Ashley Garrels was born and raised in Seattle, uses She/her pronouns and is 28. Ashley went to Western because of the great art department and because many of her family members have went to Western. She has visited the campus many times and just fell in love with the feel of the small, but amazing town of Bellingham. But because the Art Department really allowed her to follow a concentration in photography, she knew Western was the right choice for her.
Ashley had began her photography journey when she was 12 when her Dad gave her a “dinky point and shoot.” And then she really got into photography when she entered high school at 14.
After graduating from Western in 2014 she got herself a job at a small photography company that specialized in family portraits, maternity shoots, etc. But after a year or so, it working at this company began to burn her out. She learned a lot about client relationships and business awareness while she worked there. Which lead her to come to the conclusion that very personal and intimate photoshoots could be approached differently, and from an artful place. This is when Ashley and her Co-partner, Camille, decided to start a wedding business called Lilac and Twine in 2015.
Ashley now currently splits her work between working at a creative agency called Oak and Melanin, working as a freelance photographer, her time at Lilac and Twine, and just taking on additional photography work.
Feel free to check out her work at:
https://www.lilacandtwine.com/
https://www.oakandmelanin.com/
Questions:
- How long have you been doing photography?
[Ashley] “My dad is a photographer as well and handed me some dinky point and shoot when I was about 12. I started seriously pursuing photography and learning more about it in high school, so about 14 years.”
- What camera do you use?
[Ashley] “For most shoots at work or with commercial clients, I use a Canon 5D Mark II with my trusty lenses. Because my heart belongs to film, I shoot the majority of my personal work on my medium format cameras, namely a Mamiya RB67 and Hasselblad 500CM. Honestly, if it loads film, I’ll love it.”
- What is your favorite lens(es)?
[Ashley] “My favorite for years now has been the 35mm f1.4 – it’s such a reliable and versatile lens that I especially love for portraits. I did most of my learning on a prime 50mm and will always have a soft spot for that lens.”
- What style of photography do you believe you excel at?
[Ashley] “I really love portraiture and have always been drawn to faces, expressions, hands – any image with a human element to it will always captivate me.”
- What style of photography do you wish you were better at?
[Ashley] “I’ve been finding a lot of joy and interest in very stark, minimal architectural photographs the past few years. I’m not sure I’ve exactly nailed my point of view in that realm yet, but it’s fun to explore.”
- Where do you expect to be with your photography in 10 years?
[Ashley] “In 10 years, I hope to continue to be shooting almost daily and have a few photo books under my belt. I’d love to create some medium-format focused books of work and to show in cool and meaningful gallery spaces.”
- What are ways you are achieving this goal?
[Ashley] “Continuing to put it out there! I’m a big believer in taking active steps towards a goal and not being afraid to advocate for what you want. That could look like putting together a small zine or digital photo essay while I work my way up to a fully realized photo book.”
- Who/what is your inspiration?
[Ashley] “I’m constantly inspired by other artists! Some all time faves are:
Diane Arbus”
Vivian Maier
Jake Stangel
Megan McIsaac
Minhyun Woo
Si Moore (& Baylymoore)
Manjit Thapp
Bijou Karman
- Is there a specific project you are working on right now?
[Ashley] “I’ve got a few different threads in the works – documenting my neighborhood during covid-19 and working on some embroidered self-portraits as well.”
- What are your goals for this project?
[Ashley] “I’m treating the neighborhood series as a sort of quiet documentation of this time, which may only make sense looking back years from now. I’m trying to commit as much of this weirdness (and the subsequent positive changes it’s brought to my lifestyle) to memory. I hope people resonate with the beautiful mundane in our surroundings – even though everything has changed.”
- What does photography mean to you/what meaning do you give it?
[Ashley] “Photography has always been the method through which I can best articulate feelings, thoughts or deeply personal ideas. A photograph instantly feels nostalgic, no matter how recently it was taken, and I’m really interested in that concept.”
- How is COVID affecting your project and workflow
[Ashley] “Everything is different! Which isn’t necessarily good or bad, it just sort of is. Obviously, all of our weddings and family/couple shoots have been postponed. I’ve been loving seeing people get creative and holding shoots over facetime or zoom – I think the restraints that this pandemic brought have also loosened a lot of unnecessary or outdated restraints too. I’ve been using this time to focus on personal projects and documenting this time.”
- What are some of your most favorite projects you’ve done?
[Ashley] “My favorite projects are usually when I get to collaborate with a bunch of different people! I love supporting and lifting up fellow creatives whenever possible. Getting to combine forces across different mediums for a shared vision is always the most satisfying. Camille and I did a shoot a few summers back with a rad pack of women – friends of ours modeled, styled and created makeup looks for the shoot. We had a vague idea of how we wanted it to feel, but let it evolve with the team’s help and made some magic together.”
- What keeps you going with photography?
[Ashley] “I’m constantly amazed by how much there is to see and be inspired by, even in my own backyard. What keeps me going with photography is the pursuit of moments and realizing that there is just so much art to make and be dazzled by.”
- Are you pleased with the outcome of your projects?
[Ashley] “Usually! I’ve spent weeks working on a series that didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped and also loved projects that came together in a few minutes, on a whim. These days, I try to go with the flow and let things happen how they want to.”
- Do you feel like you are an exceptional photographer?
[Ashley] “This is a tricky question to answer – I’m grateful to be able to walk through the world and take in the shapes, forms and light. If someone looking at my photograph of those things feels a certain feeling or mood, then I’ve done what I set out to do.”
- Are you at your desired level of expertise?
[Ashley] “Definitely not, there’s always more to learn! I’m always trying to learn more about cinematography and aspects of filmmaking. I think if you ever feel like you’re done learning, something is wrong.”
- Where do you hope photography will take you?
[Ashley] “I hope photography continues to bring me a lot of clarity, connection and happiness. If it also helps me eventually buy a small house on the edge of a beach, great!”
- What do you think you will gain in pursuing photography?
[Ashley] “I think anyone pursuing photography will gain a better understanding of themselves, because of the way your eye reveals itself. What are you drawn to, what do you find important and worth documenting?”
[Ashley] “Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of connecting with people and documenting small moments in their lives (and in my own).”
[Ashley] “Professionally, it’s damn fun and opens up a whole network of creative, passionate and inspired people who are as distracted by a spot of perfect lighting as I am.”