Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Hall.
Hi Ashley, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
Photography started pretty randomly for me when I was a freshman in college, and I started working as an assistant for the photographer who took my high school senior portraits. I grew up in a small suburb of Flint, Michigan, and he was the go-to photographer for our area. Working with him taught me all about connection, serving others, and creating a community, along with the more technical side of things such as outdoor and studio photography, using Photoshop, conducting in-person sales, the financial side of things, and packaging client orders. Towards the latter half of college, I started to experiment with my own style and quickly grew my own clientele within a matter of months. The success was wild and so encouraging! I had focused exclusively on seniors, and I think my age at the time gave me a huge leg up with being able to relate to seniors, put them at ease and allow them to be themselves while having fun.
By the end of college, I was filling my books consistently when I was given the opportunity to move to Pittsburgh, PA. I jumped at the chance and decided I’d employ all the marketing tactics I used in Michigan to grow my business there. This was in March of 2013, so Instagram was just getting started, and the world of collaboration was nothing like it is today. I probably reached out to almost a hundred people from all over Pittsburgh and surrounding suburbs until I finally got a yes from a couple of people. From there, once again, my business spread like wildfire! I was blown away by the response and feedback I was receiving. I focused my marketing and strategy on appealing to senior girls who wanted to feel beautiful but also like themselves, without the pressure to be someone they weren’t or feeling awkward in front of the camera. I was providing a fresh, relaxed, and fun alternative to the classic senior studio experience everyone had been used to or expected.
Unfortunately, I had to leave Pittsburgh after only 8 months to make the move to Florida at the end of 2013. Throughout 2014 and 2015, I tried to use the same strategies I had success with in Michigan and Pittsburgh but didn’t have the same luck in Orlando; apparently, senior pictures were not a popular concept here! I continued to make trips back to Michigan for both new and repeat clients while also pursuing my career as an Environmental Scientist. This brings us to today! I’ve now been working in the petroleum remediation industry since 2016 and currently work full-time as a Project Manager. Just this year, I’ve decided to relaunch my photography business and give it another go. Nothing beats the feeling of watching a client react to their photos and, for the first time, see images of themselves that make them feel confident and beautiful just as themselves. Everyone deserves to feel that, and my passion is to give that gift to everyone I possibly can!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
In the beginning, it was smooth sailing; I just couldn’t believe it! But the struggles definitely came when I made the move to Florida; there just wasn’t the demand for senior portraits like there was up north. I dabbled in a few weddings but didn’t have the same passion for it as I did with portraits. It’s also been a struggle fitting in the time to relaunch while working full-time, but I’m so passionate about it that I make the time by starting my days at 4 AM.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in portraits which include seniors, couples, families, business owners, and creators. I’m a big advocate for celebrating and documenting the moments between the milestones. As a society, we’ve been conditioned to save photoshoots for those big moments like a new baby or a wedding, but there is really so much more that is worth celebrating! I want to encourage others to document the smaller, everyday moments because those are what you’ll want to remember most in life; those are the special in-betweens that your family will treasure now and for generations to come. I’m known for putting people at ease in front of my camera and guiding them through their session feeling relaxed, confident, and comfortable being themselves while also having fun! I have a proprietary shooting style that incorporates a magical mix of guided posing and prompts to create a dynamic gallery of images for my clients. I’m most proud of my ability to connect naturally with others which allows me to capture their natural, radiant energy and ultimately shows them how beautiful they are and how confident they deserve to feel. Getting to see yourself in a new light, in a way you may have never seen yourself before, is a gift that you will cherish forever!
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think with the rise of content creation, and the ease of access everyone has to cameras and cell phones this day, more and more people will become used to the idea of celebrating and documenting moments now. I also think because of the unlimited ability to capture photos at any experience level; professional photography will become more valuable and sought after.
Pricing:
- Sessions start at $287 and include digital images
- Seasonal Minis Coming this Fall & Winter! Sign up for my waitlist on my website.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashleyraephoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleyrae.photo
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/theorlandophotographer
Image Credits
Ashley Rae Photo
