I don’t get to photograph seniors too often due to my crazy schedule, but if I do I always love it. Not only did we have probably my new favorite location, but Sarah is simply gorgeous. Doing these I thought back to my senior pictures. A local photographer took them at Woodward Park – very traditional. I cringe when I see them now. Let’s just say there is one where I am in DENIM OVERALL SHORTS gently tipping my toe into the little pond at Woodward. I think all of my friends have that same picture. We should have a bond fire to burn them all. Anyone in?
Sarah, I hope you enjoy your last month of high school and thank you for asking me to capture you as a senior. It was my honor!
Have you ever seen a gun look so good?
This truck is her dad’s, but originally belonged to her Great Grandpa. How cool to have something that is such a part of her family in her pictures.
Lesley-These are so good and she’s gorgeous! Super fun location too.
Shannon Phillips-These are RAD Ashley! She sure is a beauty and I love the old truck. The soft light is perfect in these and just makes her glow.
Shannon Phillips-P.S. What f-stop did you use in the field ones second from the bottom?
AshleyAnn -Shannon, it was f/2.5
Lesley, these remind me of what you senior pics would look like them if you did them today…totally girly, but with a gun or fishing pole too.
Robyn -Wow, she’s so pretty. The day was gorgeous and you captured what we love about our back yard, and our girl. Can’t wait to see all the pictures…
Thank you Ashley!
Rachel -Georgous, georgous, georgous!!
Lauren -Totally cute~
Christina Larsen -Not that I am proud of it, but for my senior pics, I had the BIGGEST hair on the planet, w/bangs that stood straight up. Can we say flashback that wasn’t pretty. I remember loving the pics at the time, but they are buried somewhere, hopefully never to be found.
meg duerksen-my senior pictures looked just like a feminine products advertisement.
these are beautiful ashley.
brittany -I actually wore a denim hat with a sunflower on the front (like “blossom”!) in my senior pictures – these are filled with life! Thanks for sharing!
AshleyAnn -These were taken in her backyard…private property.
I am blessed with several LIFE long friends. Recently I filled out a referral for a friend and it asked how long I had known the applicant….17 years – not bad for someone under 30. Georgia is another lifelong friend. She and I were roommates at His Kids Camp back in 4th or 5th grade – about 20 years ago. We’ve stayed friends ever since. Though she lives in Texas now and I rarely get to see her, it has been fun to catch up time to time.
Here is her second daughter, Lyla:
You know those Texans – they like everything BIG…even their bows. Georgia says she is going to get my daughter a Texas size bow…hmmmm.
Courtney Connelly -Georgia, she is just beautiful!
bopha -She is adorable, i think you should definitely always put bows on your little girl that are bigger than her head.
Lauren -Beautiful!
amanda torres -She is absolutely DIVINE! So precious, so sweet! And yes, it is a requirement to put ridiculously L-A-R-G-E bows on your daughter’s head. You could think of it as an enormous clod of dirt if it makes you feel better.
AshleyAnn -Amanda, your comment cracked me up. Sadly, that might work for me…I’m pretty comfortable with dirt on heads – the bows might take a bit of getting used to. Too funny
Lesley-She’s so pretty and delicate. The last one’s my favorite, so sweet.
Rachel -George — Lyla is beautiful! I can’t wait to meet her in person! Amanda’s comment about the dirt clod instead of a bow literally has me doubled-over laughing. Now, that is funny — and so appropriate.
Jeannette Swan -What was the location? Was it something private? The pictures and the subject are beautiful. You think your Senior Pics are bad, you should see mine in 1990 at Woodward, oh, I don’t even want to think about it!
Jenn G. -Georgia – Lyla is sooo incredibly beautiful and sweet. Also, I LOVE the bow. I may need you to bring Afton one of those Texas-sized bows…. too cute.
georgia -Ashley, Thank you for using your talent to capture this precious stage in Lyla’s life! I can’t even imagine how busy you have to be right now so it really meant a lot to me. Oh and I’m looking for the BIGGEST bow I can find for your new little girl!
Well go ahead and grab your Monday morning cup of coffee…this is going to be a long post. My wedding season has come and gone as the rest of the wedding photography world is just gearing up. It was bittersweet to shoot my last wedding for what could be a very long while. I couldn’t have ended with a better day of celebration. The rain tempted planners to move the ceremony inside and I held out with hope we’d have it outdoors. Turned out to be the best lighting for me, but a tad bit of rain on guests…it was beautiful.
Just a couple of notes in regards to the planning aspect of the day:
And onto the pictures: A few detail shots – so much goes into planning the details it is a shame not to have pictures! The groom’s cake was the most delicious looking pile of chocolate chip cookies I have ever seen. Really…if anyone would like to bring me some of those in the hospital when little one arrives I’ll be most appreciative!
A couple of preparation details – more pics in the slideshow at the end of the post
Morgan & her girls….& the stunning flowers. The flowers were out of this world beautiful!
Brian & his guys…whom have all served our country in the military. Thank you.
Not much but mist most of the day. As the ceremony began, the sprinkles began and the umbrellas came out.
This sequence kills me. I am already dreading (but excited about) this moment with each of my boys…that last hug before they become husbands. It will be beautifully sad. Then it is onto Brian – a groom waiting for his bride. Finally, Morgan beaming while being escorted by her father (who is looking up at the rain drops that began falling as she took her first step down the aisle).
And finally some shots of the couple….I am going to miss getting to shoot moments like these.
And now a short (60 sec) slideshow of a few more from the day:
On a final little note, I want to thank my husband Chris for shooting so many weddings with me over the last few years. He doesn’t get much recognition, but always keeps me sane during the craziness of weddings. He also always gets lots of great shots and I can depend on him to be where I am not. Many of the pictures in the slideshow are his, but here are a few more of my favorites that Chris took from this wedding:
My guy (obviously I took this one, he did the rest)
Isn’t this a fantastic shot?! If it were my little guy, I would blow it up huge somewhere in my house. So cute.
Since it was my last wedding, I asked him to get a few of me at work…
Morgan -Ashley, these are amazing. Brian and I appreciate the love the you put into this! You and Chris were perfect to work with, and we cannot thank you enough for capturing the true essence of the day.
Chelsea -Congratulations again Morgan and Brian. Absolutely beautiful pictures and every single one of them shows what true love looks like. I wish you two the best of luck in your journey together. Keep in touch.
Love always,
Chelsea
Rachel -Ash — the pictures are absolutely beautiful! As some chapters close and others open, I can’t wait to see all God has in store for your amazing gifts of beauty, creativity and love. Well done.
Christina Larsen -How bittersweet for you. Looked like it was a beautiful ceremony, as always, love your pictures. Enjoy your hiatus, hopefully it isn’t forever.
meg duerksen-ASHLEY!!!!!
these are so good! it’s amazing.
i love all of them!
what a beautiful wedding…gowns…setting…shoes!
all so good.
awesome job.
surely you aren’t quitting forever….just for a season?
Carri -So beautiful! Morgan and Brian, thanks for letting me share in your special day! CONGRATULATIONS!!
jen-ashley, these are amazing…as always! by the way, you look gorgeous! love the belly.
Lauren -What a beautiful post Ash! Good job to you too Chris! You two make an amazing and awesome team.
Shannon Phillips-Just stunning! This post is so bittersweet, I am so happy for you to have more time with your babies but I will miss seeing your weddings so much. Sniff sniff….
Andrea and Gary Nielsen Bartlett-We hope you are very happy! We are so glad that we were with you for your beautiful wedding! We will remember it always. Your wedding pictures are fabulous!
Love, Andrea and Gary
Shelly Blake -WOW! Ashley & Chris…AMAZING shots! Most impressed you guys! I’m sad it’s your last for a while, too, but so happy of the priority of family! God bless you and your family!
As to Brian and Morgan, I love you guys so much and look forward to our trips to Red River together!! YAY!
Morgan, we welcome you with open arms into our family!
Brian, well, I just love you too much and can’t say much more without welling up. :OP Remember Ephesians 5:22-23.
Jenn G. -Ash – these are all amazing and beautiful. You definitely ended well… very, very well. And as Rach said, I can’t wait to see how God is going to use this insane talent of yours next… You are such an incredible photographer and have blessed so many of us over the past three years. Thank you, friend.
mary -morgan – i love you and think your day was beautiful. thanks for one more family wedding!!! And I really loved Brian’s family. I hope to get to know brian more soon. Don’t for Univ of Colorado PA school!
Ashley – you are amazing! Maybe you shouldn’t quit shooting weddings??? And that little guy picking flowers is mine. Could you email me prices for a 11×14. My mom and I both want one. I know you took a bunch of Kate (my daughter), where might I find those????
mary ashley voelmle
Linzy -Amazing pictures! So blessed to be a part of your special day!
Disa Beaty -Wow! These pictures are fabulous.
Katie H. -As always BEAUTIFUL pics. I envy every single couple who were lucky enough to have you as their wedding photographer. “If I had only known.” Note to self….Contact Chris as a possible photographer replacement since we lost ours.
I had about 10 minutes to capture some portraits of Hudson in honor of his 3rd birthday. It was windy, cold and he was cranky. These all make me laugh. I think I did a pretty good job capturing who he is at this age.
If you have had a 3 year old – don’t you think these just scream “I am THREE!”
All the pictures that are posted in a sequence took place in a matter of about 10 seconds….
way too much personality sometimes! He gets that from his dad
Best Friends. They wanted one just the two of them.
I’m kicking myself for not having Rett dressed cuter (fleece pullover with no shoes/flipflops – totally our family)
Probably the best picture I have of all 3 of them - chokehold hug and all.
Jeannette Swan -I’m always jealous of the great pictures you get!! They are all amazing!!
Kari S. -I love these pictures! That is about the timeframe I have to take Mekenzie’s pictures! I was asked to take some photo’s for a friend the other day and let Mekenzie tag along with our point and shoot camera- she did great for a 4 year old and things from her perspective were really neat. I’m dubbing her as my assistant! lol! Happy belated birthday to Hudson! Your family is precious!
Rebekah Motley -Hey Ashley…you’ve given me great advice over the last months and I wondered if you wouldn’t answer just one more thing ? Do you ever do any editing to your photos? I was thinking that if conditions aren’t just wonderful, sometimes I find myself wanting to enhance…what is your opinion on that? You know, skin softening, color enhancing, etc…just wondering
amanda -His little personality just shines through. It’s so neat to see all the differences in your kids. Each one so unique, but yet so special!
Lesley-These are so good. I love all Hudson’s different expressions, so cute!
Jenn G. -Cute, cute, adorable Hudson. I LOVE them!!! They totally capture him and all his moods. The only things missing to remember him perfectly at 3 are his cars.
Kirsten Hilsheimer-do you mind sharing the location of this shoot as well as the beautiful senior pics?
AshleyAnn -These were taken on the Oklahoma Wesleyan University campus in Bartlesville…by the library
Kirsten Hilsheimer-thanks!!! Also – LOVE the tutu outfit you just posted! Lauren had one similar….to cute!!!! I think the ripped up jeans are perfect for little girls too! Lauren looks cutest in jeans, t-shirt, and one of her big bro’s baseball caps!
I frequently forget to download pictures off my point and shoot. I finally got around to it and found these…H took the second one. Makes me wonder if this is the boy version of giving mom a makeover?
PHOTO TIP: I love my dslr, but it is also so great to have a little point and shoot I can take with me everywhere. If you recently upgraded to a dslr, I recommend holding onto your p&s. It may not take as great of pictures, but there are times that capturing the memory is more important than the quality of the image. My dslr is too heavy for me to hold out for self-portraits, to get this shot of the two of us I would have had to set up a tripod or use a timer…all of which would have taken too long and he would have moved on to something else. Technically great picture? Nope. Memory that will make me laugh one day? Yep.
As most of you know my business has been going through some major changes in the last few months…namely I am making the switch from offering sessions to focusing on teaching photography basics (SnapShops). With that change, my blog is changing from providing sneak peeks of sessions to including more personal posts along with photography tips and other creative ideas.
In order to provide my family with a bit of added protection as I share about my boys on my blog, occasionally posts will be made “protected”….meaning you will need a password. I am doing my best to email that password to those of you that I know follow the blog. HOWEVER, there are so many of you that I don’t know are following and many of you that I am just forgetting….and you are probably bummed to hear this. PLEASE email me and I’ll get you the password. If you think I might have your email, check your inbox and your spam filters before emailing me. Also, if you are friends with my hubby on Facebook, check his facebook page under “info”>”personal information” to find the password. No, I am not on Facebook – that is a whole different post which trust me you don’t want to read!
Many of you are friends of friends of friends….email me and I’ll get you the password, don’t feel funny about it!
AGAIN, PLEASE EMAIL ME OR LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST IF YOU WANT THE PASSWORD AND DON’T HAVE IT….
ashley at ashleyannphotography[dot]com
Thanks!
Ashley
And just because posts are better with pictures…his brothers are teaching him well.
Christina Larsen -Ashley,
I would love to follow your blog. I completely understand about privacy. I have a blog that is password protected, as well. If you would like to follow my blog and our adoption from Korea, I will share with you as well. Thanks so much.
Christina Larsen
Brooke Turney-Hi Ashley! I love to check your blog daily to see what neat photography tips you have posted! Hoping to maybe make it to a SnapShop sometime but in the meantime I would love to have the password to be able to continue to follow your blog.
Cindy Scorsone-Hello Ashely I have been following your blog since you were at the Christmas Gathering a couple of years ago. I love seeing your photos and getting fun ideas from your blog. I am saving to get a dslr camera so when I get it I am interested in snap shops. I would love to still lurk at your blog. I think you are an amazing mom and photographer.
Cindy Scorsone
jenny egnor-i enjoy your blog. i recently got a slr and love the great tips!
Letisha-Hi Ashley!
I have been following your blog for awhile, and LOVE all the great photo tips, decorating ideas and great activities you do with your boys. I have one little guy (2 yrs old) and i admire your energy and creativity you have for your boys. You inspire me to be a better photographer and mom. I would love to continue to follow your blog!
In a conversation with a friend last night I remembered this idea I had saved to post a while back. I’d say 98% of my kids artwork ends up in the trash – not because it isn’t great and I’m not proud of them, but when they draw 15 pictures of rocketships a day what am I going to do with all that? So here is a genius idea I found on Apartment Therapy ohdeedoh….
Create a MyPublisher album from scanned images of your kids artwork. The pictures below were taken from the Apartment Therapy site.
Courtney Connelly -Thanks for this idea! I even think that I could do this with Elliot’s artwork when the time comes and I am another of your very non-DIY friends!
I had the honor of shooting Brian & Morgan’s wedding over the weekend, so I am now able to share some of her bridal portraits. We originally had this session scheduled for the night the blizzard hit Tulsa…glad we postponed for better weather. Check back next week for the wedding!
by AshleyAnn
show hide 13 comments