Ashley Aria Photography

My top 10 b&w portraits

Ashley — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 01:31:01 +0000

Emotional connections in B&W

I don’t know about you, but I am a feeler. I have deep emotions and love to reflect on my inner feelings. I rate these images based on their level of emotion and personal connection to me! I love each and every one of these photos dearly because of how emotive they are. Honestly, these photos really can’t be in any particular order. I just want to share why I love them so much! (The number and description is above each photo)

#9

This is my God-sisters daughter Yayla. Her name means “Happy child”. It is truly fitting to her personality! She is so full of joy that anytime she enters a room, no matter how I am feeling, she will brighten my day guaranteed! She never stops smiling and laughing. I love the snaggle-tooth photos because it just shows how little they are! I took this photo in 2020 when she was 7 years old. COVID-19 had its way in the world and was destroying hope in me. I lost a lot in 2020. One thing I lost was motivation to enjoy anything. It was my first year going to college on campus since I had been doing online. I was excited to maybe make new friends and experience college life, and of course, COVID swoops in and makes me mad. But Yayla. She, along with many other kids, lost a lot too. They lost the ability to go to school in person and be with their friends… they had to talk to people online. They couldn’t have birthday parties or hangout with others. Some may have lost a sense of normalcy in life because so many things shifted. So, they too had lost a lot. But Yayla NEVER stopped being her happy self. And even now, at 10 years old, she is still the same happy child who loves to make everyone smile! She’s a beautiful reminder to, through it all, choose joy! Even as a baby she never stopped smiling! I used to ask her mom for her to come over simply because she lighted any mood and made the day so much brighter! She encourages me to be that light for someone else!

#7

Myra Jo. This image of her just makes me feel peace. I take a deep breath when looking at it. Does it make you feel that way too? This baby is only 2 years old here and somehow, posed this way all on her own. This photo was taken in my living room with just a simple black sheet and a miniature blanket around her head. I love the emotion it conveys!

#5

This family did a session on the beach, and I captured this photo of their oldest child. I can’t quite explain it. But his eyes tell it all. I see a really strong child wants to always protect family just like dad. A child who walks closely with his dad, following in his footsteps. I could tell that he really looks up to him! I love capturing kid’s eyes because as the saying goes, they really are a window to the soul.

#3

This is little Siana and her dad. I love her gaze here and how she’s resting on her dad’s shoulder. This photo is one of my favorites because she reminds me of me when I was child. I was a daddy’s girl and I was basically inseparable from him. If you read my bio, you read that I lost my dad when I was about 8 years old, and that I never could’ve imagined being a photographer. The idea never even crossed my mind. But I believe that God helped me to discover my gift in photography to help heal some of my wounds from losing my father. I somehow, in an unexplainable way, am blessed when I am able to bless others with the gift of photography. I’m grateful to witness these connections and capture them for people. When I started editing this photo, I just had a slight vision of me resting on my dad’s shoulder just like this. This was me. I love this picture because in the midst of wanting to pretend I was never a daddy’s girl, in the midst of masking the sadness and suppressing my real feelings toward losing my father, this picture reminds me of those happy and tender memories that I should never want to forget.

#1

These two babies! They were both 1-year olds in this photo and this is also the first time they met! I provided childcare for the both of them during this time and captured this picture on a random day! Not really sure how I happened to get them both to look at me because that’s pretty rare for 1-year olds! To paint you a picture, they became best friends at first sight! There were no questions asked. They ran to each other and gave each other a big hug. They began laughing and telling their own baby secrets to each other. I mean, the absolute cutest thing ever. Myra Jo (Left) and Zenya (Right) to this day, are best friends. They are both 4 years old now and I just really love that they formed such a beautiful connection. I love that babies are born with a love for others and without any judgement whatsoever. I titled this photo “Born Equal” because of how they don’t know anything about race. They just love each other. I continue to pray that one day, we will get to experience this kind of love in every corner of the earth. I pray that one day soon, the whole world will realize that we all bleed red. That we all come from the same creator. We have only one maker. God created each of us and he wanted us to be different. He wanted us to learn from each other and share experiences because we are all one. Before I named my business AshleyAriaPhotography, it was “InHisImagephotography. I made the change only because I recognized another photographer with this name! But it was based off of the verse Genesis 1:27 ” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” Which simply means that we were made to resemble God! So, if created us, and also sent his son Jesus Christ to come and relate to each of us, wouldn’t that mean that perhaps Jesus is just like all of us and that we are all also just alike! If we are all God’s children, why would he create us to dislike each other because of what we look like? He didn’t! We are all just variations of multiple colors and ethnicities but were made to resemble the same God. So, this is one my favorite images. Because in the world we live in today, where hatred is spread like a wildfire, it gives me hope for the next generations to come. Hatred it taught. But God is Love. And if we are created in the image of God, we are born with love.

Colossians 3:14 “And Above all these put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

#10

What a precious babe! I just love how tender it is to hold your heart in your hands. This baby will grow up and look back at this photo one day. He will see how much his parents have loved him since the very beginning. That sweet little message to your baby that says ” I love you, Ill hold you forever” is so special. Babies know they are safe in your arms. The connection from birth is so worth capturing!

#8

I love to capture raw emotions. I mean the emotions that you might think are a bit frustrating and annoying right now. The emotions that seem to come at the most inappropriate times. But I will say, in my photo sessions, there’s no better time for your kids to have those emotions. It is so precious to me, to capture the real feelings. It will one day remind you of how tiny they were! How they viewed the world. How they worked hard to understand their own feelings but couldn’t quite understand it! How they were completely dependent on you for comfort and understanding! Riya ran into her mom’s arms when she got emotional. Little kids are still learning to express themselves and I think that tears only remind us that we are human! So, I love to capture it all! I photograph the real moments. Let’s not wait until there is a ‘happy’ moment to take a photo, because all the moments are fleeting and they all matter!

#6

There’s simply not enough words to describe how heartwarming this photo is! (I could say the same about all of these) But this is so precious to me! The emotion in this image is why its one of my favorite. Just such a sweet and peaceful connection.

#4

We are in a generation where many children feel emotionally disconnected from their dads. We live in a generation where boys are afraid to be vulnerable because society tells them that men don’t cry or share emotions. That it’s socially unacceptable. This photo warms my heart because, in this moment Hudson wasn’t having the best day. I love that his dad allowed him to feel what he was feeling. A common misconception is that boys need to toughen up and not show any weakness. But I think it’s so important for kids to know that it’s okay to share your emotions because we are all human.

#2

My niece Imani (Right) and Maddie, a friend she met on the beach! The pure innocence of children is the sweetest blessing that we all have been given the chance to learn from! They didn’t know each other but immediately hit it off and enjoyed time at the beach together! I love friendships that form like this. Organically and completely random. Kids are a joy because they are just full of love and compassion for others. I wish I could go back to around 2009 when making friends was this easy! As an adult, friendships rarely form like this. But it’s still really sweet to see it form with children. It’s sweet to see that they didn’t care about how the other looked a little different from them. Imani was not very comfortable in the ocean as it was her first time. Maddie was playing in the water near her. They met when Maddie asked if she wanted to play and go further in the water, but Imani told her she was too afraid to. So, Maddie was being a good friend and helped Imani out of the water and they ran to the shore together to build sandcastles! How sweet this was to see! I even captured them holding hands and bracing the waves together. They had fun jumping over the waves and it helped my niece Imani get more comfortable in the water! They didn’t stop to consider any differences in appearance. They just locked hands and became friends. On this very same day, Maddie stepped on a sharp shell and got a cut on her foot. Imani was there to comfort her saying “It’s okay! Don’t worry I will stay right here!” I spent the whole day on the beach hanging out with them and it was so cool to witness two complete strangers become friends so quickly and easily. And though they live in two different states and had to give tight hugs as they went separate ways, they exchanged numbers and had chances to facetime! I am certain they will both always remember this day and the impact they had on each other. I hope one day, they reunite in person, and that I’ll get to tell yet another beautiful story of their friendship. And that leads me to #1!

Emotional connections in B&W

#10

#9

#8

#7

#6

#5

#4

#3

#2

Colossians 3:14 “And Above all these put-on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

#1

Let’s talk! Comment below your favorite photo! I’d love to know what you think!

Dress Up with Myra Jo & Theo!

Ashley — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 18:08:44 +0000

My Favorite Prompts for sessions with toddlers

Theo and Myra Jo are soooo adorable. Their moms are best friends so they are baby best friends believe it or not! I think they look like twins! Let’s talk about how I got these photos of them.

So, I asked Theo, “What kind of photos do you want to take?” And his reply was “I wanna be THANOS!” and well, I couldn’t see myself photographing Thanos lol. So, I pulled out the superman costume from my client closet and his face lit up, we knew it was the one!

I asked Myra Jo if she wanted to be Elsa since I had that costume. “Nope, I need to be Superwoman.” And um… I didn’t have that costume so, to the thrift store we went. And it’s crazy to me that we actually found a superwoman costume.

And of course when one was willing to take photos the other wasn’t! Don’t worry. It happens during most shoot with toddlers! especially if they aren’t having fun. Once I break the ice with the little ones, I am able to then control the whole shoot and get some great photos of their sweet faces! My top Icebreaker, though kinda basic, it actually works! “Whats your favorite icecream!?” “My favorite is…!!!!” It’s something they love and gets the conversation going! And now… they like me and I can get the photos!

Prompts can be so simple, but I have found that they actually work!

5 Prompts I gave these two Cuties

1. “Theo, tell Myra Jo a secret! Something no one else knows!” (And of course, they whisper really loud and now everyone knows! So, I will then say, ” Umm I heard your secret! You said…!!” Usually makes them both laugh!

3. “Ok let’s take a chill break.”

I really like this because it gives me a chance to capture their calm side! I can focus more on something candid. I did not instruct them to do anything in the photo above. I just acted as though I was also taking a break. I put my camera “down” but not really. and they leaned against the wall on their own!

5. Myra Jo loves to say “GIRLPOWER” So I told her to say it as loud as she can! That simple instruction made her crack up!

I think toddlers are usually pretty easy to please! I just do what they like to do! I show them that I’m their friend before I’m their photographer! And that’s what they want. They want to have fun!

Posing little munchkins can be hard! Let alone two munchkins! But I have photographed many toddlers and have learned a few tricks that have helped me get the best photos I possibly can of them!

1. I don’t spend too much time trying to pose them! I just let them hang out and then direct as I see fit! Because let’s face it, they don’t care about my photography needs! Haha. They often look at me like “let me do me and you do you, thanks.”

2. Focusing on what they find fun is a great way to connect with them on their level instead of trying to get them on my level because like I said, they don’t care about my desires! They’re babies!

2. Me: Hmm.. I bet Superwoman is Stronger than Superman!

Theo: Noo!! I’m a MAN!

Myra Jo: And I’M a SUPERWOMAN!

Me: Really? Prove it! I don’t see any muscles!

Looks like Theo lost the bet! but its ok because giving them another challenge makes it fun for them!

4. “Theo, I bet you can’t find the best leaf that has the best colors!…. Does it smell like flowers?” Being goofy with them helps a lot too. So, “Should I eat the leaf for dinner? Theo – “NOO! that’s not food!” And my reply that made him laugh

” UHM.. It’s salad. Make me some leaf salad please!”

Backyard Sesh with my Niece!

Ashley — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 05:08:45 +0000

How I Got these Images of my niece in less than 20 minutes!

Meet Sadet. Pronounced (Sah- Det). Isn’t she gorgeous! This shoot was completely last minute and taken during a family 4th of July cook out. She definitely wasn’t interested in my proposition, at least at first lol.

These represent how she felt the first 5 minutes of the shoot. “Um ByE. PeAcE OuT.” “ArE yOu sErioUs rIGhT nOw.” “iM NoT TrYnA HeaR WHat YeW hAvta SaY tO ME” “I sAiD GiRL ByE”

See. Here it looks like she’s trying to serve me a treat.

And the outfit change? Oh, I had to move quickly, or she probably would’ve stared me down and made me rethink my life decisions!

The attention span of a toddler is so short I am sure it makes you also want to cry sometimes! In my experience, as soon as I lift my finger off the shutter and look away for .2 milliseconds, I miss a great shot. They serve me looks for LITERALLY a few milliseconds. Unless I’m acting like a nutcase. So, if you’re a photographer, I want to say, act like that nutcase and get those photos! Bark like a dog and lick those paws. Because being sweet and approachable isn’t enough anymore lol. BUT make sure to start off as sweet and approachable because if you choose to start off by acting like a confused squirrel, you risk scaring them to tears. SOOO we start slow and test the waters and see what they like Haha!

And if you’re my future client with little babies, I will embarrass myself, and you will probably feel the secondhand embarrassment. But that only makes the session so much more fun and exciting right! However, I am going to go home and think about the embarrassment I felt from the bystanders. I will think about it for the next 10 years or so.

One of my favorite prompts to give toddler is telling them to look into the circle (the camera lens) and find their face in the reflection. I’ll say “Do you see yourself in the circle!?” and usually that give me 3 seconds to snap the photo. But What did I REALLY do? She loves my dogs. So, instead of bringing the dogs outside for her to light up around them, something most people would do if that option was at their disposal, I opted to act like a dog. UhM. We do whatever comes to mind when we work with babies. Unfortunately, my acting skills are likely offensive to dogs. And THATS what made her laugh and serve me looks of “ArE YeW OkAy..?”. Not because I was funny but because I was funny-looking and was embarrassing myself.

To be honest, the most effect way I’ve gotten great photos of little children is by acting a complete fool in front of them. I mean acting like their favorite friends on TV or animals.

I think the most important thing I can do to get photos of toddlers is ensure that my camera settings are as perfect as they can be before I start the session. But sometimes the camera has a mind of it’s own and settings shift. With certain sessions, I usually have the wiggle room to make adjustments and get everything just right. But when its toddlers, we have 3 seconds. So, I quite literally do what I can do with the settings and hope for the best. Sometimes they end up all switched around because the camera hates me on certain days.

In all seriousness, I just like to have fun with them! I do what they like to do. They like to pretend, run, play games, etc. I do it all with them! (Well Idk about running, cause this photographer is especially out shape. Running is definitely not a morning task unless you want to hear me wheezing throughout.) But all those other things, I’m the one!

Mommy-Daughter shoot at arabia Mountain

Ashley — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 00:38:52 +0000

Crazy Weather Story

As a photographer, I want the weather to always be my idea of perfect which is basically the weather we usually get in September – November. But sometimes the sun being out is unavoidable and this was one of those sessions that I had to work extra hard! And I am all for the wind and the hair blowing! I love it!

NOW, don’t get me wrong. These beauties belong in Vogue. But we were STRUGGLING. So, what did we do? Well… We ditched Arabia Mountain and visited its neighbor, Vaughters Barn. We needed to be on flat land, or we were at risk of just losing all of our stuff and some skin cells because our bodies just couldn’t hold it together. We left feeling like the wind shifted some of our facial features, but we got good photos and that’s the important thing. Especially after all of that.

So here we are at Arabia Mountains’ Neighbor. And was the wind really that much better? No. But mom got to do her outfit change and we made it happen! Did I get some of my clothes back? No. lol. I wasn’t willing to fight with any the earths elements since absolutely none of them were on my team. A portion of my client closet said “have a good one”. My tent, I got that back by standing on a rock to get it unstuck from a tree. And I’m only 5’1 so just nothing was on my side.

BUT… this time, the sun and wind were in NO WAY on my team. Although their photos came out beautifully. Funny story. We are at the top of Arabia Mountain right… I have my changing tent for my clients to do outfit changes. The changing tent is basically a portable folding tent and is very light. Welp. I set It up nicely, added the rocks to the inner bags to keep it held down ok… Well. While I’m capturing all the photos that I could possibly capture, I turn to see that my tent is ALLLLLLLLLLLLL the way down the mountain. I mean, imagine climbing to the top of Mt. Everest, finally have a chance to chill from the treacherous climb, you put your backpack and your other stuff down, and 5 minutes later you see it rolling to the very bottom of the mountain. It was THAT windy outside. Mind you, this session took place in March!!!

Mom is trying to hold down her hair because it was flying yall. And me over here with just as much hair as this beauty, just trying to catch a moment to even see through my viewfinder so that I can take a picture! Oh yeah, and like 5% of client closet that I brought with me also decided to leave the scene. My toddler clothes are quite literally flying in the air like paper towels. I have been so good to the earth. I recycle, and I don’t litter. But instead of a nice breeze which I LOVE, I get smacked in the face by the earth’s breath. How NICE.

And almost worst of all… I had my Venti Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, whipped cream with Mocha and Caramel Drizzle, Starbucks drink sitting on a rock. It very graciously spilled on the ground. Like I saw it blowing over in slow motion. My defeated heart prayed for a miracle because if all else fails, we still have Starbucks right… no. Starbucks betrayed me too. I had my Wendy’s double cheeseburger hold the cheese, waiting patiently for me to take a break. Welp. I walked backwards while taking a photo and stepped on it. BUT… all those pottery classes in 5th grade paid off because I molded that thing back together and still ate the burger.

But after all that, I had to realize that this shoot was so much fun. We laughed until we cried! We did stop to wonder if maybe Jesus was planning a return that day, to somehow explain why it would be that windy in MARCH. but hey I love a good story and a session that has an adventure! I have a good story to tell and so does this sweet duo. When they look back at these photos, I am sure they will laugh because of how crazy the day was, but also be overjoyed because absolutely none of the earth elements can stop a beautiful story from being told.

Today, I’m feeling like a winner because this photo got featured in a magazine! Just goes to show, that the wind might try to knock us down, but the stars will align and point us in the right direction! lol. Is that corny?

Haha, thank you for reading this story and I hope it gave you a laugh!

Cone Family Session!

Ashley — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 00:30:15 +0000

I have a STORY! So, when I was about 14 years old, I joined a puppetry arts ministry called SHINE. This was a ministry a part of First Baptist Church Woodstock. This is where I met Loren and Caleb! They were both more experienced than I was at puppetry, and I had the incredible opportunity to learn from them and become friends with them. Fast forward to 7 years later and they got married and had 2 absolutely beautiful baby girls. I knew that I could not wait to photograph them and document their story and 2022 blessed me with this session.

Their shoot was simply beautiful. Their session was at Red Top Mountain on an early morning. I am so grateful they chose me to photograph their family! It was definitely the sweetest feeling to see them after it had been a few years! I like to highlight the importance of doing sessions after the kiddos have been well rested because this makes for a smoother session! Morning was perfect because it’s the start of the day. I find that kids are more open to me capturing them in the mornings or after naptime. But definitely the mornings. A plus about morning sessions is that the babies might take longer naps because we will run and play the entire session.

Clementine. Such a happy baby! And the most perfect name because I could just eat her up, she is so sweet. She was all smiles. Sometimes, babies being okay with a camera in their face is a hit or miss! Me making silly faces for them to laugh is also a hit or miss. They could cry instead. Thankfully I haven’t scared any babies yet lol. You ever feel so good about yourself when a baby smiles at you? That’s how I felt with this baby! like… She likes MEEE!!

Their First Born, Bethlehem. She was all hugs and snuggles. Within the first 10 minutes of their session, she ran to give me hug and wanted to play. While I knew her mom and dad before the shoot, it was only my first time meeting the little ones! Definitely blessed by her sweet spirit. Her hair is goals! But that SMILE!!! I quite literally melt when I look back at these photos.

I love to take a moment and remember to capture the moms and dads together! I know that I cherish the photos I have of my parents, and I am positive that my clients love to have the images of just them as well. Loren and Caleb are one gorgeous couple and definitely deserve to be the center of attention in at least one corner of their gallery!

The connection they have in these photos is so pure. You can feel how happy they are, and it is really heartwarming. Loren and Caleb’s family session really inspired me to build life with my own family in the future. I’m only 23 and the baby fever is real! For right now, to satisfy the baby fever, I just borrow and return. My baby fever has a cycle that looks something like this.

“AWWW the baby is smiling at me!! Can I babysit?!” -Borrow

“Omg the baby has poop all up it’s back, and in the hair, and some in the nose… the car-seat is covered in…!!!” -Return.

“Nvm, baby is so delicious I could snuggle all day!” -Borrow

“The baby sneezed and got snot on my nice shirt.” -Return

“Aww what an amazing 2-year-old to have such good manners! Saying please and thank you!! What an ANGEL!” -Borrow

“Uhm. The 2-year-old is looking for gold in its nose” – Return

I like this cycle for now! I’m just not sure I’m ready for the reasons behind the ‘return’. Haha! But everyone knows that I want a house full of kiddos and I get more and more excited after every photoshoot I do of sweet families like this one!

Gulati Family Lake Session!

Ashley — Fri, 22 Sep 2023 21:57:52 +0000

First, I must say that I absolutely fell in love with family sessions. This family was one of my very first to ever photograph and I have had the pleasure of capturing their beautiful story since 2020! This is their most recent session at Lake Lanier. This place is HUGE! A friend told me about this secluded area that is perfect for family sessions! Oh, not to mention! This family also added a family film to their session! Scroll to the bottom to see it!

Tell me it doesn’t look like he is in Hawaii on a secluded island somewhere!!! ahh a girl can dream. One of the best parts about my job is that I can travel to wherever in the world my heart desires and Hawaii is on my list for 2024-2025. But for now, we can definitely enjoy miniature versions of Hawaii at places like this! and um, I am obsessed with his long hair! The man bun totally completes the vibe.

I am a huge fan of capturing moms and dads with their little ones individually. I wish that I had individual photos with my parents when I was a kid, to look back on. So, I know how much your kids will love and appreciate having photos with you individually!

This shoot was perfect. I helped mom figure out their outfits, including kid’s outfits from my client closet! I was worried about the time of day we started the shoot only because of the sun being the highest in the sky at noon. I was hoping for more of a cloudy day. But hey, sometimes we just have to roll with it! However, it was both warm and windy which made my photographer heart happy because the hair blowing in the wind is a YES! And while the sun was a problem during some parts of the shoot, we were able to slow down and had a mini picnic on the sand and literally just enjoyed the scenery. At my sessions, there is no pressure to pose for the camera. I capture the natural and that’s exactly what we did here! Grandma was there to help with the kiddos but of course we have to get photos with grandma too! So, if you plan to bring your parents to a shoot to help out with things, grab photos with them!

This place has easily become my 2023 favorite location for my sessions! I am 100% a beach person. So, to have a place like this that looks and feels like a beach in Hawaii is nothing short of amazing. The kids loved it too which is why I am so excited to do more sessions at this location. I love this tender moment in the photo above. Jai loves being a big brother to Arjun and it shows in every time I capture their family.

Talk about tender moments! Riya and Jai both loved the water. They weren’t phased by the rocks and the waves. But I think it is so sweer that they were so ready to help each other off the rocks. They held hands naturally and I raced to capture it. Riya is the most amazing big sister to her little brothers!

These babies were so happy! If you have thought about doing a session somewhere by the water, I know a place! And if you want the session to just be chill and relaxed, I’m your girl! We can all bring the snacks for a picnic, and we will enjoy scenery for a while. Get away from the everyday and take a breath. I will say, it was such a relaxing day, and I am so grateful we did our session here.