Aleks Fisher shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Aleks , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
Yes! One recent moment that made me feel both proud and happy was launching our new startup — the Unlimited Session year-round photography subscription. I’m proud because it’s a unique service that nobody has done before. We created it for people, because we believe everyone should have access to professional photo sessions at a very affordable price.
We also want to inspire people to capture themselves and their families more often, because it creates lasting memories and is such a fun experience. Seeing how people react to our unique service — the excitement, the smiles — always makes me happy and reminds me why we started this journey.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Aleks Fisher, and I’m the CEO of Bellancio. I’ve been in the photography business for over 10 years, working with weddings and artistic photo sessions. But I always wanted to create something people truly need — not just for big celebrations, but for everyday life.
I have a family of six — three little kids and a dog — so you can imagine how many reasons I have for photo sessions! My wife is pregnant? We need a session. Our baby turns three? We need a session. Then a newborn arrives — of course we need a session. Christmas comes, my oldest wants to show her gymnastics skills, the bluebonnets start blooming… there’s always something worth capturing. Over time, I realized every family should be able to do this, but not every family has the time or budget.
This year, after many years of thinking, planning, we finally launched our startup. Bellancio is the first subscription-based photography service — pay a low monthly fee and get unlimited access to year-round photo sessions and creative projects. It’s simple and flexible. Every month, we add new projects based on community interests: birthdays, pumpkin patches, family sessions, Christmas, maternity, newborn shoots, and many themed experiences.
But it’s not just about photos — it’s about experiences. If a family is going to a pumpkin patch anyway, why not also get professional pictures as part of their membership? Sometimes we organize unique sessions, like with alpacas, so families get both great images and quality time together. For example, in October we organized a photo tour to a Lantern Festival — it’s not just photography, it’s memories.
With Bellancio, families don’t have to wonder what to do — they can simply visit our website and choose from a variety of exciting projects we offer.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Creating a safe environment is what keeps families and friendships together. When I say that, I’m referring to a psychological sense of safety: you have to be 100% sure that they won’t judge you for any of your decisions or actions. They will always ask about your feelings and support you when you make mistakes. Only in that way can you feel safe, and those relationships will never break. However, when an environment isn’t 100% safe, you can no longer be yourself and feel secure—and that’s what breaks the bonds between people.
And that’s why we LOVE our Bellancio, because it allows families to better know each other, spend more time with each other, and run away from those “family photo sessions” everyone wants to run away from. This is because those long sessions, once every several years, only break people apart, similar to a house remodeling, haha. Frequent and very short, fun sessions—that’s what makes you want to spend more time with your family on different activities.
What’s something you changed your mind about after failing hard?
When I was younger, I often worried about what people would think if I failed. But now, with strong relationships and a supportive family, I know they will be by my side, understand me, and help me — not judge me.
Also, more recently, I’ve realized that it’s okay to make mistakes and fail. I used to think everything had to be perfect and done only one way. But looking at the world, it’s clear that nothing big ever happens without some failures. Failing doesn’t just hurt your feelings — it teaches you lessons. Most of the time, after failing, you even do things better because you now have experience.
What I think about now, and what I’d advise everyone to try, is to ask yourself: “What will really happen if I fail? Is this something I can’t recover from?” Of course not! There’s always a way forward. Life is about living, making mistakes, failing sometimes, and then learning from it to do better next time.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
My friends know that the most important thing in my life is spending time with my family — watching my kids grow and being there for my wife. The most valuable thing we have in life is time. I want to spend it intentionally. Or do nothing at all – its my time.
That’s why I created a product for families — to help them spend quality time together, laugh, hug, hold hands, and share special moments. I truly believe our service helps people and families be happier, live more fully, and create lasting memories from real experiences. I do this for my family, and I want the same joy and meaningful moments for all Bellancio clients.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Probably I was lucky because my family always supported me and encouraged me to be myself. In my life, I’ve had many different positions and pursued many different careers, but in everything I did, I was in love with it.
In all of them, there was one thing that made it interesting for me: I am a creator. Not just a creator — I like to dive deep into all the details. When I do any business, I also think like a psychologist, a friend, a photographer, and a businessman.
Yes, I believe I was born to do something for people — to make their lives more interesting and meaningful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bellancio.com
- Instagram: @bellancio
Image Credits
Photo by Aleks Fisher / Bellancio Photography
