We were lucky to catch up with Ashlee Makuch recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashlee, we appreciate you joining us today. Do you have a hero? What have you learned from them?

My hero is my uncle, Sgt Keith E. Fiscus whom unfortunately was killed in action in Iraq. He has influenced my journey from the start, he may no longer be with us however I do believe with out him I would not have started my business. We shared a love adventure and taking pictures. My passion for photographs developed and I can’t remember a time when I haven’t had a camera in my hand. He truly always encouraged me that I can do whatever I put my mind to. After his passing I wanted to document everything I saw, because truly I didn’t want to forget. The only way to make a moment last forever is a photograph. I’m probably babbling but i promise I’m getting to the point. Because of this and my experiences I wanted to serve people by being able to capture their memories for lifetimes to come so that they always have those times fondly look back on.

Ashlee, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a wedding and portrait photographer, I specialize in romantic light and airy images. In the article about who is my hero it goes into detail on how I got into photography as a hobby however the way I got into business is a little different. I was always that friend who had their camera on them at events like birthday parties and things like that and then friends and family would ask me to take their photos out side of those events. One day I decided to create a social media page for my work just to see how it would go and to my surprise it really took off. I will always remember my first clients who took the chance on me to capture some of their most precious moments when I was first starting out. One of the things I am most proud of is how far I have come in this industry when I was first starting out I truly had to learn everything on my own from how my camera works to editing to how to service clients in the best ways possible. I didn’t grow up in a very tech savvy household nor did I have a mentor guiding me along the way, so seeing where I started to where I am now always blows me away. One of the main things I would want a potential client / follower to know is that I am here for them to make them comfortable and have the best experience while authentically capturing their most precious memories while being their biggest hype girl.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

I started photography as a hobby which then turned into a side business and then into a full time business which I am ever so thankful for, getting to do what I am passionate about and absolutely love is so fulfilling and makes my heart so full. I initially went into the medical field because I was told that was practical and stable & I love to help people, but nursing school was not for me. I took this as a sign to really work on my business and see where it would lead from doing free sessions for friends and family to build my portfolio to booking my very first “ real “ client. We all have to start somewhere. One of the first big milestones was when I booked my very first wedding, it was a small backyard wedding but it was beautiful and such a blessing that they chose me to photograph such a big event for them especially since it was my first one! Another key milestone would be when I was able to travel out of state for the first time for a wedding, I was able to put my love for both travel and photography together which has given me the opportunity to go to multiple states to provide my services for amazing clients.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

The build of my social media was a slow but steady one. Social media is tricky so the key is to never give up. When I first created my Facebook page I did a decent amount of giveaways to increase interaction and followers which definitely helped! I’ve learned over time that it is the quality of your followers and not the amount of them. You could have a billion followers but with no interaction on your posts the numbers really don’t add value. Interacting with your followers on their stories and posts is also super important to helping build your social media so that they see you’re a real person too.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashleeemersonphotography.com
• Instagram: ashleeemerson.photography
• Facebook: Ashlee Emerson Photography
• Other: Tiktok – Ashleeemerson.photo

Image Credits
My personal photo- heart beat branding photo All others taken by me