Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Angle.
Ashton, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started into the photography world from the other side – as a model. I modeled within the Dallas community for about 3 years, but it wasn’t fulfilling my creative needs. I soon realized that my ideas and concepts were not being portrayed how I had originally seen them in my head and this was very unsatisfying. I started using self-timer on my phone and just taking my own pictures so I could have full creative control. This was so fun for me and I did this for a long time. Eventually, I got a polaroid camera. I took this camera EVERYWHERE. I have many, many albums full of polaroids that I would take of my friends, my now fiancé, and of myself. When covid happened, I started realizing that I was actually pretty good at taking photos. I was encouraged by my fiancé and friends to dive deeper into this side of the photography world. I began playing with the idea of starting my own photography business. At first, I thought I’d just do it on my polaroid to be different. I soon realized that wasn’t going to work. In May of 2021, I finally invested in my first official film camera. I gravitated towards film naturally since all I had ever used was my polaroid. I’ve always had a strong connection with the tangible side of photography. Once I had my new camera, I started shooting right away. Many of my wonderful friends volunteered to let me test my camera on them, and it was incredible. I immediately knew that this was what I was meant to be doing. I finally felt like I had found my true passion. From then on, I continued shooting almost every week, and the feedback I received was amazing. I started to get my first clients and have been growing from there. My first full year of being a photographer will be this May of 2022. It’s been so, so beautiful to find this medium that I enjoy tremendously. It’s brought me so many new things to my life and has made me full. I am truly grateful to all the people who have made this possible and believed in me from the beginning.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always struggles in starting anything new. I definitely messed up my fair share of film in the beginning. There have been more than a few shoots that I am not very happy with at all, but those things have made me so much better. Working with clients always has its downsides, but once you find the right clients for you, it doesn’t even feel like work. I have to work every day to be able to support my passion because it costs a lot of money to start a business. I’m sure everyone knows by now how much film costs and has been rising all year. It gets very, very pricey, but it’s something I cannot simply give up.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I don’t like talking about myself much, but I will try to explain what I think I do best. I am a creative director at heart. I love to create new worlds and let people step into them. I’m sure people who follow my work would say I specialize in all things retro. I don’t know why, but I have some sort of connection to older decades – they just resonate with my soul. I love to recreate anything 70s related. It is my favorite era. Set design is another passion of mine and I’d like to think that’s what sets me apart from others. I pay close attention to all details that go into my photos to ensure the overall vibe is accurate to the era I am trying to recreate. I want it to feel as real as possible as if it was taken in that time. I am most proud of a handful of shoots that I’ve done – most likely all 70s themed. I just can’t go out and take a simple photo. I need my photos to have a story that I follow and emotions that people can feel through them.
How do you define success?
Wow, a hard question. I think success is subjective. If all I wanted to accomplish is to take beautiful photos, then I’m successful. You can be successful at many things at one time. Currently, I think I’d like to be director of photography for movies. Once I’ve been on a film set, I think I could consider that a success.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@jazzandtheblues.com
- Website: www.jazzandtheblues.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jazzandtheblues
- Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/jazzandtheblues-100398415812511/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashtonangle
Image Credits
Adam Jabari
Jordan Rose
Jillian Antonia
Rosa Moran
Alexis King
Maya Koch
