We recently connected with Ashley Farley and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.
When I started rebuilding my portfolio, I was apprehensive. I was very unsure of my skills and creativity in the art of photography and navigating the market in Colorado is not an easy adventure. My husband suggested that I put a post on Facebook to friends and family and offer sessions to essentially get my feet wet, rebuild my portfolio and develop a new website and logo. I did a few for those sessions from that post of family and friends and made them a pro-bono session. I was excited when they offered to pay for the sessions what they felt was a fair price and obtained a more than supportive client base. I was overwhelmed by the support my family and friends had shown me and still to this day continue to do. However, my first paying client in my new journey was a referral from one of those friends I had. It was a couple planning their wedding in Rye, Colorado. They reached out after seeing my website and were willing to meet with me at Starbucks. After going over their big day and enjoying a cup of coffee together I couldn’t wait to be their Photographer. On the day of the wedding, I woke up at 5am to make the drive to Rye, Colorado and arrived at the location where the bridal party was getting ready. The girls were so excited and there was so much laughter and joy in the room. I left the girls to head to the venue where there the groomsmen were getting ready in a small, tiny home. They were laughing, toasting the groom, the air filled with excitement. My favorite part of the day was when the groomsmen left, and the ladies waited in the same cabin. I remember the bride peeking through the mini blinds of the small home out at her groom and tearing up at just how handsome he looked. The girls all giggled like children as the groom turned around to look back at the tiny home and saw 6 slits of the mini blinds filled with peering eyes. They shared the most heartfelt vows in front of their guests and danced the night away. I left later that evening to head home as they all stayed and had smores around a fire pit with their loved ones and camped the evening under the stars. Driving home my heart felt so full. I couldn’t believe I got to be a part of something so momentous to that family and that they trusted me as the one to be there to photograph such a special day. I was so grateful for the connection; I couldn’t wait for the next client booking. From that moment I knew that I was on the right path. My confidence in photography grew stronger and the apprehension soon faded. This couple may not have known just how much they impacted me on that day and how their wedding truly set me on fire in my journey, but I am ever grateful that they chose me.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I started photography to explore stopping a memory in film. I wanted to capture what I thought I might forget later. I really started to enjoy photographing candid moments of my kids as they grew and explored the world through their eyes and wanted to put those moments in a standalone image. I specialize in family portraits, senior photos, and weddings. I really enjoy the milestone that becomes a fingerprint in our lives. In my photography I feel my style sets me apart from others in the way that the image can be felt, I really try to evoke an emotion in my images that clients can look back at and feel that moment. My style is less serious and fixed posing. I really want people to feel the joy in a laugh, the cold in the rosy cheeks of winter smiles, and the wind in your hair. My editing process in invocative of those images for the season their taken in. The pops of color in spring, Bright colorful colors in summer, the vivid oranges and yellows of fall and the blue hues of winter. I want my clients to feel comfortable in front of the lens, I laugh along with them, share a tear in a father daughter dance with guests, celebrate exciting moments alongside them and provide a comfortable setting when they feel shy. Photography is a way to celebrate yourself and those around you and I want to be the one to capture those moments for my clients.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is that your clients come back to you for more sessions, they share your work and recommend you to friends and family. Being a photographer can be difficult, you feel like your work is not where it should be, and you develop doubts in your abilities. What I am continually surprised by is my clients continuing to support me. I couldn’t be where I am without their support and enthusiasm for my work and the growth I have had. I love my clients; they are the reason I continue to get to do what I love. I really enjoy when they have an idea for something I haven’t tried before, and they are just as excited for the adventures as I am.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My goal is to continually get better and better, to always deliver a product and image that my clients will love over the years. I want to build lasting friendships with them and have them know that I am not just a person behind the lens, that I am also a huge supporter of them in that moment and the many to come in future. I creatively enjoy being behind the lens, interpreting the light and showing them the very best of who they are.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.aBloomPhoto.com
- Instagram: @aBloomPhoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/aBloomPhoto
Image Credits
Ashley Farley