Wow. I can hardly believe how busy I have been with photography lately. It has been AMAZING and a dream come true! However I could really use some r&r. So..... I am OFF to Hawaii!!! Oahu to be exact! I am really stoked to be going and I know this trip will rejuvenate me for the rest of my busy wedding season!So I will be out of the office until August 19th. My internet access & phone use will be limited. All emails will be returned on August 20th. :)Aloha!!!! And have a good week readers!PS- Yes I am aware I have been SUCKING at my Tuesday Top 5 lately. I will get back on track when I return I promise!!!
Hey everybody! I'm back from DC and my photography filled weekend! Which means, the office is back on track and we're rocking and rolling like never before! I've been so busy this past 5 days, but I'm LOVING it. Busy is a good thing ;)So DC was amazing, though hot. I really had fun exploring the DC food scene with my hubs and I definitely feel a lot smarter & cultured from all the time we spent in museums! And the two weddings I shot this past week were AMAZING. They were both so different but so so so fabulous! I am on a high. A wedding high. I can't believe how amazing my clients are, how much love is in the world, how awesome my job is! I am a lucky lady!So now onto Tuesday Top 5!1. Volt. If you said, "what was the best meal of your trip Ashleigh?" I would say. "going to Volt! Duhhhh!" Yeah it was that good. Volt is Bryan Voltaggio's (of Top Chef fame) restaurant in Frederick, MD. And it is truly a-maz-ing. We had the 3 course prix fixe lunch. It started with in-house baked sealt-rosemary breadsticks, in house baked bread, and in house made sea salt butter. The waiters present your food to you in perfect form, making sure your flatware is appropriate, and that you know all the delectable components to your dish. Very much like how the chefs present their dishes on Top Chef. For my appetizer I had the yellowfin Tuna Tartare which was to die for. It was wrapped in a thick jasmine rice paper and finished with cilantro oil and a soy foam. Um AMAZING. AJ had the goat cheese ravioli with wild mushrooms and it was in this insane sauce. The raviolis melted in your mouth. Mmmm baby. For the entree, I had the halibut with pea puree and carrot risotto. Everything was so uniquely presented and perfectly cooked. AJ had a homemade pasta with braised lamb sauce. We finished with dessert which we shared. First for our anniversary, they brought out an orange-mint semi-fredo which was quite refreshing. Then there was Textures of Chocolate. Yes the dessert was called Textures of Chocolate which is as fancy and delish as it sounds. It was a chocolate ganache that you could mix with other chocolate textures on the plate, such as chocolate syrup, chocolate ice cream, cocoa powder, crunch chocolate and more. It was very interesting and wonderful. Lastly was my favorite-- cheesecake with sour cherries. The cheesecake was deconstructed which was an unexpected twist. The flavors were spot on and I loved the cherry ice cream! Seriously every dish was a presented in an original and unexpected way. Yet the flavors were spot on and divine. I'm SO glad we made it to Volt! It was a totally fab experience!2. Good Stuff Eatery. Another place we ate in DC that I am still drooling over is Good Stuff Eatery. Owned by another Top Chef contestant, Chef Spike Mendelsohn, Good Stuff Eatery is like slow food fast. Good food. Farm fresh, organic, earth friendly ingredients in a fast food, burger joint set up. If fast food was like this everywhere, I would not hate it so much. So Good Stuff is a burger place and AJ said the burger was legit. But y'all I ate the "Vegetarians Are People Too Shroom Burger" and it was AWESOME. Fresh baked bun. Pickles. Good Stuff sauce. Lettuce, tomato, onion. And the piece de resistance....A portabello mushroom cap, stuffed with cheese, rolled in panko and flash fried as the patty. WOW. Eating this was so satisfying and tasted so meaty. But it was vegetarian. But it had all the great classic burger flavors. It was GREAT. I only wish I could eat it all summer long!!! I hope Spike will expand Good Stuff and bring it to LA. I know I always say I hate chain restaurants...but Good Stuff Eatery seems like the kinda chain I could get behind, if did in fact become one! I love the principles of this restaurant and I love the food! Oh and I almost forgot...they have AMAZING milkshakes! The toasted marshmellow shake is mind-blowing. Seriously.3. Landing Safely. I love traveling. LOVE it. But flying? It makes me a little nervous. Not like I need to take a valium nervous. Just a tad nervous. I actually never used have nerves at all. But when I met AJ and fell in love, all the sudden I'd get nervous flying. I got afraid of something bad happening. I think it's because I love him so much and I love our life and I'm so excited for our future...so I don't want that to end...you know? But I try to disregard these nerves. Because I know deep down it will probably be okay. And life is about LIVING and not being afraid. And I should see as much of the world as I can during my short time here! I know all this. I do. But still. The whole flight there is always this little pit in my stomach. So when the plane touches down and we are all safe and good, I get really happy. I thank the universe and feel a big sigh of relief! Anyone else feel this way about flying? Anyone? Bueller?4. Seeing my kitties. Basically from the second we left for DC I missed my cats. Call me lame. Call me a crazy cat lady. Tell me to get a life. Whatever, ain't no thang. Cause I know that me and my kitties got something very special going on. Every night in DC was hard to sleep. I am so used to having my nightly kitty-cuddles and feeling them curled up by my feet while I sleep. On the plane back to Long Beach I kept thinking "almost time to see those sweeties!" So finally we were home. And I saw there sweet faces. And I was so very happy! And ever since I have been in cuddle city. Because apparently they really missed me too. Like I said, we have a special thang going on, those kit-kats and I!5. My Seriously Amazing Clients. Besides being creative and getting to take photographs for a living, one of my favorite parts of my job is getting to meet, know and work with so many amazing people. My clients continually blow me away with their kindness, and with their warm and genuine hearts. This week especially so. Pam & Justin's wedding in Maryland was so lovely and so fun. I truly felt like I was amongst friends all day...and honestly that's because I was! Then there was Ryan & Kristina's wedding on Saturday. Another couple who are just so welcoming and caring and feel like old friends. I was so giddy all day long for them! Then I came hone to such a sweet thank you note from the lovely Serene & Mike! When my couples take the time to thank me, it means so much! Because really, I thank all of you for allowing me to live such a dream! And lastly, there was the sweet Patricia & Matt on Sunday. They bought me & AJ a funnel cake after our session, which was so unnecessary but oh so very very awesome!!! And it was great to just chill with them over deep fried goodness and develop even more of a friendship. You see, 4 days packed with wonderful client interaction that melts my heart! I really am so ecstatic about all my weddings and all my clients, and so thankful for everyone of you. I can't wait to see who the next generation of awesome clients will be! But I'm sure they will rock just as much! Because I really do run my business based on the philosophy that my clients should be friends! It's just so good that way!
I'm feeling like I am on fire! I landed safely in LA today after an AH-MAZING DC Trip & wedding and found out 3 awesome things.1) I won a contest on photosister.com to get a sweet new black rapid women's camera strap! :) I've been anxiously awaiting this strap since I tried it on t WPPI in March! So to win was super sweet!
2) Zoe & Nima's awesome engagement session was featured last week on the new Style Unveiled!! Check it out!
3) And lastly but not leastly....I HAVE BEEN CHOSEN AS A FINALIST BY WEDDING CHANNEL AS ONE OF THE TOP WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BLOGS! That's sooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool! Like, Elizabeth Messina is another nominee. And little ole me is nominated in the same category. HOLLA. But y'all. I need YOUR VOTES so I can win "Best Wedding Photography Blog." Yep, this little lady has her eyes on the prize! So if you read my blog & love it (or even just like it a little) please take a few secs to vote for me HERE!
AJ and I made it safely to the Nation's Capitol on Friday and we have been having a pretty good time. Except that's its CRAZY hot here. Like heat that melts you within 60 seconds. Which isn't so good when you wanna walk around and see the sights. Thank goodness for air conditioned FREE museums. The other thing that's been bugging me here is all the tourists & crowds. YES, I am a tourist too. But I like to see myself as a classy traveler, not a tourist. ;) I just don't like crowds, nay mobs, of people around me. Makes me claustrophobic! My last little gripe would be the ESCALATOR OF DOOM at the metro stop by our hotel! Folks, this is the largest steepest escalator I have ever seen. I have seen & ridden plenty of escalators in my life. But this one is like no other. I'm not even normally afraid of escalators. But as I ride this one I can't help imagining that my legs buckle beneath me & I plummet to my demise. Okay now you know how secretly neurotic I am. And that I am the world's biggest whiner.BUT I really am having a great time in DC! Honest! Here's some highlights in my Tuesday Top 5:1. Anniversary Dinner at Cafe Atlantico. GUYS, Saturday was my ONE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. And I wanted to blog about it and brag all over the interwebs, but I was too busy seeing DC. We spent the day being awesome, and I got so tuckered out from the fun (and the jet lag) that I forgot to brag! Anyways, I will start now. By bragging about our AMAZING anniversary dinner at Cafe Atlantico by Jose Andres. I've been a little obsessed with Chef Andres since I ate at Bazaar in LA. Cafe Atlantico is great. The hubby enjoyed everything he ate (such as Organized Cesar Salad with Quail & a Brazilian Pork Chop) and I enjoyed everything as well! I ordered 3 appetizers, instead of 1 app & 1 entree. I enjoyed seared scallops, tuna ceviche and some local soft shell crab! HEAVEN.2. The National Gallery of Art. I was a major art-history nerd in high school & college. Lately I've been spending more time checking out weddings than the truly great artistes of the world. And though weddings do rock, it was great to get back to my roots and check out some of the art-history-homies. Picasso, Matisse, Van Gogh, Lautrec, Lichtenstein, Goya, El Greco, Cezanne, Monet, Rothko, Dali....how I love you all. So much. I felt totally inspired by all the art & know I am going to rock Justin & Pam's wedding this Thursday in a whole new way! Awesome!!!3. The Smithsonian Museum of American History. Okay it was crowded like whoa....but it was worth it. I have actually been before. But long ago. When the museum was housed in another building, when the star spangled banner hung in the entry way and when there was also a pendulum hanging somewhere. Since then the museum has been given a face lift, and some new hot additions like Julia Child's kitchen, but its still as fun as I remembered. I LOVED seeing the first ladies' gowns!!! I want to steal and then wear Maime Eisenhower's inaugural gown! Its soooo me! It was also really cool to see Michelle Obama's gown and accessories up close & in person! I love Michelle O & that dress was really pretty in person! I can see why she chose it!4. Blue Buck Pancakes at Market Lunch. We heard via Yelp about how Market Lunch, a little stand in Eastern Market (kinda like a mini version of Farmer's Market in LA) serves up these awesome Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes only on Saturdays. They are apparently famous & locals wait in line for an hour to get them. So on Saturday we woke up early and rushed to get in a looooooong line. For pancakes. But it was SOOOO worth it. The pancakes were delish and the experience was quite fun too! And afterward we checked out the farmer's market & flea market across the street! Fun fun!5. Legal's Seafoods. This is kinda lame of me. I ADMIT IT. It's not really even very DC at all. Legal's originated in Boston but has several locations on the east coast. I was OBSESSED with Legal's when we lived in Boston. Every time a little extra money came my way I went to Legal's for chowda and lobster. Cause that's how I roll. Honestly, one of the worst things about LA is no Legal's! So when I heard Legal was in the Nation's Capitol, I HAD to go. And after a horrible mishap (we took a cab to go eat at Granvile Moore's made famous by Food Network only to find they closed today only because their a/c broke...so we had to walk through the crazzzy heat over a mile to the metro), I decided tonight was the night. Grumpy Ashleigh was instantly fixed with some chowda & lobsta. Just like old times! Love it!Okay so that's the scoop. Today we are out to see more museums, trying take 2 on Granville Moore's and maybe see the Lincoln Memorial! Yay!Below are some pics taken with the point n shoot! I am LAME. It's been way too hot to lug my pro camera around. So point n shoot will do!
Yo peeps! I feel like an awful blogger. I haven't been updating and I have two weddings and two engagements that need to get blogged stat! Yikes! I have been in a whirlwind trying to clean out my grandparents apartment and close out their estate. And my daddy is in town to help me. So that's where I've been. Wish it was more exciting, like I was on fantastic trip or something...but nope. I've just been going to banks, paying bills, closing accounts and filling garbage bags with TONS of stuff to donate!!But I don't want to leave my buddies without a dose of TT5. That's my new abbreviation of Tuesday Top 5. Plus, it is still technically Tuesday!!!So here goes:1. Awesome Italian people & last minute bookings! Last Friday I got a call from a charming Italian fellow, asking if I could take engagement pictures of him & his fiance...the next day! Because she would be leaving town! Crazy! But I'm SOOOO glad Andrea & Barbara found me, because they are like the coolest people ever. It doesn't hurt that they are Italian and have amazing Italian style and adorable accents. And they are so sweet & fun! I had a great time! I am so glad they found me & the last minute shoot worked out! It was fun & spontaneous and I will def be blogging there pics THIS WEEK!2. UCSB. Also last Saturday, AJ and I headed to his hometown of Santa Barbara for an engagement shoot with my superrr awesome couple Tyler & Christine. Believe it or not, I never have been to UCSB before. I actually was accepted there for college, but I was dead set on going out of state...so I never even looked at the campus. Did you know that....UCSB is like the MOST GORGEOUS CAMPUS EVER?!? Like oh.my.gawdddd! It's got this lagoon and all these birds and nature and marshy-ness and bluffs and beach and wow. The dorms face some crazy good views. Dang...I almost regret not going there. Except not, because going to school in Boston was awesome too and I met my lovey at college. But still...wow. UCSB...who knew you were so cool!!!!3. Headbands! Headbands are my new obsession accessory. I hate to admit it but as much as I love dressing up and looking pretty, I kinda suck at styling my hair. My hair is very fine and stick straight. And I just don't have the patience to try to curl it. Ever. And it barely holds anyways. And cool buns and side swept do's?? Uh, ladies, HOW DO YOU DO THIS? I suck. I can't get my hair to ever look cool. I can't even accomplish the messy-effortless-up-do look. And that's supposed to be messy and effortless. Take away my girlie membership now! But cute headbands? They are a LIFESAVER. A boring, hair down look can be instantly glamorous with one of these beauties. And I love it. Easy, breezy, fo' sheezy. That's how I roll.4. "Easy, Breezy, Fo' sheezy." DID I JUST MAKE UP THE COOLEST NEW PHRASE EVER??? Yes, I think I did!5. AJ. Because he wanted me to write about him in my top 5. I guess he hasn't noticed that I mention him on this segment, like, all the time!! I think he just enjoys reading all the gush. If I write about him anymore his head may not fit through the front door! But really he is awesome. Because he goes with my on shoots and helps me out. And carries my bags! Because they are heavy!! And because he gives me kisses all the time. And because he takes pictures of me in action.Check it out. Ashleigh in action over the weekend. By AJ! Do you see what I mean about UCSB being AMAZING?!?? By the way, this was the WINDIEST shoot ever! And the most adventurous (I climbed a bluff)! Yes, I am so lame that climbing up a bluff and surviving wind seems adventurous to me. Don't hate. I'm a city girl. I'm sooo LA. Anyways, I digress. Picture below!
I am SOOOO excited to debut this new look to my blog! To be honest, for a long time I have been working on my branding, and though I really liked my logo, I knew there was a missing piece somewhere. I got my blog to a point I was okay with, I liked it well enough, but it wasn't quite right-- it wasn't quite me. For months it has been bothering me, and I have asked sooo many photographers "well should I rebrand? I'm not sure if it's right..I do like my logo though...I dunno..." I am sure I annoyed quite a few photographer-friends in the process!Last Thursday while having coffee with my good friend and fellow photographer Cindee Bae, we started talking about my blog/branding and kicking ideas around. Before I knew it she was over at my house helping me redesign EVERYTHING. Thanks to Cindee for designing this awesome new background based on my beloved shootsac, and also figuring out to round the corners on my blog, and just making it 100% better looking & more like me!!
I am soooo excited by this new look, and now the wheels are turning for a new, separate website to come out this summer! Yayyyyy!!! So what do you think of my new look? Leave your comments ;)
It's Tuesday again! Woohoo! I am actually very excited because tomorrow is Wednesday and on Wednesday I will be working on something I am super excited about! Expect results soon!!! But you didn't come here for cryptic messages about big plans, and things that excite me...you came here because it's time for Tuesday Top 5! So here goes!1. Babysitting my nephew. On Friday, I was left with a big responsibility. Pick up my nephew from school (it was a half-day) and babysit him till around 5:00pm. Now, I babysit my nephew all the time. But pick up from school? Oh man, that part sounded scary. That's what moms do! You gotta drive all extra safe. You can't forget him and accidentally leave him there (once someone forgot me at school and it SUCKED). But all went smoothly. I was like the best aunt ever. Picked him up on time. Took him to Victor Jr.'s for a little pizza pie lunch! Took him to the playground and got him a popsicle. Please file me under Best Aunt Ever! Seriously, it was awesome. And I had a blast with my favorite li'l guy all day. Because my nephew is HILARIOUS and ADORABLE!!2. Watching Kids Perform! This week was like my kids week. You see my friend Brooklyn directs a kids musical theater program and I went to see their final performance of Annie. Then the next day, I saw my niece perform in her spring school recital, which also was a musical theater theme. It kinda warms my heart to see the kids get up there and give it their all. When I was a kid I was in like a gazillion musicals. I loved seeing a full house and watching people clap & cheer for me (and you know the whole cast)! It gave me so much confidence. And so going to these shows is kinda a full circle, giving back thing. And it gives me the warm & fuzzies.3. The Culver City Car Show. On Saturday it was just lovely outside! So AJ & I decided we should take a stroll over to the annual Culver City Car Show. To be honest I am not really like a "car person." I can appreciate a classic car or a nice car but I don't know..it doesn't really excite me. Still, I had fun looking at the cars with AJ and being goofy. I decided of all the classic cars, my fav is a Chevy Bel-Air. Two tone please. It is a pretty hot car! :)4. Mother's Day. Lots of people asked me what I did for mother's day. Well, I spent it with my momma. At Dim Sum. All day. Because we waited for two hours to get a table. Because apparently that place took reservations and we didn't know. So two hours of sitting & waiting & hunger. BUT when we got to eat finally it was delicious!!! Plus I got to be with my mom and laugh and just be. And that was nice. On a sad note, it was really hard not having dinner with my grandma or buying her a card. Mother's Day was like superrr important to her...so to not be doing anything with her was just strange.5. Spring Weather. Okay well minus the days it has been really windy, it is finally starting to get all springy & warm! The Jacaranda trees are in bloom which I love! And the sun feels so good! It just makes me excited! I can tell summer is around the corner and that means swimming and bbqs and fun! Love it!I will leave you with a quick picture I snapped of AJ & my nephew, Leo, back in February. I never posted it because its not a perfect shot. AJ is a little out of focus. But I dunno I kinda love this shot. Despite AJ being out of focus. So there.
often go awry. I am sure many of my readers are wondering what happened to today's Tuesday's Top 5 or my post on Christina & Syl's amazing e-session. And I have been meaning and wanting to blog all of it. But sometimes life gets in the way.Without making too many excuses or giving a long sob story, I will just say this: my grandma went into the hospital last week with a stroke. She passed away yesterday in the early afternoon. My grandfather, her husband, who has been in and out of the hospital (you may even remember he nearly died several weeks ago) was readmitted to the hospital today with a high fever and pneumonia. He could pass this week too. So its a hard time.I haven't had much time to blog, and to be honest putting together a blog post right now just feels daunting. I never want to rush through a client's post and not give it the attention and care it deserves. So I REALLY apologize to my clients for the delay in the posts. I promise the images rock and will be up when things calm down & I don't feel so gloomy. Funnily, besides my mom, husband, and kitties my only source of joy has been discovering the amazingness of RuPaul's Drag Race on late night tv...I watch it when I can't turn my brain off, and it makes me lolz. So that's good, I guess. If I had done a Tuesday Top 5, this week I am sure I would give it a shout out!Anyways, expect a return to regular bloggity programming next Monday. I am hoping after the funeral things will stabilize.xoxoxo to all my lovely readers, friends, and clients! I love you all more than you know.
I'm awful & never wrote about my first time at WPPI!!! Shame on ME! Okay well better late than never, right? Right!For those who don't know WPPI is like the world's biggest wedding & portrait photographers conference/convention held annually in Vegas. And they aren't kidding with the world's biggest thing, its HUGE! Much love to my friend Brittany Moncrief for giving me the free pass she won when she realized she wouldn't be able to attend! You ROCK Britt!The platform classes are great but for me it was all about the Tradeshow. I am really dedicated to offering *the best* products to my clients and also to partnering with the best companies so that I can give my clients an amazing experience from their initial point of contact with me to the delivery of their album-- and everything in between! So needless to say, I had a lot of research to do! And luckily I think I did a great job of seeing what's out there, and definitely have major changes coming soon!Here are some new things happening at Ashleigh Taylor Photography:-I now am a user of Tave Studio Management services. Tave is great because their software provides me a way to manage all my clients & the workflow attached to the packages they book! No more post-its full of reminders strewn everywhere around my house! Now I have all my to do's in one place! I also can manage my calender through Tave so double bookings and confusions will never be an issue (NOT THAT IT EVER WAS), but I say better to be safer now than sorry at some point! I can also track finances through Tave and export to Quickbooks (which is my main way of tracking finances). But the bestie thing about Tave is that it allows my clients to have their own online lounge where they can book me, electronically sign their contract, and view invoices! No more snail mailing of contracts, no more waiting around for copies to come through! We can get contracts done in a jiffy, and my clients can have a PDF of it saved to their computer and if they want they can print it for their records. I can do the same! Simple! And this paperless system is also GREEN! If you know anything about me, you know I'm an environment-loving, save planet Earth preaching, green/organic lifestyle nut! So being able to go green in this respect makes me very happy! Can't wait to finish setting this up, and having things be easy peasy for my clients (and for me too)!-Album Exposure! This is another biggie! Now my clients can easily view their album designs online. The viewer can be set to have a flip-through page-turning experience (like viewing a real album) or a slideshow experience! You can leave comments on each spread and this way I can see the exact changes you want me to make! If you like the design you can also approve it! Super simple! And once its approved the system will send it right to the manufacturer to get the printing started ASAP! Isn't that fab?! So far the client response has been great! And I can't wait to share more designs with my clients soon!-Speaking of Albums...WPPI was great because I realized I truly do offer *the best* quality albums to my clients! After seeing the rest, I can soundly say I really did choose the best vendors out there! Seriously. My album companies ROCK!-Black Rapid Women's Strap! Ok this isn't out yet but when its released, honey, I am FIRST in line to buy it! This is a strap that holds your camera ina certain way for more comfort, less weight on your neck, better posture, and easier access. I loved this darned thing! When it comes out it will be a life-changer for me!-Shootsac's new Shoot & Tote. This also isn't available for purchase yet but I know I do want it! This isn't a product so much for weddings, but more a personal bag to take out when I travel. It fixed the need for having a way to discreetly carry your camera, a lens, and all the other crap a lady needs when she is out and about for the day, all in one handy-dandy, easy to carry bag. I NEED this. I often don't bring my pro-camera on trips or excursions because it can get soooo heavy, I am worried about theft and/or damage, and I have to also carry a purse and maybe a bag with a towel/sweater/water bottle/maps/travel guide etc. I hate feeling like a bag lady, and I hate being bogged down when I'm on the go, so to speak. Case in point- I only used my point-and-shoot at WPPI because my DSLR was a huge inconvenience. So this product really solves the problem! And I LOVE that. I hope to get this before our DC trip so I can document the whole adventure!!! ;)Hrmmmm I think that somes up my WPPI tradeshow hilights! And some of the immediate affects I see it having on me, my business & therefore my clients!On a personal note, I also had a BLASSSSSSSSST dancing all night at the KISS/Pictage/Shoot-Q party held at Studio 54! A night to go down in infamy for sure!And lastly I'll leave you with a photo of me & friends with J* at the Tradeshow, cause everyone loves a little Jasmine Star right?
I absolutely heart my Shootsac! For those of you who don't know what Shootsac is, its a lens bag NOT a camera bag! You wear it while you shoot, and it hold your lenses while you hold your camera. This way when you want to switch lenses, you have 3 choices right at your fingertips. I especially love this, because I only shoot prime lenses which means I often need to switch lenses!I love this bag because its light and unobtrusive! I am a TINY human being. If you haven't met me, you don't realize I'm sure...but I'm only 4'11" and weigh about 85lbs. So I hate bulky bags or bags made with heavy materials. Hey, my lenses are heavy enough thank you very much ;)
Another cool thing about Shootsac is that its fashionable. Shootsac makes interchangeable covers so you can have your bag match your brand, your mood, your style.When I saw this HOT pink cover at the Shootsac Holiday party I squealed, "OMG this is soooo me!" It just is. The colors, the pattern...so very me. So my taste and personality. Better yet its one of the limited covers, because it was a sample that never went into production, so not many people have it. One thing I hate is to be like everyone else. I really HATE when someone has my exact clothes or jewelry or purse or whatever. So this cover is awesome because I can feel unique when I rock it!
So photogs out there, if you don't own a shootsac what are you waiting for homies?! And brides & grooms who probably are thinking there is nothing in this post for them... au contraire... you can rest assured your photog will always be able to get the shot, because my lenses are always on hand! Sweet, right?
Hey Y'all! I'm headin' out to Vegas for WPPI!!! Wooohoo! This is my first year going and I'm super stoked! It's like *the* event of the year for Wedding Photogs and some even say its the spring break for wedding photographers. Hrmmm. I'm not so much a party girl and I haven't been to Vegas in 12 years because its not really my thing. I'm a goody-goody-- I don't drink or gamble. But I'm sure there will be SO many learning activities and networking events and parties that I won't feel out of place! And if I do feel out of place, I will just go EAT. Because one thing Vegas does have is GOOD FOOD. Nom nom nom nom.I don't have my WPPI sched all figured out yet, but I know I will be learning lot, researching a lot, and meeting so many cool people! I promise to come back a better photographer, which is great for my 2010 clients!!So don't hate if I'm slow returning e-mails the next few days. I promise to get back to everyone when I return Thurs 3/9!!
Here is part two of the San Diego Photog Shootout! This is my favorite part of the day-- the Pin Up girls!! Hot babes and hot cars, now tell me is there anything better than that?! Really, I have always wanted to do more pin-up photography, expanding on my love for boudoir, so this shoot was kinda a dream!Again I'd like to give a shout out to the talented people that made this shoot so fabulous. So thank you to Pamela of Pamela’s Parasols who donated the amazing parasols, Sabrina Sloan who was the fashion consultant/stylist and also provided custom made wardrobe, and Lance Durant of Hire Old Cars who provided the absolutely gorgeous classic cars! The make up was done by Robyn Mason, and Rebecca McLaughlin from Beaucage Salon handled the hair styling! Lastly, the amazing location we shot was the San Dieguito Heritage Museum!!Enjoy the photos below!
I had a hard time making any of these photos black and white because the colors in this shoot were just SO good! But I love this photo in black and white, because it just looks so much like 1940's Hollywood glamor photographs!
Work it ladies!!!
Below is my favorite shot of the day!!! Possibly my favorite (non-wedding) shot EVER!!!!!
This time last year I was kinda petrified of meeting other photographers. I felt like the nerdiest freshman on campus, and surely would not be accepted by the cool kids of the photo world. But about six months ago I realized there was really no need to be afraid. As an artist its always better to be fearless than fearful. I have to say over the past 6 months I have networked a lot and made some incredible photog friends both in real life and over the internet.One great networking opportunity I spotted was to participate in The Photo Exchange, which is organized by the *fabulous* Wyoming-based photographer Michelle Kane. Basically, Michelle pairs photogs up and then they each get to edit one of their partner's photos. This is a really cool way to see the different styles of editing out there and how post-production can really change (and hopefully enhance) an image.I got paired with Sherry-Lu, an amazing Vancouver based photog, and someone I have been friends with via internet for some time now! I love Sherry and actually get to meet her in person next month!! So doing this exchange with Sherry was extra fun!!Below is Sherry's photo (she shot it). It is SOOC (straight-out-of-the-camera) meaning it has not been edited.
And now here is her photo with my post processing:
And now here's a side by side look at a photo I shot SOOC, and Sherry's edited version of my image:
And there you have it! The Photo Exchange! I encourage other photographer's to partake in the exchange as it is really fun! I also hope this educates my brides a tiny bit about the work that goes into your photos after I shoot your wedding or photo session!
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I'm going to add a new feature to this blog called "Wedding Advice Wedsnesday!" The past 9 months of my life have been all about wedding-- I got engaged and started wedding planning myself, and also started a career in the wedding industry! So I'm pretty much sweating all things wedding out of my pores right now, and have learned a lot from the whole experience! I know a lot of brides and grooms out there can feel overwhelmed, so I thought I'd offer my advice-- lessons I've learned along the way! I hope people will find it helpful!Okay here goes... My first piece of advice... ::drumroll::Hire a coordinator!!I know its kind of strange-- a photographer saying spend your money on a coordinator! But trust me, a good coordinator is worth her weight in gold not just to the bride and groom but to all the other vendors. A coordinator will help you stay organized, understand your vendor contracts, create a detailed timeline for the day of, and handle all last minute stresses which keeps the bride and groom calm! A relaxed bride is essential to getting good photographs!! So if you have a coordinator you are actually setting yourself up for better pictures. Also, a lot of brides have trouble creating a timeline that incorporates enough time for formal pictures, and that makes good use of photography time. I of course try to help brides in figuring out how much time to allow for photography, but in the end its really up to the bride to make the final call. A coordinator has a great understanding of how much time all the parts of your day will take (hair and make up, travel time, the ceremony, etc.) and therefore can help you make a realistic timeline and make sure you stick to it! That is very helpful for getting in all the pictures you want and getting them done on time! In general, a coordinator will make the day go smoothly for the bride and groom but also for all the vendors-- and that allows us vendors to do our jobs better! So I highly recommend to your brides to find hire a good coordinator!!And..... if you are looking for an awesome coordinator, I highly recommend Paola Spagnoletti of Just Chic Events! She's my right hand gal when it comes to my own wedding, and I'd be LOST without her ;)
I absolutely love veils because I absolutely LOVE veil shots!!So I cannot wait to share this stunning veil shot I grabbed during Sunday's Marathon Boudoir shoot! It's my photo of the week :)
Of course there are many, many other gorgeous shots from my sessions on Sunday that I cannot wait to share, so stay tuned for more teasers tomorrow!!
I'm off to Tucson, AZ to shoot Kristin & Jeremy's wedding! I do not have a laptop right now, which means I will not be able to check my email. I will return all emails on Tuesday March 24th. Please be patient with me-- I promise to return with lots of eye candy! Thanks!-Ashleigh
I have to say, Kristin & Jeremy's engagement session in Santa Monica was one of the most entertaining and fun sessions I have ever done! I mean how can you not have fun with these two? Jeremy is a joker. Every word out of his mouth is hilarious. I think I only caught him making a serious face once, and that was only because I asked him to. :) And Kristin is so carefree and exuberant. She's the kind of girl I wish I was more like-- fearless, unbridled and spirited. They really are a great pair and complement each other perfectly.I didn't ever really pose these two. I spent more time just observing them with each other, and trying to take candid shots. They were always so active and full of energy that I didn't have to give them much direction-- everything just happened organically. I love how the pictures turned out and hope Kristin & Jeremy do too!
Thanks you two! It really was a blast! And now, the photos....
Okay, Kristin just hopped up on the ledge on her own. I'm a scaredy-cat and was totally afraid she'd plummet to her death. She assured me that she was fine and had me shoot away. I'm glad she's so brave because I love this picture. Still, you'll likely never catch me on a ledge like that. :)
Just wanted to let all my clients and potential clients know I will be out of the office from today through Monday 2/16. The fiance and I are off to Santa Barbara, yes even in the pouring rain. It may take me awhile to respond,but just know all emails will returned on Tuesday 2/17.Also when I return their will be so much more photo goodness on the blog! First up will be Craig & Ann's engagement session! Yay!Hope everyone has a great Valentines/President's Day weekend! Stay dry!
Hi! I'm Ashleigh, a Los Angeles based artist and photographer. I'd actually say, first and foremost, I am a storyteller. Throughout my life I have studied and expressed myself through acting, writing, filmmaking and photography. I love to explore the human experience, and to share stories that make people smile. While planning my own wedding, I realized that wedding & family photography is pretty much a perfect fit for me because I get to use my camera to tell the stories of people in love. Being able to capture one of most important moments in someone's life-- being able to capture their love story-- is incredible and an honor. I'm justing starting this journey, but so far the ride has been great. Come back to see my current work, and to learn about the beautiful couples and families that have come into my life!Enjoy! :)Ashleigh