Meet Ansley Griffin | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ansley Griffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ansley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ve always said that I wanted my job to be something I truly enjoy. I went to college right after high school, but really struggled with what career I wanted to pursue and felt really pressured to start figuring out my life. Looking back, I wish I realized that you don’t need to have your entire life figured out right after school and that there’s no time limit on figuring out what you like and what makes you happy. I believe that things will always fall into place. I was doing photography as a hobby and decided to make an Instagram account for the photos I was taking to share them for fun. I started gaining some traction and people were asking how much I charged for photoshoots, and it got me thinking. I could turn my passion into a career. I decided to invest in mentorships and classes and started my photography business. I absolutely love it and although it can be hard at times, it’s a great feeling to watch your small business grow!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been fascinated by cameras. I absolutely loved being able to capture special moments in life. When I was little, I loved going to my grandma’s house and looking through all of her photo books. My favorite photos were always the candid’s where no one was paying attention to the camera, so it was more focused on the moment, and that really contributed to my photography today. I think the biggest challenge for me was finding my style. Over the years, my editing style changed a lot. I started out trying to match the traditional look because I thought that was the “right” way to do it if I wanted to get booked by clients. I began offering studio sessions and I would edit them exactly how I liked. I found this gave me a lot more creative freedom and it made me feel way more inspired and motivated than when I was trying to match the traditional photos. I also found that through expressing my own style, I was gaining my ideal clientele and I was way prouder of the photos I was taking. Having your own style is a tool that can help you stand out from others, and this is something that has benefited both me and my business for sure.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would 100% go to Sean’s Heart of the Park to get lunch. If you haven’t tried their “Holy Guacamole Chicken Salad sandwich,” you are missing out!! Sean’s has an amazing menu with so much, (even has a menu for dogs), so it’s very easy to find something you like! It’s located in Piedmont Park, so maybe we would hang out there for a little or walk around. Then we would probably go thrifting at some local thrift stores and go to Momo’s café because I’m in love with matcha! I also love the aquarium, but haven’t been in a while, so would love to go check that out at some point! Especially since they just did some remodeling. Another must go place is the Botanical Garden!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m a self-taught photographer, but I was struggling on the business side of things. I was scrolling through TikTok about a year ago and came across a video by a creator named Marina Williams. I admired her work and followed her on Instagram where I found she had a program called Made to Make. I subscribed to it, and it changed the game for me. I gained so much business knowledge from her videos and it helped me take my photography business to the next level. I would also credit all my friends, family, my boyfriend, and my amazing clients who have shown so much love and support!

Website: ansleygphoto.squarespace.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ansleygphoto/