I had the opportunity to work with the amazing Beth Harris for this gorgeous couple’s wedding.  I love shooting in downtown Richmond and Iva and Joe could not have chosen a more beautiful location for the ceremony and reception!

PIN IMAGEThese guys are looking sharp! PIN IMAGEThese two are just so cute!! PIN IMAGEThis church is GORGEOUS…inside and out!! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEHere comes the bride…. PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEI just love this moment below…they both look so happy! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEMarried! PIN IMAGEI think Iva is one of the most photogenic people I know!! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEI’m loving these fun shots below! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEAnd my favorite part of the wedding day….bride and groom photos! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEBeth, you are awesome!  You picked such an amazing place for their photos!  LOVE THEM!!  These shots below are some of my favorites from the day! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEIva and Joe, you guys are such a fun, beautiful couple! PIN IMAGEFAVORITE! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEIva, you are gorgeous! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEWhat a FUN wedding this was!

  
  • July 19, 2011 - 4:38 PM

    Carly - Love love that cake! great work Ashley, love them all!ReplyCancel

Some of you may know that recently, my hard drive on my computer….well, it died.  This was a very upsetting matter because many of my photos live on my computer…not that they are not backed up online and through an external hard drive, but sometimes its difficult(and scary!) to delete images off of your computer that you hold dear to your heart…even if they are in a safe place elsewhere!  I have only had this happen to me once before, and it was not cheap to recover those files, but the pictures I had on there(Kaleigh’s birth through Carter’s birth….FOUR years worth of photos!)–no price tag could be put on those pictures….I would have paid anything to get them back!  So when this happened, it was a very scary and almost devastating issue!

I am writing this as my computer’s hard drive is being replaced and I can’t help but think to myself, “I hope everything on there has been backed up!”  And its funny because, I KNOW that all the images are backed up, but I guess I just have a fear of something being lost forever!  I am the same way when it comes to my phone and the pictures on it, or pictures that other people have taken of my children.  I get upset when I have gotten a new phone, but have forgotten to email myself the photos from the old phone…or when another family member takes a cute picture and I don’t have access to it!  Sometimes I feel like I have an unhealthy obsession with pictures haha!

I guess I just want to hold on to the moment forever and pictures can do that for me.  I know that it can be hard for my family to understand this sometimes because so many times I hear, “Why dont you just be in the moment?”  Well, I am in the moment, I am living it, and I am a part of it in every way…but I want…I NEED to document it because I want to forever hold on to it.  Having pictures is the only way I can do this.  When I look back at pictures taken years and years ago, I can remember exactly what was going on, how I felt, where we were, what we were doing, etc!  I dont know how, but I can!  And maybe its because of my love for photography, but I think it really has to do with the fact that I can connect the memory and emotion of the day to the photo.  I realize how MUCH pictures mean to me and I can contribute my love of photography and becoming a photographer for this reason.  I dont know how else to explain it!  It basically just comes down to this….I love life, I love my family, and I love the memories that we create.  Time slips away so quickly and taking pictures freezes time.  No matter how old I am, I can always look at a picture and go back.  The old saying holds true, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

This brings me to my next point….I am SO grateful and honored to share my gift with others.  I am forever thankful to call what I do my job and I want to say thank you to my family, friends, and clients for trusting me to be your story teller….to be your memory keeper.  It means the world to me that you open up your lives to me and invite me in to share your most precious memories!  I am eternally grateful and you and your family hold a special place in my heart.

Lastly, I want to encourage all of you to get out your camera just once a day!  Document something!  Whether it be in nature, your children…ANYTHING!  First of all, its fun!….and second, you are creating and keeping memories alive.  Never let a moment go by that you feel isn’t “camera worthy.”  It ALL is!  Keep your camera handy at all times…you never know when a truly special moment will happen and you better be ready to catch it.  Chances are, you won’t get a second chance!

Below is a sneak peak of whats coming to the blog next week!  Enjoy the weekend everyone!

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  • July 16, 2011 - 5:08 PM

    Amber - Hey Ashley. I know a hard drive dying is a HORRIBLE thing. The last one that died on me I hadn’t backed up. Where did you go to get the back up on it??? I would love to get a lot of the pictures back from the hard drive. I never threw it away just in case I found someone that could recover it. Any help would be appreciated! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • July 16, 2011 - 5:59 PM

    Ashley - Hey Amber, I took it to the Geek Squad at Best Buy! Thankfully, they were able to recover the files! If you take it there, they will let you know whether or not they are able to recover anything and give you a quote before they do it! I hope you are able to recover them, its such a bad feeling when things like this happen! 🙁ReplyCancel

  • July 17, 2011 - 10:58 AM

    Carly - Well said Ash! Love the sneak peek and can’t wait to see more. Good luck with the hard drive replacement and enjoy a fresh start and speedy new hard drive. 🙂ReplyCancel

I had such a fun time with this family!  The children were as cute as can be and big sister loved being in front of the camera!  Maymont is looking really beautiful right now with all of the flowers in bloom, so I was thrilled to be able to take pictures there!  PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGELook at these big blue eyes! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEI just love this image below… PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEHow cute are they?!! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEThank you all for such a fun session!  I had a wonderful time and your children are so sweet and beautiful!  🙂

  

I have been photographing these two cuties and their family from the time they were just days old!  One of my favorite maternity sessions was with Jessica and Jeremy and I have enjoyed each and every session since then!  I have loved watching them grow as a family and am so thankful that I get to be a part of such a special time in their lives.  The first year entails so much growth and change and it is such an exciting time for everyone.  I cannot believe how much they grow each time I see them!  And what is even more shocking is that my next session with them will be their ONE YEAR!  Time goes by so quickly, and I am sure for Jessica and Jeremy time seems to have gone by much faster!  My last session was their 6 month milestone, and they were as cute as can be!  They had both just started sitting up by themselves and were so happy!  This time around, they were standing with support and sounded so cute with their babbling!  I loved that Jessica and Jeremy wanted have the shoot by the bay….it was such a great spot for a summer session.

PIN IMAGECan you believe how big these two are now?! PIN IMAGEI love this image below! PIN IMAGEThree generations….. PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEThese two will be walking before you know it! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEI love how brother has his hand on her foot, its so sweet! PIN IMAGELove this family!! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEGotta have some cute little toes shots! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEPrecious! PIN IMAGEI just loved this session, it was fun getting out to a new location and I always have a great time watching little babies squeal and laugh!  I am excited to see the changes that will take place as the big 1 year celebration approaches.  We’ve got some great plans and I can’t wait!  Until next time…

  
  • July 10, 2011 - 5:05 PM

    Wendy - Ashley,
    These pictures are absolutely breathtaking! The one of Jessica, the babies and sweet Vicky brought tears to my eyes. Love, Love, Love this entire family!
    Where the heck is James?ReplyCancel

  • July 10, 2011 - 5:19 PM

    Ashley - Thanks so much Wendy! 🙂 James was around…I think he was helping Rick with boat for a while!ReplyCancel

  • July 11, 2011 - 1:17 PM

    Carly jones - These are just so so so precious, from their adorable outfits to their sweet little expressions! Great Job!ReplyCancel

  • July 11, 2011 - 1:19 PM

    Ashley - Aren’t they?! 🙂 The outfits were handmade by Jessica’s mom!!ReplyCancel

This weekend, we went to two of our favorite getaway places….Goochland for fishing and relaxation and the bay for beach and relaxation!  These two places are totally different, but have one thing in common: family.  We love spending time with each side of our families and what better way to do so than with some fun activities along the way!  Kaleigh and Carter both LOVE fishing in Goochland.  Carter squealed each time he “caught”a fish(the little one in his hand came from a bucket with other fish used as bait!) 😉  He loves hanging out with his Uncle D! PIN IMAGEGoochland is one of the most peaceful, beautiful places that our family can go to any time we want!  I photographed an engagement session there last year and it was GORGEOUS!  It remains one of my most favorite e-sessions to this day!  Sadly, we have never had our family pictures taken at this beautiful place…we don’t have enough family pictures!  I am always the one behind the camera, but on this day I made it a point to get just a few!  Thanks Dustin! 🙂 PIN IMAGEAnd who can forget the lovable Jingles?  He goes everywhere with us!  Poor dog got bitten by a copperhead just two days before we left of our weekend getaway…you can see in the photos his paw is swollen.  He is doing much better now! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEKaleigh and her last catch of the day!  Go girl! PIN IMAGEAnother favorite at Gooch…..golf cart riding!  We have radios and the kids just love making up stories about ghosts, devil monkeys, and all kinds of crazy stuff! PIN IMAGEDustin and Lynsey hamming it up for the camera!  Love you guys! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEKaleigh and cousin Kameron! PIN IMAGEAnd now off to the bay!  You guys are probably going to be seeing a lot more bay pictures before the summer is over!  We love going here because its a perfect for the kids…the water isn’t rough, it’s only a small walk to and from the house, and it is filled with laughter, sand, and sun.  We even took the boat out for a ride this weekend!

Here is my gymnast….

PIN IMAGEAnd my sweet boy…. PIN IMAGEPure joy! PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGE PIN IMAGEThe photos above were taken within the first five minutes of our arrival!  We went straight from the car out to the water and the kids were in heaven!  The bay is a place I go to when I want to escape the routine of life that can sometimes get exhausting, boring, and dare I say it…stressful!  When I am at the bay, I forget everything….its just me, my family, and a good book.  A couple of years ago, I would have felt guilty for not doing a single thing for ONE day…..yesterday, it felt amazing to be GUILT-FREE!  That is something we all need every once in a while.  So, that’s how my family spent our holiday, I hope yours was as relaxing as ours!  Until next time….. PIN IMAGE

  
  • July 5, 2011 - 8:58 PM

    Luann - Love these pics!!!!!!!!! You rock, Ashley!ReplyCancel

  • July 10, 2011 - 5:17 PM

    Ashley - Thank you Luann! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • July 17, 2011 - 9:48 PM

    Joanne Even - Jingles sure has grown up! And he’s so dang cute. I am very happy that he found your family.ReplyCancel

  • July 18, 2011 - 9:24 AM

    Ashley - He has! And we may be biased, but we think he’s pretty cute too!ReplyCancel