We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Rock and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Ashley, how do you think about risk?
My life would be nowhere near the same without taking risks. I can think of a million times I took a risk and it turned out awesome. Moving to Atlanta was my biggest risk. I think I had about $600 in my bank account and a lot of hope. My husband and I had no job leads, we signed a lease to an apartment and just hoped for the best. It was stupid if you really look at it. I worked for super cheap for some people just to make rent. I took gigs I didn’t want to work. I did a lot of trade for print shoots just to meet other creatives. But in some of those cheap/free gigs I found the BEST connections. Or people who stuck with me as my prices raised to my true worth. Fast forward to now…we are thriving. I am almost fully booked out for 2020. I have to turn down inquiries from being too busy. This year I will be traveling to Florida and Virginia for photoshoots. There would have been more without corona but I am still ecstatic to even have the opportunity. It has always been a dream to be paid to travel for photography. I’ve done so many creative shoots that have been in my head for awhile, worked on sets with some big name people and I’m no longer struggling. If I never took that leap of faith, I’d never be where I am today. I hope to only continue growing. I’m not saying the way I went about it was smart, but I worked my tail off to get where I am today. Risks are the way to go.
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.
If I had to say what sets me apart from others I think it’s my personality. I will talk to you as a friend not a client. Many times during my shoots my clients say I’m a great hype girl. It cracks me up but I truly think it’s a great part of my business. I don’t just want you to show up and get a photoshoot. I want you to have an awesome experience that lifts your confidence as well! I want you to look at your photos and think, “That was an awesome day.” Not just look at photos and remember thats when your family made you dress up and dragged to some photoshoot. I think I’m most proud of how true I’ve stayed to myself. That sounds cliche but it is real. I’ve had quite a few hurdles in my way that could’ve been avoided if I just bent to the will of others. But I know I stand for being a genuine business and I won’t give that up for any amount of money. There have been plenty of lessons I have learned along the way. Work life balance has been a big one recently. Making sure I set enough time for myself as well as my business. I want to give my family 100% of me as well as clients. I used to just book as much as I could. But I wasn’t always putting out my best work with that. I’d rather make a client book out further to get 300% rather than me at 75%. Another big lesson is honesty. Clients can tell when you’re real or fake. They respond a lot better to real emotion, true stories rather than a pretty sugar coated one. I’d rather admit a mistake to my clients and fix it than throw a bandaid on it. If anyone were to come across my work, I would just want them to know my brand is real. These photos are real emotions, real people and a moment captured in time.
Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Atlanta is GIANT. I could spend a month showing someone around. I also am willing to drive all across the city to show the best spots. Depending on the time of year I would totally take them on the Chattahoochee river. I love activities and grew up with my dad and step mom always having a lake house. If I had to choose a bar to take them to it would be Church. It’s got great chill vibes but also hilariously ironic decorations. Everyone there always seems to be in a good mood and the drinks are fantastic. As far as food I would always recommend Saba. A little italian restaurant in Decatur. Best Italian I’ve ever had. I’d also recommend Krog Street but specifically Gu’s Dumplings. You can’t go wrong at Krog. I’ve also recently been on a big Sushi kick and Sushi Itto in Smyrna is fabulous. As far as other activities or bars I’d totally take them to the Battery. I love a good baseball game, the bars around there are so fun and some great food as well! One night I would absolutely have to take them to the Jackson Street bridge. I am a photographer and they have to see that famous skyline. I still feel new to Atlanta and like there are so many new things I still need to explore. So I’d probably do whatever the city had going on that week!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people who deserve a shout out in this article. More than I can count on my fingers. But I think a huge shout out goes to my friend Megan Granado. I met her through a Facebook group as another photographer and we just CLICKED. Last year I got into boudoir and it’s all because of her. She always had faith in my work. We traded shoots and we both felt awesome. Not even just boudoir. but anytime I had a question about the business, she was there to brainstorm with me. We talked about pricing and what was fair to our clients. We discussed new ideas. Anytime I felt down she praised my work to the high Heavens. Anytime I had doubt in myself, anxiety or stress she convinced me it was a bump in the road. We both kind of soared together. She really made me value myself and see what I wasn’t seeing. She was another photographer but never treated me like competition and vice versus. We shared trade secrets ALL the time. Whether it was marketing, creative shots or editing we always told each other how we did it. I think that is so rare in the industry and part of our success. She was always there to push me out of the nest when I was afraid to fly. She has gone from stranger to best friend in the matter of a year. I can’t thank her enough for the courage she gave me so often. Again, I have so many people to thank but photographer to photographer…Megan is a fantastic motivator.
Website: www.ashleypatty.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashleypattyproductions
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ashleypattycom