Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Dahl.
Ashley, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve always had a creative side to me, whether that was pottery, scrap booking, cooking, or photography. Beginning in high school, photography became more and more of an interest to me. The thing was, I knew I liked to take photos, I just never knew that people did it as more than just a hobby.
I carried this passion with me all the way through college. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Public Relations at Minnesota State University Moorhead where I was exposed to photography and design in my classes. I’ve always had an interest in taking photos, but it wasn’t until my own wedding that I realized I wanted this to be a passion that I could pursue.
I ended up taking wedding photos at my sister-in-law’s wedding June of 2017 and completely fell in love with it. After then, I decided I wanted to make my hobby a small business. I surprise myself more and more every day with how much I’m growing and learning!
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I’m a digital wedding, portrait and lifestyle photographer with a light and clean style.
I’m such a people pleaser, so I love how my way of serving others is through creating beautiful, natural photos for them to pass on for generations to come. Though I love working with other creatives for branding photos and families for family sessions, my heart is totally with weddings.
There’s something so special to me about documenting the most important day to a couple’s love story. When I’m photographing a couple, I make sure to get their real, raw emotions. The smiles, the giggles, the tears, all of it! I want people to look at my work and feel like they were there. On a wedding day, I also make sure to spend plenty of time photographing the wedding day details such as the invitations, table setup, or even little details that make the couple’s wedding unique. These details are equally as important to telling the wedding story as the photos of the couple are.
Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
I think as artists, we are approaching a unique time where millennial is our becoming our clientele. In my opinion, millennials are the types of people who value experiences and appreciate unique art styles, so I think it’s working out in my favor to have them as my ideal client.
I do believe that networking is a huge factor to the success of a small business, so I think it’s awesome that other creatives value the idea of community over competition. It helps knowing that we are all in this together as creatives.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashleydahlphotography.com
- Email: ashley@ashleydahlphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleydahlphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleydahlphotography
Image Credit:
The photo of myself is by Micah Jane Photography.
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