Hello to everyone out there! I’m already trying to move mountains in 2019 with photos and I feel like it’s going to be a great year! Today I want to tell you about what editing programs I use. I will do another blog about my editing process that hopefully will be put out tomorrow!

            The very first program that I use is Adobe Bridge. The reason that I use Bridge is to go through my raw files to delete any photos that are blurry or unfixable. All wrong angles, multiples that look too similar, or even just photos that I feel missed the composition that I was going for. Also, while I’m in this program I will pick a few photos that I consider simple edits to use as a sneak preview for either Facebook or just the person(s) in the photos.

            The next program I use for my first round of editing is Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. What I mean by first edits is simple fixes or simple color corrections. I will usually add presets, do some simple lighting corrections, and some simple color corrections. I’ll also After doing these things, I consider some of the photos done at this point. The ones I consider done at this point will be watermarked in Lightroom.

            The final program I use to edit is Adobe Photoshop CC. In photoshop I tend to do more extreme edits. Overlays, background fixes, and skin fixes. Sometimes I will do head swaps if the photo calls for it. At the point that the photos are opened in Photoshop I will also do more in depth color corrections.

            Thank you for stopping in and checking out my writings! Stay wonderful!

            ~Ashley

Hello to everyone new, and welcome back to everyone else!

            Today I’m going to talk a little bit about how I organize my photos. I won’t go too much into depth because everyone does this step differently. I try to stay as organized at possible, but there are times that I fall behind. I break all of my photo sessions by type, date, and sometimes month. So, without further ado, here is how I organize my photos.

            The first thing I do at the beginning of the year when I start getting folders ready is to make a folder called ‘2019’. Inside this folder I create two new folders named ‘Editing’ and ‘Website’. This just helps me see what I’m still working on and what has been fully edited and ready to be uploaded onto my website. I try to keep up to date as much as possible.

            Inside the ‘Editing’ folder I will normally create folders named ‘Wedding’, Engagement’, ‘Senior’, ‘Concert’. ‘Family’, ‘Sights’, and ‘Model’. This way I know where everything is easily, and what I have to work on. I love keeping everything separated by the type of session, therefore I can quickly find photos to share if need be for any new potential clients or even to show off for posts to hopefully find new clients.

            Inside my ‘Website’ folder I don’t normally create too many folders to break them up inside. Since I am just posting them to my website. I don’t need to find these photos as quickly as those in my editing folder. The photos that are inside of the ‘Website’ folder is usually lower resolution.

            This is basically how I organize my photos throughout the year. Sometimes I will label them by month taken to make them a bit easier. Other than that, I just try to keep them in their correct folders and keep as up to date as possible. Just a little insight into the chaos of keeping everything in order in my world. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

 ~Ashley

Hello and welcome to all of my followers!

I hope everyone out there is having a wonderful day and if you’re not I hope it gets better for you! Today I’m writing about an embarrassing moment I’ve had while in the world of photography. But today’s edition is all about those embarrassing moments while shooting concerts. I’m pretty sure I’ve done some embarrassing things that even I don’t remember. But here are the few I do fully remember.

  One of my favorite that has happened this far into photographing concerts has been one of my first ever concerts in the photo pit. I was trying to stay under crowd viewing level, so I wasn’t blocking anyone’s view. When I went to move forward I tripped over my own feet and fell onto my butt. One of the band members caught this happen and got a good kick out of it also. This has since happened quite a bit in photo pits over the last 4 years. This is also one of my most memorable embarrassing moments. It has since been brought up in a lot of conversations and brought joy to a lot of people.

At one point a couple years ago I was photographing a show that didn’t have a specific photo pit area. At these shows you just kind of make the crowed your own. In doing this, you’re making your way around people who are just trying to enjoy the show without blocking their view. This is where my embarrassing moment comes in. I got super close to the front speakers and was trying to inch my way just inside this are to crouch down and snap a few photos closer up that the back of the crowed. When I finally got down in front, the singer of the band had just decided to move his mic stand to the side. It happened to fall right on top of me. While this isn’t the most embarrassing thing, it still makes the list being the butt of the jokes the rest of the night for being ‘in the way’.

While being in the photo pit, there are many moments where the band might jump down into the photo pit and you must move out of their way quickly. One of those moments I was standing off to the side of the stage and the singer was jumping down to go into the crowd, I had to move backwards quickly and try to not trip. In concentrating on moving, I tripped over my own feet once again and fell back into the wall. I sat and laughed on the side for a few moments before I started taking photos again.

I wouldn’t trade any of these moments for the world. I’ve met amazing people over the last few years doing this, and I have some amazing memories from doing this. Thank you all for reading this.

Have a wonderful day!

~Ashley

Hello Everyone!

Hopefully your year has gone by smoothly! 2018 has been one crazy ride with so many new adventures. I’d like to take a moment to recap just how fun of a year this has been! I’ve met so many new people and even photographed a few bucket list items that I’ve been waiting to see. It’s been a fun year to say the least so Thank You to everyone who has supported me in this wild journey I’ve been on!

            In 2018 I have photographed a huge variety of different bands. So many cool shots have come out of this! The Q & Z Expo Center has been my main Venue that I continually shoot at. This place has one of the most friendly and welcoming crowds that I’ve ever seen, and or been a part of. It has become a second home for me over the past few years. So many of my 2018 recap photos will have been out of here. Every photos description from this recap will have details of the band, what venue it was taken at, and why I chose it! Here are my 2018 concert photo recap from this year:

            I’ve also been extremely lucky traveling over the span of 2018! Seeing tons of new wonderful sights that I have never seen before. I would love to show you some of my favorite photos that have come out of my travels of the year below. The details of the scenery will be listed in the description of the photos! Here are my 2018 travel photo recaps from this year:

  This year has been a wild ride that has included so many different photo opportunities! From weddings to senior portraits and models. Meeting new people who love doing what they love to do and helping them express it in different ways to be able to live and pursue their dreams! Here are my 2018 portrait photo recaps from this year:

            Thank you to all the amazing bands I’ve come across and who have shared my work and helped me grow this year. Thank you to all the venues, owners, and promoters that have given me the chances to photograph their events and meet these amazing bands. Thank you to all my friends who have shared my work or made appointments with me to capture moments in their lives to live on forever. Mostly thank you to my parents for always supporting me and helping me achieve my dreams and doing what I love.

            Be safe and happy new year to everyone! Have a wonderful day!

-Ashley