I’ve worked on a lot of exciting projects recently, and a fun one was the She Walks in Beauty styled shoot I worked on. I collaborated with several vendors on the shoot, including Ashley Gerrity Photography! I recently sat down with Ashley to ask her a few questions about her business and her art.
How would you describe your style as a photographer?
Modern, Luxurious, Romantic. I’m always striving to incorporate these three words into my style. I think my style is modern, because I strive to keep my images crisp, and clean as far as the posing and style of my shooting. But I am always trying create a lush, rich balance of color and light in my imagery, which I think gives my photographs a real tactile, luxurious feel. I think wedding photography, particularly portraiture should be filled with intimate connections and quiet romantic moments. And that is how I define my style.
How many weddings do you average per year?
Ashley Gerrity Photography shoots between 25-30 weddings as a studio, although I personally am always working with other photographers on weddings, sessions, and workshops beyond my own weddings, so that I can keep expanding my skills and becoming more experienced on my days “off”.
What types of cameras do you shoot with?
I carry two Canon 5D Mark IIs to every wedding, along with a 6D as my backup camera. Some days, I’ll have two on my body and an assistant with a third camera, just so I have lenses galore at the ready.
But, it isn’t the camera that takes the photograph, it is me. And I know with a few moments to adjust, I could rock a Nikon, Sony, Fuji, etc. too. I just became a Canon shooter because when I was apprenticing, my mentor shot Canon, so it enabled me to try equipment and lenses from her gear bag and ask questions in the moment if needed.
What is your favorite photography accessory, apart from your camera?
My lenses. Okay, that was a cop out answer.
My lights are the best. Photography without light is nothing. I use on and off camera flash and have two different video lights. With my lights, I am able to take awesome moody images in otherwise completely dark settings. I also use my lights to help throughout the day whenever a little boost is needed, but flash would be obtrusive.
What are some of your favorite computer tools or software that you use, besides the computer itself?
I love my Wacom tablet (it’s a stylus/tablet system that replaces my mouse.) . I’ve been using it since I began shooting and editing full time. Nowadays, if you hand me a mouse, it takes me three times longer to navigate anything!
What is your favorite thing about being a wedding photographer?
I spend my days with people who are at their happiest, most in love, most gorgeous state. And I get to capture moments that will live on long after I’m gone in the most beautiful and artistic way possible. Does it get any better than that? Honestly?
And I love working for myself, building and maintaining a business, and all of the collaboration and hard work that goes on behind the scenes. I know there aren’t many photographers who say this, but I know I would be in business for myself in some capacity, even if I weren’t lucky enough to be a wedding photographer.
What is the most challenging thing about photographing weddings?
Traffic around Philadelphia.
But at a close second: No matter how much planning goes into a photography timeline, location scouting, or other preparation, I never know exactly how the day itself will flow. It’s a very unpredictable and strenuous artform!
If you could photograph a wedding at any location on earth, where would you choose to go?
I have to start by saying that there are literally hundreds of places that rushed through my brain when I read this question. There is no question that I would love to shoot all around the world, but I think more than anything I would love to shoot in a beautiful rural wedding in Italy. A good friend was married in Tuscany and the landscapes were just amazing. And while I’m across the pond, I would probably just have to hop around the continent with a model and hit landmarks, ruins, and the such. It’s truly not fair to ask a photographer to pick just one place. I can find beauty all over the world.
Thanks so much to Ashley for answering all of my questions! I always love working with you, and I look forward to doing so again soon.