We recently connected with Aslyn Oestreich and have shared our conversation below.

Aslyn, appreciate you joining us today. Is there a lesson you learned in school that’s stuck with you and has meaningfully impacted your journey?

I attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan right after high school way back when, in 2009. In art school, you work on a project for a certain amount of time, print it all and bring it in, pin it up in front of the class, and there’s a round of criticism. Good, bad, advice, etc. The best couple from that project would get pinned up in the hallways outside of the classrooms for the entirety of the school to look at, almost like a small personal gallery. The pressure was always incredibly high and a lot of students were always looking to bump people they deem their ‘competition’ down the totem pole usually. But the best work came from the people who stayed true to themselves and their work. Sometimes it didn’t even end up showcased in the hallway gallery, but you could tell when the room went quiet with awe during the critique that what was just showcased and created was a truly great piece. Like a lot of great artists in history, but even with modern artists, those who create great artwork, stay true to themselves and create with their personal visions always in the forefront.

Taking client work doesn’t change that either! If you stay true to your personal style, the clients who are right for you and elevate your personal artistic journey, find you and you get to create a deep and meaningful relationship and exchange. I get the privilege of being the one who was chosen to tell an important part of someones life and they receive a unique and tangible retelling of their story.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Aslyn, I’m a photographer serving the great state of Michigan. I started taking photos almost 20 years ago after an inspiring trip to the Detroit Institute of Art and have just never stopped taking them. I’ve done everything from weddings to fine art, film to digital, and everything in between. I love a challenge so I’ll sit on my husbands shoulders or a log over a creek to get the shot that looks the best.

Michigan being fairly volatile with weather, I photograph in all conditions and chose projects with clients not based on budget, but by proposal. If you have an idea you want to bring to life or your family wants photos in the rain or want me to tag along on a walk, I’m that person for you, we’re not going to let cost stop us. The worst anyone can ever say to you in ‘no,’ so always ask if you think we might be a good fit!

I’m really proud to say that the photos you’ll get from me are timeless. They’ll look good in two years from now or 25 years from now. I purposely don’t follow editing trends (we can all remember selective coloring) and I don’t edit personal features. In a world where not much seems truly real, I make sure your photos are.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Giving people the final version of the work you created together. I love every part of the process from meeting up, taking your photos, learning who you are and what part of the story you have in mind while we’re working together, and all the editing that comes later to make sure the sunshine looks the way it did when we were there or the rain clouds look as full and darkly beautiful as we talked about. But truly the greatest moment is when I’m done uploading your gallery and doing one last look to make sure everything looks the way it should and knowing that I’m about to send you something that you’re going to be happy with. Those mutual memories of when your kids came up with their own photo ideas and asked for them are there, the part where you look like you’re the strong, but beautiful human you are, and every little thing in between. They’re all there and now you have them all to look back on whenever you want.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

To give people beautiful, authentic, tangible pieces of their lives. Life moves so fast and moments can be so fleeting, I want to make sure that all those important moments are there for you to look at when the memory gets a little foggy. I want you to have the photos that you’re actually in, instead of being the person behind the camera. I also don’t want money to be the thing that’s stopping you from getting those. I came from not a lot and still don’t have much, but I have something I can give. I love bartering and honestly just a good creative outlet that someone can benefit from. If anything, I hope that readers pass on that they know someone who can possibly help someone who’s looking for photos and send them my way so I can be a bright part of people’s lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aslynophoto.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aslyn.o.photos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aslynophoto