Fuel Behind Passion
Well hello there and thank you for stopping by! I decided to create a blog to combine two of my passions; writing and photography. Allow me to introduce myself! I am Ashli, owner and photographer here at Vivace Photography. When I’m not running my small business, I am busy chasing 6 energetic little feet around or helping my husband find something that he lost (usually something that is shockingly within his reach). I’m only kidding about my husband, guys…kind of. I married the man of my dreams in 2021 and he has been nothing short of a miracle; he really does lose everything though. I have a spunky 8 year old that is never afraid to tell me exactly what she is thinking…this is one of the many things I adore about her. I have the most energetic 6 year old you’ll ever see, who never fails to give me a run for my money; I’ll never be able to live up to his energy level….regrettably. And finally I have my 1 year old who finds himself absolutely hilarious even when he’s being mischievous; he has a deep love for his older siblings. These 4 never fail to make life interesting; they definitely keep this mama busy! Another person that is basically a member of my immediate family, is my mom. My mom is my best friend and I have absolutely no idea what I would do without the woman, even on days that she tells me the things that I don’t want to hear! I’m also lucky enough to have a grandma that is essentially superwoman and somehow is able to take care of literally everyone else before she ever takes time for herself. What can I say? I’m absolutely blessed and grateful. Family is very important to me and these are just a few of the most important people in my life.
Now that you know a bit about my family let’s dive right into what fuels my passion for photography. The older I get the harsher the realization sets in that life is very short. Time is the only resource that never discriminates. We all get the same 24 hours in a day, the same 7 days in a week, the same 365 days in a year…but life is unpredictable and many things are out of our control as it relates to the amount of time we are blessed with here on this earth. I will be vulnerable and admit something that I don’t think I’ve ever actually said out loud… The passion that I have for photography is actually fueled by fear. Yes…you heard that right. The fuel behind my passion is the fear of loss. I’m not trying to be dark or negative; I’m actually quite the opposite, but I think that vulnerability and opening up to others can create some really beautiful things. My absolute biggest fear is losing the ones that I love. Life really is very short so my mission is to appreciate everyone today…to tell those around me how much they mean to me every chance that I can get. I throw love around like crazy because that is exactly what I do, I love. Capturing a moment in time that you will never get back is a magical idea. I love photographs; they comfort me.
All of these things most likely make sense as to why I like photographs of my family but I’m sure you’re wondering why in the world that means that I love photographing you! The fact that I love photographing others mirrors my personality; I’m an empath. I feel everything for everyone. I watch a video of someone accomplishing their dreams and I cry tears of joy… I read about tragedy striking someone I either know or don’t know and I’m bawling wondering if there is a way that I could help them out or provide any type of support. The world just needs people who care about other people. People who truly want the best for others regardless of what makes each of us different. The things that make us different from one another are our most beautiful assets.
Let me tell you about what I specialize in and why I consider those things to be my specialties. One of my biggest focuses within my business is boudoir photography. Getting into boudoir photography was a super spur of the moment choice that turned into something very beautiful for me. I am all about human connections. Connecting to others brings the most authentic version of someone’s soul to the surface. Since I was very young I have struggled with my personal body image. I would look at LITERALLY everyone else and think of a thousand things that I found beautiful about them but then look back at myself struggling to find one. After I had children my body image issues only spiraled further out of control…one day I realized how much time I waste thinking about how I look and wishing I could change it…I realized that as I was dwelling on the numbers that had gone up on the scale I was failing to focus on what really mattered in life.
As silly as it may sound, beauty really does come from within. Your soul is what makes you beautiful. How you treat people is what makes you beautiful. Your external beauty is just a bonus! My mission for boudoir photography is capturing the soul, the authentic, the raw, the emotion. You don’t need to gain or lose to love yourself…I challenge you to love yourself every day in every single form that you come! You owe that to you! Self love is a journey, not a destination. Everyone has days where they struggle to love themselves; that is human nature. I hope you consider taking that journey and running with it! Empowering others through boudoir feels like a calling to me…it feels SO right, like it was written in the stars. I love being able to help other people that struggle with their self image because I have been there and I know it is hard…it is so difficult when you can’t see your own beauty but are always able to see it in everyone else. Even if you don’t want a photoshoot done, I am here to support you on your journey to self love!
The Titanic…The Notebook… All of the love stories. That is exactly what I love to capture; love stories. There is nothing quite like love. For the first time in my life I am blessed to say that I have a love that I thought was only seen on screens. I didn’t think finding someone that you click so undeniably well with that it scares you was a thing, until I met Chris. I had no idea that I could be treated as amazing as my husband treats me. I absolutely wish our love on everyone. My happiness in love has fueled my passion for photographing couples. Capturing the authentic and intimate connection between two souls that have chosen each other and decided it is them against the world gives my business a different purpose for me.
Although boudoir and couples are the areas that I feel are my “specialties”, I also offer all other kinds of photography…ranging from maternity, to children, to lifestyle, to seniors, to intimate weddings, to mommy and me, to daddy and me, to families, to stylized sessions, etc. I just LOVE to capture LOVE. As a mother, I absolutely love children and working with them but I must say that my most difficult clients to date have been my two sons! It has to be a photographers child, thing.
Enough about me, I would love to get to know YOU. I want to know YOUR story and capture that story through my work. If you have any additional questions for me and my passion for photography, please reach out! I would love to chat more with anyone that is interested in why my business has been an absolute dream come true for me. If you love what you do, going to work isn’t work at all! Turning something you love into your career is absolutely magical. I used to dread going to work…now I want to work as much as I can just because I love getting to know all of you and creating beautiful memories in the process!
~ Ashli <3