in the 60’s in Las Vegas. I guess you could say it runs in my blood. I picked up a clipper 6 months ago for the first time. I’m currently still in school and learning a ton! I recently just placed in my first ever barber battle against 10 other students! It was a great learning experience for me and I am striving to be the best I can in this industry.
Since I have an eye for being creative and Instagram is huge in our world today, pairing photography with barbering is everything to me!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Photography – Getting paid the dollar amount that I wanted and felt my photography was worth took me years, at least 4. One thing I have learned as being a creative is that there is always room to grow and you can and will always get better with each new photo. I am still learning new things when I edit a photo or shoot a new subject for the first time. My advice is to keep going. I would read photography articles and watch Youtube videos of people whose work I admired like it was a drug. I craved to be better and I believe when something is a passion you’ll strive to be the best. There are SO many photographers out there today, so not everyone will see your worth, appreciate your talent or accept your prices, and that’s okay.
Barbering – It took me months to figure out how to read hair if that makes sense. Learning how to fade is one thing and then learning the hair and head of the person in your chair is another, and they go hand in hand for a great overall cut. I’ve broken down in waterfall tears at least 4 times in the process of learning this new artistic skill. I’ve wanted to quit many times, I’ve been talked down to numerous times by other barbers/clients and rejected as a barber because of my gender. BUT I know that as a woman in this industry, I am set apart and I will use that to my advantage even when most may not fully accept it.
Please tell us about Allie Kurcz – Barber/Photographer.
I specialize in portrait photography, fashion photography and fight photography. I started out just doing portraits because I love people and capturing their emotion in raw moments. I have always been into fashion so I started to style and shoot models and details of their outfits. I shot photos for a clothing brand in Las Vegas called Soullover Clothing. I started to get into MMA photography when I managed social media for an MMA gym in the West Loop. It took a while for me to get used to shooting a fast-moving subject since I was used to still models. That job led me to more opportunities like shooting different MMA events such as Glory Kickboxing, LFA, shooting the UFC Heavyweight and eventually to Floyd Mayweather’s gym in Las Vegas.
As a barber, I feel that I’m set apart because I will cut every type of hair. I’m not a “one type barber” and I want people to know that. I know a lot of barbers who will only cut round celled hair or some who only cut flat celled hair. I also know some who don’t know how to use shears at all – and those are a key component to a finished cut! I strive to grow my knowledge in learning techniques for all ethnicities hair.
Contact Info:
- Website: alliekurczphoto.com
- Email: allie.kurcz@gmail.com
- Instagram: @alliekurcz
Image Credit:
Allie Kurcz Photo
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