Dear Photographer,
You started into photography to capture your kids as they grew and it quickly turned into a means to provide for your family. I implore you to not get lost in that demand for provision… keep capturing the little details of your children that are so fleeting… shoot for your soul… for the art that you imagine in your heart. travel with this gift, using it to give back in any way that you can. help where there is need. love fully. allow the creative side of you loose so that you can grow as an artist.
Allow yourself the freedom to break the rules…. not just the rules of photography, but the rules of what you think people want to see…. shoot what makes your heart beat. shoot the little things, the curls flowing in the wind, the hand being held, the moments that are less than posed… the moments that are a tender remembrance of a time quickly passed… the moments that you want to remember of your own family…. don’t be afraid to let your own heart shine through your work. I know it’s hard to shoot that way when so much is riding on your career, but trust me, people will see something unique in your work and come anyway… and they will stay because of your heart.
lastly, remember that your family needs you… show them your passion and they will follow. get in the frame. let them see you there too.
ABOUT THE ARTIST :
Ashley Essig is a lifestyle and documentary photographer based in the South. She spent her first few years working to find her style and what set her apart as an artist..since then, she has become known for her lifestyle / photojournalistic and detail driven work. Her love of light and details lend her work to capturing the natural connections, watching families just being real with each other. Ashley has spent this year participating in a 52-week self-portrait project that has transformed her idea of self-beauty and love…. She lives in Columbia, South Caroline with her husband and 4 children, who tend to be her muses in most of her personal work!
W E B S I T E | I N S T A G R A M | F A C E B O O K
Wonderful article. Love having watched Ashley grow in talent and self.