Meet Ashley Rock | Photographer

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

Hi Ashley, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I have several habits I feel have helped me succeed in the photography industry. One of the biggest ones is consistency. No matter how long you’ve been in business you still have to keep marketing, posting, etc. It’s just the day and age. So I stayed consistent (for the most part) on posting and promoting on social media.

Another habit that helped me succeed was connecting with others. It’s the most obvious one but it rings so true. Meeting other business owners, joining facebook groups, going to events with other photographers. Community over competition has done me so well. I’ve met so many clients in the most random places including while getting a tattoo, getting my hair done, going out to a concert, etc. If you’re an introvert you don’t even have to go out, commenting on others posts, finding groups to share your work in and supporting other business pages…it goes a lot longer than you think it does!

Time management is the biggest one for someone self-employed. Sure, I can admit I have days I put off work because something cool came up! But I have to make sure I budget that time for later to catch up whatever I left behind. You have to be a reliable business owner and that definitely means stepping out of the 9-5 thought process. You want to create a work life balance but (as we all know) when you falter you have to work overtime to get things done. There’s no boss to leave to do it. I’m still working on this habit but I’d say I’m pretty good at getting my work done in a timely manner.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
If I’m being honest what sets me apart from others in the industry is that I’m an oddball. Not to say there are not other creative weirdos in the industry, but a lot of my ideas come from very weird things. Some of the angles I shoot at are very weird.

What I mean by this is I love creating a custom shoot for a client and making them unique.
You want to wear Alien heads to your shoot but pretend to be a family? Got it.
You want to do a sexy bloody boudoir session because you love horror but want it to look hot? Sure here’s a gallon of fake blood in a kiddy pool.
You want senior photos but in a Taco Bell? I’m already eating a burrito while I get inspo.

I used to think this would hold me back and I kept these personal for fun. Then clients started requesting smoke bombs after a witch shoot I did. Once I did a few more the requests got wilder and wilder. Or my absolute favorite messages, “If you have an idea let’s go for it. I love your work.”
Once people started trusting the process I started getting more and more outside of the box.

I really think everyone is fabulous in their own way. I wouldn’t say I’m better than anyone else. But if I have to think of what is gaining attention is that my creative shoots are weird and catch your eye! Even more normal portrait sessions I’m always trying new angles for a strange perspective.

If there’s anything I’ve learned from this, be yourself! I started out only doing family sessions and seniors. While I still love those clients, it was so cool to realize I could also be advertising my art! That some would prefer things out of the normal!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Atlanta is so cool because it has so much to offer. If my best friend were to visit I would totally take her to Krog and get Gu’s dumplings. They are divine and I’m addicted. I would take her to Veil Salon for a girls day of getting facials, lash lifts and maybe even our hair done! I’d show her the sights and grab some photos around Ponce and downtown Decatur. Downtown Decatur has so much art! I would love to stop at a pop-up with Godtoh, best burgers in the city. We would totally spend so much time at Phoenix and Dragon looking at crystals. We are giant foodies so a couple fantastic restaurants are Paolino Italian, Pao Pao Ramen and Fellinis for some big pizza slices. If we went out I really dig the vibes of the bar Church as well as Joystick!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m going to give a giant shout-out to Veil Beauty Collective. They are a female owned small business as well as some of my best friends. Not only are our businesses next door to each other, we collaborate and support each other often. These ladies work their tails off to succeed and it shows. They have also been a big reason I have succeeded. They’ve supported my art since I moved to Georgia and both of our businesses have grown together. They name drop my business constantly, do hair and makeup for my clients and run their own large business as well. I’m so proud and appreciative of the love they have given me. Our collabs turned into friendship and the rest is history. They are a collective beauty salon that offers hair care, skin care, lash and brow enhancement. They have it all and do it well.

Website: www.ashleypatty.com

Instagram: ashleyrockstarphotography

Facebook: www.fb.com/ashleyrockstarphotography

Other: Tiktok: @AshleyRockstar34

Image Credits
Photos by Me