It was a late start for me this year and I couldn't wait to get shooting again. Currently, I only take on a limited amount of weddings as I am also now teaching photography. My last one was in November, so I had some seriously itchy feet!
You will be pleased to hear however, that I have been keeping myself busy in other ways. A new website (this one) and some serious kit upgrading (my inner geek couldn't wait to test it 'in the field'. Also, my family were definitely getting tired of my constant clicking).
A new website was not only a big decision, but an even bigger task. Why do it then? Well, I wanted a platform that I could not only showcase my work through, but also inject a bit more of my personality. After all, a lot of my past clients have told me that my personality was just as important to them as experience, creativity and technical ability.
Ok then, personality. Yeah. So. I thought I'd start this by attempting to write an honest and fun 'about me page'. Writing is probably my least favourite thing to do. That's why I generally use photography to tell my stories. So, after ten thousand different versions, I finally settled on this and I hope you like it.
Right, what next? An interesting profile photo? I don't really like having my photograph taken, which is again why I tend to make photographs of other people. It's also why I'm pretty darn good at understanding what can make other people uncomfortable whilst being photographed. Anyway, I grabbed some powder paint, mixed it to fit the colours of this stunning website and asked people to throw it in my face whilst I pretended to smile and awkwardly held a camera. I required a trustworthy and skilled photographer to do this for me, so I asked the super talented team at CK Commercial Photos to step in. They did a great job with the poorly drawn visual brief I gave them, so huge thanks to them! You can find these photographs below and on my homepage (cringe) and yes, it took me about a week to get all that powder paint out of my ears.
Since doing this I actually had a spare day in the studio to get a bit of CPD in (Continuous Professional Development - for all you non-teachers or 'normal' people). As I didn't have a model to photograph and I wanted to practice portrait techniques, I ended up shooting a load of self portraits. I'm super pleased with these and they work well as professional portraits. Although, I've nowhere to put them now, as I've designed my site around the shape of the others and to be quite honest with you, I don't ever want to have to change/re-design any of these pages again (well for six months or so). That's why I've plonked (creative term) one below.
What next then? A Blog! Yes, I can talk about all the great things that I get to photograph and feature more of my wedding photography. I've actually wanted to do this for a couple of years now, despite my hatred of using text to tell a story. A blog feels like a great way for me to give my photography context, tell people all of my brilliantly funny anecdotes and shout about how amazing some of our other local industry professionals really are. Well you're reading my very first post so there you go, I've done it! Success!
I then decided that It would probably be a good idea to feature my personal work. I'm not just a photographer when I'm being paid to be, I'm a photographer ALL of the time. I literally do not go anywhere without a camera. I live for photography and it really is my passion. What was bothering me though, was the fact that a lot of the time I didn't feel that I had anywhere to showcase this photography. It is this photography that keeps my creative juices flowing, keeps me in tune with my profession and helps me to continue pushing my skills and creative thinking. All pretty important stuff really!
Since I started teaching photography, I have felt super inspired. I feel that I am looking at the world around me with a fresh perspective, exploring life and using the visual language of photography to show the others my world. All great, except I haven't been showing it to anyone. That's why you can now find my day to day photography here and my latest projects here. Yay.
Anyway, I guess this is my first blog post done. I'll be adding another once I've finished editing my first wedding (teaser shot above!). Hopefully, my writing will improve (apologies for any bad grammar).
Thank you for reading my very first blog post, please do explore my website a bit, it took me ages to build! All feedback is most welcomed, so please feel free to get in touch with me using contact@ashleyhampson.com
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