Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley and Abi Medina.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley and Abi. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Ashley – I began taking pictures as a hobby about 4 years, like many other photographers start out. I have loved taking pictures since I was a teenager and putting together scrapbooks as a way to store and cherish the memories we create. Deep down, I knew I wanted to go beyond just capturing our family’s precious moments and one day (4 years ago) I got the courage to express it to my husband (Abi). Abi has been my support system from the beginning of it all and purchased my first camera for me that started me on this amazing journey.
My first few months started with advertising to family and friends through Facebook and word of mouth. In my first year, I booked 3 weddings and none of them were local to us in Rockford, IL. One was in the suburbs of Chicago, the other in Iowa, and the other in Wisconsin. I knew the wedding industry was what I wanted to be in after those first few weddings. It is so rewarding and beautiful to capture one of the most joyous celebrations in a couple’s (and family’s) life and it fills my heart to be a part of these occasions. As I booked bigger weddings, I began to drag Abi along to some of those weddings and he would assist me as a backup. Little did I know that this would stem into the other half of our business, and that we would become a husband and wife team shortly after.
Abi – I have always loved my gadgets. Shortly after I saw Ashley’s once “Dream” of taking pictures became a reality and that it was growing into something bigger, I thought to myself, “Why not make myself useful and do something I really enjoy…making videos.” Ultimately, it was the perfect excuse to purchase a drone. I started out with one camera and some lighting and would just make highlight videos/trailers for couples. Going into our 3rd year (second for video), we knew we were serious about our business and what we wanted to offer to our couples, so we made the large investment to upgrade all of our equipment to create the most cinematic videos and provide optimal coverage of our couple’s entire day.
Ashley – We’ve more than doubled the amount of bookings since I started, landing at 31 weddings this year. The suburbs of Chicago ultimately became our home for weddings. Only about 20% of the weddings we book are near Rockford or in Wisconsin.
Has it been a smooth road?
Every new opportunity will face you with challenges or struggles. Once this was no longer a hobby, I knew I had to make a name for myself to break into the industry so that I could one day dedicate all of my time to doing this business full time. Others had to see what sets us apart from a field that is full of many talented people. Being a husband and wife team comes with many perks. We have two services offered through one business and believe it or not, we actually work wonderful together. We constantly bounce ideas off each other and send hints to each other, even if it may be through a glare! Haha. There have definitely been learning curves along the way, but we have continued to learn something new and valuable from different weddings and vendors that we work with. We continue to grow and listen to our couples wants and needs. We are here because of them. You would think after doing so many weddings that they would all feel the same, but each is unique and there is always something that sets them apart. Communication, organization, and relationships with our couples have really made coming together to capture what we’ve been hired to do a smooth and very fun process.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We specialize in wedding photography and cinematography, however, I also do maternity, family, newborn, and photo shoots. As far as video, Abi also puts together promotional videos or just about any type of video project that comes his way. We both have a very artistic side and love to get creative, but what we mainly aim for with weddings is a candid, raw, playful style. I’ve really shifted more into a lifestyle type of photography because I love for moments to feel intimate and real. What ultimately matters most to us is telling our couples stories exactly as they remember it all happening.
What sets us apart? Being a husband and wife team that both do photography and videography is one piece that sets us apart from many others. We work phenomenal with all vendors, but working alongside someone whose style you know and who you created this business with has its major benefits. Considering we have the same style, our couples pictures and video come out looking the same, too.
Something our couples appreciate and definitely notice within minutes, maybe even seconds of meeting us, is our sense of humor. Abi specifically is great at creating laugher in pictures and video. We really do want a relationship with our couples. We don’t just want them to feel like they booked some stranger that is a professional for what they need. Our work speaks for itself, so when we meet with our couples, it’s really about speaking about us and them. We ensure that our couples have a timeline in place and we’ll give any suggestions or recommendations to assist in making their day as seamless and stress-free as possible. This day happens once and it happens fast. We want to connect because communication is key and sets the foundation for how we will come together to make magic happen.
We do this because we love this. It hardly feels like working when what you do is a passion of yours. It is such a blessing and I’m grateful every day that we get to be a part of something so special.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Absolutely! While the area is filled with much talent, there is still room for more unique individuals to build a name for themselves. The Chicagoland area is where it all started for me and is where Flash Photography & Film is known. Many of our partnerships and vendor friendships are built in this area and even as we continue to break into other areas and states, we want the Chicagoland area to remain our home.
Pricing:
- Photography Packages starting at $1000
- Videography Packages starting at $1300
- Photography + Videography Packages starting at $2100
Contact Info:
- Website: http://flashphotographyandfilm.com/
- Email: amedina@flashphotographyandfilm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flashphotographyandfilm/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flashphotographyandfilm/
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