Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlee Carrozza.
Hi Ashlee, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When faced with the decision to pick a career in my 8th grade “future planning” class, I felt lost. All of the other kids were looking through the options; they were mostly math or science-based careers, both of which I never excelled at. Then, for Christmas that same year, my mother gifted me a little Nikon point and shoot camera. It was the best present I had ever gotten! I took it everywhere and documented my family as much as I could. The following year, my step-dad let me borrow his “fancy camera” – a DSLR. I immediately fell in love, tried to learn about editing, did “photoshoots” with my little sister in our yard, and that’s when I learned that photography was in fact a career!
I used to sit down with my great-grandmother and look through all of her photo albums with her, and while she’s lost almost everyone she’s ever loved, I could see in her eyes that the photographs took her back in time. My job is to give that feeling to my clients, how amazing is that? Throughout high school, I took the art and media classes, joined photography club, and spent my senior year interning with a local portrait photographer. I started Ashlee C. Photography in 2014, taking photos for some of my fellow classmates for their senior portraits. Immediately following graduation, I attended college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and received my Bachelor of Science in Digital Photography.
Three years later I was given the option to move to Savannah, Georgia. I had only visited the city twice but moving far away seemed fun and exciting – so I took the leap and headed South. Savannah proved to be a great home for a photographer – everything is picturesque and it’s quite difficult to take a “bad photo” here. I now mainly focus on couples and wedding photography and have absolutely fallen in love with living here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Going into a creative field is one of the most difficult, but rewarding, things I have ever done. There’s a constant feeling of failure and comparison. Getting side jobs to supplement income when you don’t book enough, seeing others succeed before you, and watching what others are doing can make you feel like you’re not “making it”. It was really hard for me at first to watch people I graduated with get six-figure jobs out of college, while I waitressed and ran my business at the same time. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “they’re doing better than me”. Pushing through those feelings and coming out successful at the end is so fulfilling and worthwhile. To me, there is no better feeling than making your own schedule and working for yourself.
Another obstacle that really hindered me at first was money. Photography is an extremely expensive career investment. On top of the cost of my degree, there’s a need for up-to-date computers, hard drives, SD cards, a plethora of lenses, cameras, batteries, etc. Figuring out what to charge to compensate for all this while still paying yourself is quite the challenge. There’s also constantly learning and adapting to new software/marketing strategies, creating a website/online presence, and being in charge of your own taxes! Difficult, but, rewarding.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a portrait photographer, I really view my job as collecting moments. I’ve always felt that photos were so special, and not something to be taken for granted. They are truly all we have to remember people as they were, besides our own brains. I decided to specialize in wedding photography when I realized how many monumental moments take place on people’s wedding days. You can catch me tearing up behind the camera with everyone else in attendance. Those split seconds when the bride walks down the aisle, parents see their children growing up, a couple’s first dance and best friends gettin’ jiggy with it on the dance floor, are so incredibly important; I couldn’t be prouder that my job is to save those moments for years to come.
My edited style is bold and bright, with color and contrast. I think editing is what took me the longest to be successful at. It really is an art in itself. I try to capture the look of film in my photographs while making everything “pop”. I also love photoshop! On my Instagram, you check out my before & afters in my “Tap to Edit” highlight story. I could spend hours just editing, I find it so relaxing and fun.
In addition to weddings, I love photographing seniors, surprise proposals, engagements, and families. It’s important to me that my sessions are fun, full of movement, and that my clients never feel awkward or uncomfortable. Letting people see how beautiful they are and get comfortable in front of a lens is so much fun, and by the end of the hour, I’ve usually made new friends. I really couldn’t have picked a better career.
What were you like growing up?
I was extremely shy, quiet, and introverted growing up! I really had to get out my shell for this job field. We moved around a lot so I never really had more than one or two close friends until high school, and even then, I was still pretty awkward. I always loved everything involving arts, though. I was in chorus most of my life, took every art class available to me, got into poetry, and loved reading and playing video games. For Christmas, I’d ask for art supplies and instruments. I took piano lessons and (badly) tried to teach myself how to play guitar. I also always loved animals, more than anything! Math and science classes were my arch-nemesis.
Pricing:
- Wedding Packages Start at $2,000
- Family Sessions Start at $400
- Senior Portraits Start at $400
- Couples & Proposals Start at $350
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ashleecphotography.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ashleecphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashleecphotography
