Ashley Marston is a professional photographer based in Vancouver Island who captures life's most precious moments. We had the opportunity to interview her and learn more about her process!
Capturing Life's Moments with Lensbaby
Artist Interview with Ashley Marston
Ashley Marston with Lensbaby Edge 35
Q: Tell us the BTS of this shot.
A: We have three children. An older teenage son and two little ones that came six and seven years later. The moments when he connects with them grow fewer between as the years go by. It's just a natural progression of life and growing up. So when I heard him reading to her in her bed I knew I wanted to capture it and my Lensbaby gave me the creative muscle to give the image a sleepy feeling while capturing the moment as well.
Ashley Marston with Lensbaby Edge 35
Q: When did you start taking photographs? Why did you continue?
A: I started as a professional photographer 10 years ago. But I have had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. Photography is never something that is stagnant for me. I am always learning, always evolving and that is why I keep going.
Q: Which is your favorite Lensbaby lens?
A: I love the Edge 35 Composer Pro II. That little sliver of focus is just what I need.
Ashley Marston with Lensbaby Edge 35
Q: What tips do you have for beginner photographers just learning how to use the Edge 35?
A: Let go of perfection. That was the biggest lesson for me.
Q: What professional photographers have influenced your work, and how do you incorporate their techniques into your photographs?
A: Summer Murdock and Fer Juaristi are two of my top faves. Fer's compositions are incredible. They inspire me to always look at things differently and Everything Summer does is incredible. My Drone, Underwater and use of light is always inspired by her.
Q: What is the most difficult part of being a photographer?
A: Work and life balance.
Ashley Marston with Lensbaby Edge 35
Q: Do you have formal training as a photographer or are you self-taught?
A: I am self taught and now I teach others. Its pretty incredible. I attribute all of my success to a 365 project with my family that I have been shooting consecutively for over 7 years called 'A Daily Occurrence'
Q: What details do you believe make the best photographs? How do you go about focusing on them in your work?
A: Light, moments, shadows....all of these are what I focus on.
Ashley Marston with Lensbaby Edge 35
Q: What inspires you most?
A: My children. Families, my own and others. As a Birth Photographer I get to witness families as they are made and document their lives at every stage. That is the greatest gift for me.
Ashley Marston
Love and laughter comprise the primary subject matter for Vancouver Island-based photographer Ashley Marston. An award-winning and published Birth, Lifestyle & Documentary photographer/filmmaker (and busy mother of three), Marston strives for images that capture those two staples of family relationships, as well as the quiet moments that might otherwise go unseen.
Always seeing life through a lens, Marston also photographs her own family daily, cherished images she shares on Social Media through her year-long A Daily Occurrence project. Whether the photographs capture moments with her family or a client, storytelling is the heart of all her work.