Today we’d like to introduce you to Chanze Ashorn Photography.
Chanze Ashorn Photography, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started when I was a young teen, I got a trendy camera for Christmas from my parents and was obsessed with taking photos of everything, mainly our animals and self-portraits. I remember chasing our cat around trying to get him to sit still for me long enough to put a flower by his ear and snap a photo, then repeating this 50 more times until I finally got “the one.”
Years went by before I dove into weddings, I thought that was the direction I would take my business, then I became a mother and everything about Motherhood sparked creativity. I feel like some of my best work has always surrounded motherhood-maternity and newborns. I became comfortable and confident in myself as time passed and these days, I honestly feel like I’m living my best life.
I get to create these emotional experiences for a lot of my families, doing all of these fun and silly things with their children, not only making memories with them but giving them something to cherish for generations! I get to snuggle squishy babies on a weekly basis, and I get to be home and watch my own children grow, I get to live life with my husband, which happens to be my #1 supporter.
All in all, I am extremely grateful for where I am today.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anything that you dream of usually comes with a rather bumpy, winding road. I’ve had to overcome Imposter Syndrome a number of times along the way, I know now that I deserve the place that I am today, and getting to that point was a struggle.
Realizing my worth gave me a hunger for success. I began to focus my thoughts on the desired outcome, made plans, and achieve each goal with a little more confidence than the last.
Once I was able to accept that win, I was able to move on to the next, or create a new, harder-to-reach goal. I honestly surprise myself sometimes, thinking “Is this real? Did I really just cross that off my list?”
Look at yourself through your children’s eyes… That’s what always does it for me.
“In their eyes, I’m a winner,” I repeat that to myself on a daily basis.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Currently, I specialize in Maternity, Newborn, and Families. I do dabble in Weddings still, they will always have a piece of my heart, giving up weddings would be like… cutting off a finger… As awful as that sounds, I just have to have them!
I have an in-home studio dedicated to lifestyle and newborn sessions. I also have the scoop on some beautiful outdoor locations all around the Central TX area! Sessions with me are typically feel-good centered, with lots of laughing and playing!
As a mother, I understand firsthand how fleeting the moments are, so I LOVE being able to share an evening with a family and giving them something they can cherish for a lifetime! I’ve heard from so many of my clients that I make things feel pretty much effortless, which is honestly the biggest compliment I could ever receive!
I’m most proud of my growth. Not only as a person but as a photographer. I have come a long way from photographing anything and everything to where I am now, saying no to jobs that I’m not passionate about. I am confident enough in myself to facilitate my vision and that is something to be proud of as a small business owner.
Also sharing my knowledge with other photographers, I never thought I’d see the day that I’d be hosting a workshop for local photographers to join in and learn something, from ME! A little Ol’ Gal from East TX, sharing her knowledge with women that share the same goal!
I’m known for my newborn sessions! I could spend hours planning and perfecting each set-up. Being able to snuggle a sweet squishy baby for a few hours and capture the emotion that these new parents are experiencing as they admire each other and this sweet new bundle that they just welcomed together is honestly exhilarating.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Oh man, I see a ton of growth.
Social media has been the big shift in our industry, and it has changed so much over the past few years, with how photographers market themselves, share who they are through their platform, being able to personally connect with their clients through posting stories and reels, interacting with our clients as a whole has become straightforward. I believe that will become even easier over the next decade.
10 years ago photographers weren’t perceived how they are now, everyone looked at you like you had this impossible dream to make it into the National Geographic, or Vogue Magazine and that was as far as the industry would take you but we’re so much more than that.
We all see things differently, with our own vision, our own way of making them come to life. We’re paving our own path, proving ourselves as creative individuals, sharing our knowledge with the up-and-coming, setting ourselves apart, and creating these emotional experiences for clients, showing them the beauty that is within.
Social media completely changed the game, and I feel from here there’s only one way to go, up.
Pricing:
- Starting at $650
Contact Info:
- Website: www.chanzeashornphotography.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/chanzeashornphotography
- Facebook: facebook.com/chanzeashornphotography
- Other: sessionl.ink/chanzeashornphotography
