Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashli Ceraolo.
Ashli, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It’s a pretty unconventional story – I didn’t imagine myself a photographer growing up, nor did I show any interest in it while in school. It wasn’t until I became grounded in my teenage years that I learned to develop a love for photography. My Dad tinkered around with it and attended several Ritz Camera classes when I was growing up, so it was only just a familiar topic to me. In my weeks of grounding, I grew tired of reading and taping paper to my walls pretending I was the next Bob Ross, so I picked up my Dad’s Canon Rebel T3 and began taking pictures around the house. My Mom had, I want to say, about six flower beds scattered around the yard, and that was the start of it all. Immediately after taking my photos, I’d show my parents, and after a while, they suggested practicing with my little sister, Casi, who aspired to be a model at the time. We photographed everywhere from the beach to abandoned houses – it was absolutely a family affair in the beginning, but it’s special to remember we accomplished our dreams together and that’s not something I would change.
From there, it progressed into building a portfolio and I was offering free sessions to close friends and family – I did well, but I wanted more. I probably messaged close to eight photographers on Facebook craving information and asking questions that I now look back on and laugh at. I shadowed photographers and used my colleagues to my advantage; still do – not in a disrespectful type of “use,” but more so absorbing their knowledge and techniques and applying them to my skillset to grow into a better photographer. Almost 9 years later, I’m so honored to say that I am living a dream I created, and having the opportunity to be trusted with my clients’ moments is nothing short of humbling.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s definitely not been easy, and there have been many struggles. I think, for me, the one thing that stands out more profound than the rest was finding out where and how I fit in into this industry. Photography is such a saturated market, and I think it makes it difficult to find your own style at first without feeling intimidated, or the need to adhere to what the other photographers are doing. It’s also very hard to find colleagues in this industry that really want to help, support, and see you thrive alongside them – I struggled with putting myself out there after my first experience with shadowing a professional portrait photographer.
I met my first mentor through my boss at the time, and she took me under her wing quickly becoming someone I was excited to learn from and whom I trusted to critique my work. I went to her home every two weeks, and we’d sit at her desk as she flipped through my portfolio giving me pointers, advice, and at times, praise. The relationship came to a screeching halt after I heard her tell my boss “She should just quit; she has no idea what she’s doing.” At 17 years old, that wrecked me. It became hard to put my work in front of others, but I was incredibly determined not to quit, and I honestly think about her more than I should, but in a way that keeps me going. In the end, she has made a way bigger impact on my career than in the way she intended to.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I primarily specialize in wedding imagery, but I photograph everything from births, graduating seniors, and surprise proposals. My main focus is providing a service to my clients in which they remember forever, not just their photos. To do so, it requires me to develop and obtain a close relationship – not just to make sure they are comfortable with me when it comes time to their event or session, but for me to also be able to capture their personalities completely. Every booking is treated entirely different, and I love that. My motto is, if your photographs don’t tell the story of your life, then I’m not doing my job, and I have built my business and photography style on that philosophy. I like to think that myself alone, makes me stand out from others; and I don’t say that with a cocky tone, I simply mean that my business is me, not just created images. It’s an experience from start to finish and I take pride in giving an experience, not a service.
What matters most to you?
It’s so cliche to say my clients because I feel like the gratitude, I have towards them is undying, and is a given that they matter. For me, it’s the power of knowledge. Because this market is so flooded with talented people, it’s important to me that I have the opportunity to learn from others with the ability to advance my skills in order to stay ahead, if not relevant, in this industry. Without that, I can’t provide my clients with high-quality images that they will be proud of, and without that, my business dies.
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography starting at $2200
- Hourly Portrait Photography starting at $225
Contact Info:
- Email: ashli@ashligenephotography.com
- Website: www.ashligenephotography.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ashligenephotography
- Facebook: Facebook.com/ashligenephotography
