We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Paige recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

One thing I have always appreciated about my parents is that they never told me I couldn’t. Any interest that came up in my life my parents, especially my mother, would encourage me to explore. When I was young and first showing interest in photography she bought me a digital camera to take photos of my friends and sisters with and it was such an exciting gift! As I grew older and transitioned into adulthood they never tried to talk me into another career path, even when I know they wanted to. It has made such a difference to have that support from my whole family behind 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 grew up near Salt Lake City, UT in a city called Syracuse. I come from a large family full of lots of personalities and I am lucky to have always had creatives surrounding me! When I was young my aunt was a photographer and she would take our family photos. Getting those pictures back was always so exciting for me and I knew that that was exactly what I wanted to do! I studied photography as much as I could in school and at home until I eventually graduated and saved up enough money to buy my first “real” camera. I’ve been taking photos of everything, and everyone since! I specialize in lifestyle, fashion, commercial, and portrait photography. My photography style is vibrant, warm, soft, bright, and very much my own and I think that is what sets me and my art apart from others. I love to capture the human essence and memories that will last a lifetime. It is so special to be a part of my client’s important life moments, but it’s equally as special to me to capture their day-to-day moments. I believe every moment in life is worth capturing and documenting! The way people’s eyes light up when they see photos of themselves and feel beautiful is so rewarding and makes everything I do so worth it. It makes me happy that I have been able to achieve my inner child’s goals, I think she would be proud of me and that carries me forward!

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Sometimes people are quick to judge creatives, especially those who haven’t made a big name for themselves yet, because it can be difficult to understand why anyone would choose instability in art over the stability of a 9-5 and that someone would believe that they could “make it” doing what they love. It took me a few years to convince my peers, and even myself, that I had a talent and that should be taken seriously. In Utah where I am from we are oversaturated with photographers due to the beauty of the landscape around us and the social focus on the family, so around here photography is often thought to be an “easy side-gig” and I’ve heard many people say “anyone with a camera is a photographer.” One of my first photography jobs I had was at a hospital, and I was given a badge with my photo on it and under that it said “photographer” and I coveted that badge so much because it was proof that I was what I had been saying I was. It wasn’t until I was maybe 5 years into building my business that I had the confidence to say “I am an artist, and I can do this.” There are good months and bad months, but I think anyone with a 9-5 would say the same so at the end of the day the fact that I am so fulfilled by what I am doing and I’m getting to make my dreams come true is worth all of the judgments and nay-sayers along the way.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of what I get to do is seeing the smile and the sparkle in the eye of someone who just saw themselves in a photo I took. The boost of confidence that can give a person – seeing and knowing that they are beautiful, is inexplicably amazing and fulfilling and if I can keep spreading that for the rest of my career I will have been successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ashleypaigephotos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleypaige.photos/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-graham-98ab441a0

Image Credits

All my photos!