We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Smith recently and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
I’ve always felt drawn to the arts, and spent a lot of my youth trying every medium I could–acting, singing, flamenco dancing, painting, charcoal, costume design–yet none of those ever seemed to quite fit. I also had a great love of animals, so when it came time to pick a college and major, I initially planned to go into animal behavior, since chasing the artist’s life when I didn’t even know what kind of art I wanted to do seemed foolish. So, for my freshman year, I worked in a behavioral monkey lab and started down a science track. By the end of that year, I’d discovered that I loved studying behavior, but that the actual experience of doing science wasn’t for me. So I shifted over to studying monkeys who could talk to me, and joined the anthropology department, with a minor in gender studies. I fell in love with this field, and for 3 more years I immersed myself in the study of human behavior, and more specifically, what makes us human and how we express our humanness. My studies took me to places like New Zealand to work with the Maori and Arizona to work with the Hopi people, among other adventures. While I wrote paper after paper, I became increasingly frustrated with trying to use words to share what I was learning about my fellow humans. One fateful night, an acquaintance asked if I’d ever considered photojournalism–telling human stories with imagery–and something in me clicked. With mere months left in my undergrad career, I took a big risk and applied to two photojournalism masters programs with a portfolio I cobbled together with a disposable camera and a heartfelt essay, and miraculously, was accepted into a coveted program at BU. My mother thought I was crazy, having little to no real experience in photography, but I was certain I was going the right direction. When I arrived at my first day of class, I was overwhelmed with all the technical knowledge I lacked, and went to speak to my adviser, afraid I’d made a terrible mistake. I didn’t even own a camera yet! However, my advisor, after looking over my portfolio and hearing my story, told me I already had the most important skill for photojournalism: the ability to view my fellow humans with compassion, vulnerability and understanding, and that camera work was just a technical skill I could pick up with practice. And so, after a long and winding journey full of risks and intuition, I’d found my medium and profession. As a kid, I never would have guess I’d be a photographer, and now, I can’t imagine being anything else.
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’m Ashley of Wide Eyed Studios, a visual anthropologist who specializes in storytelling through photojournalism. After working for other photographers and learning how to run a business, I founded Wide Eyed Studios in 2012 to document a more diverse group of stories, as I’m fascinated with what makes us all human. Rather than a traditional portfolio, my website is my vision of the world. My images are created with heart, humor, and honesty, and I strive to show people how beautiful their own lives and those of their fellow humans are. My theater and painting background helped me develop a visual voice that is vibrant, dynamic and emotive.
As an LGBTQ+, woman owned business, I especially love giving voice to community stories. I love my wedding clients–what’s more human than falling in love!–but I also do a lot of fulfilling work for schools, non-profits, theaters dance troupes, musicians and families. My diverse subjects keep me inspired. I chase photos that show connection, relationships, the multifaceted nature of the self, and the amazing world we live and love in. One of my biggest strengths is the way I interact with my subjects, as the anthropologist in me wants to do so much more than take pictures. Couples often say they feel like I’ve become family by the end of the day, and I work hard with other vendors to make sure events run smoothly so that my couples can focus on being present. In my school and non-profit work, I endeavor to give voice to the stories of inner city youth, people with disabilities, immigrants and the elderly. In the arts, I especially love helping to create a lasting, tangible document of the ephemeral and essential experience of live performance, a field that itself tries to synthesize and understand the human experience. Through understanding others, we can more fully understand ourselves. I hope I help those I photograph to love themselves and this world a little more with every image.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
When I was young and considered being an “artist,” I thought that the real struggle would lie in finding my medium, my voice, my audience, but after working in the industry for over 15 years, I’ve realized that those things come about somewhat organically as you practice doing what you love. What I really wish a teacher or seasoned artist had shared with me earlier were how important and essential some finance and business classes would have been in my journey to creating a viable career. My biggest hurdles have been a lack of knowledge on how to actual be a business, and how to protect myself legally and financially. Liberal arts degrees rarely require these types of classes, and yet people hoping to make an actual living out of art are required to be entrepreneurs as well as artist. Connecting with communities of working artists can also help create space to learn things you didn’t know you needed to know. I was naturally good at imagery and working with people, but I had no idea about how to create an LLC, having contracts and insurance that protect you, how to use quickbooks, and the ins and outs of ownership of your work. I personally loved the Fearless Photographers group, and learned so much from their lectures and conferences.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
When I started my business, everyone had suggestions on how to do social media, but the reality is every artist has different needs and what works for some won’t work for others. I was told to have separate accounts for my private life and my work, but the people who suggested this method had businesses with a singular focus: all weddings, or all babies, etc. I was coming to photography through anthropology, however, and was planning to work in a lot of areas, so it made more sense for me to have one account on Instagram where I post my life AND my work, as the two are so intertwined for me. It created the most amazing interconnected network for me. Someone who may have met me through a theater shoot and started to follow me would be surprised and excited to learn that I also do weddings and celebrations, or headshots. Clients who had found me for wedding photography would watch as I posted pictures of my family and friends, and think of me when they grew their own family or had multigenerational get togethers. When I take my family on adventures or shoot a play, it gives others ideas of what to do in their free time. When I post pictures of street art or restaurants I go to, it gives my engagement couples ideas about where to shoot. My clients become more like friends, and are more willing to recommend me to their networks because they like the way I see and who I am.
Whenever I’m at a shoot, I try my best to talk to people I don’t know, be personable and ask questions and take an interest in them, and then I follow up by asking for the follow. It’s hard and can feel embarrassing at first to ask for work, but it’s the best way I’ve found to get new business. I tell them I’d love to connect with them on Facebook or Insta, and have business cards with a selfie on one side and ways to connect with me on the other. I’ve had people hire me who tell me they met me years before at something and kept my card for the day they might need a photographer!
When I do post work, I often try to add behind the scenes stories, pictures, and selfies rather than just the polished final product to show I’m human and that art is a process. It gets people excited about what I do and helps them see me as human. Most people don’t know what it’s like to hire a professional photojournalist, so it gives them a glimpse into my process and a better understanding of why they might want to hire me. 
Contact Info:
- Website: wideeyedstudios.com
- Instagram: WideEyedStudios
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WideEyedStudios
Image Credits
Ashley Smith of Wide Eyed Studios