Photographer moves to studio above Blissett’s in Medina

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Alexandra Peracciny recently reopened her photography studio in space above Blissett’s in Medina at 447 Main St.

MEDINA – For the first time since Covid, Alexandria Peracciny has a physical location for her photography business.

A professional photographer, as well as Spanish and French teacher at Medina High School, in 2019 Peracciny had opened her first studio above The Book Shoppe after her parents Fred and Gloria Fierch purchased it. And then the Covid pandemic hit in march 2020 and everything shut down.

Recently the opportunity to move into 447 Main St. above Blissetts presented itself and Peracciny took advantage of it. She had been doing senior pictures, family photos and on-location events, but realized she had a need for a physical space.

“I wanted a place to do headshots and portraits, but most importantly, I wanted a space where I could open up a classroom and teach photography classes,” Peracciny said.

Her first six-week class of adult photography had a surprisingly good turnout, Peracciny said. She taught basic cell phone camera use to high-tech photography for anyone wanting to improve their photography skills at every level.

Peracciny has a certificate of study in photography and, with her years of teaching and photography skills, she thinks she has a lot to offer.

Her next goal is to have summer classes for youth ages 8 to 16. Classes will be divided into age levels, she said.

Peracciny said her love of photography comes from her family. Her father had a very fancy camera which he had bought in Germany while in the service, and she was always intrigued with that. She also had an aunt who was very good at photography and Peracciny admired the pictures she had hanging on the walls.

In high school, Peracciny, a Medina native, got to use her photography skills working with staff on her school yearbook, and currently she is yearbook adviser at Medina High School. She also took classes at Brockport and the New York Institute of Photography.

She and Brittany Ford of Lockport, an award-winning wedding photographer, have formed an affiliation, and while they will have individual offices, they will work together in certain events.

Peracciny just completed an assignment photographing all the T-ball teams in Medina.

Her two children, Emily, 24, and Dominic, 22, are both interested in photography. Emily has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo and Dominic studied architecture at UB, focusing on digital aspects of photography. Both kids took lessons from Bruce Landis and Wendi Pencille.

Peracciny can be reached at (716) 735-7381.