Meet Ashleigh Metzler of The Freckled Pineapple in East MESA

Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashleigh. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
I’ve always had an obsession with every day. The intricate details. The nuances of life. The features that make your life intimately yours.

From early on, I’ve been afraid of not remembering and not writing every detail down. To this, I credit my second-grade teacher, Mrs. Wertz. She helped me start my first diary. It was love at first entry. I wrote in a diary every day until I graduated high school. Capturing every minuscule moment. This love of memory keeping landed me at the University of South Carolina majoring in Broadcast Journalism, where I learned the fine details of visual storytelling. Camera angles. Seeing my stories come alive without words. My dreams of becoming a storyteller came true during those short, four years — a journalism fairytale.

But God had other plans. I married a military officer. We moved all over this country, leaving me unable to sign television contracts. Eight moves in seven years of marriage. Three darling baby girls. Surely my life as a fast-paced storyteller would never compare to the life God blessed me with. He knew I would have gone crazy missing the tiny moments of my family, of our girls. The every day. Memorizing everything of my unforeseen, dream come true.

The longing to capture it all was heavy on my heart, and the thread to my life slowly unraveled. Just as a piece of me became lost in the rubble, the Mender of my heart, the Creator of me and my miniature details, graciously reminded me that my adventure of capturing stories has always been right in front of my lens. But my viewfinder and expectation of shutter speed needed to change.

So there I stood, equipped with my new lens. One money could never buy. A lens that unveiled my raw image – a blurry depth of field put back into autofocus. The exposure of myself becoming incredibly forgiving as the aperture of light passed through my soul. Moving forward through my very own editing sequence – obedience, stretching, refinement. Through it all, I learned the most important life lesson – something only the grace of God can teach you.

There is no rush in cradling details. The synchronization of His heart, aligning directly with yours. Your viewfinder is not how God sees you. Just as He times the tides, He redelivers dreams. To truly capture those aspirations, you have to nourish the sweetness of every day you are given. Capture the ingredients behind your blessing. And never let go of His promises.

The Freckled Pineapple is me releasing the shutter on my dreams… so happy to “meet” you!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road! Our move to the desert was our eight move in seven years of marriage. It is very challenging having to restart a photography business and gain a new client base every year. The good news is that we expect to be in Arizona for a while, and I am excited to use my talent to bless other families on this side of the U.S.

Please tell us about The Freckled Pineapple.
The Freckled Pineapple showcases you nourishing your life by way of natural light photojournalism – the art of capturing personalities and rhythms of lives as events or milestones happen. Catching moments defining you. Preserving your existence, the only life you have been given. Bringing stillness to your greatest adventure and exposing you during your most intimate, soul-shaking days. So you will never forget and always remember.

Because no one knows what the future holds, capturing today is an integral key to reminiscing later. You can always find your way back, but only if you have your memories. The sanctuary you cling to. Forever protected in beautiful, tangible images.

Whatever season you are dancing through… your story is begging to be documented.

I am passionate about documenting unique stories through natural, people-centered imagery. Visual storytelling absolutely sets my heart on fire, and it is what takes journalism to a whole new level for me as a photographer. What sets me apart is that I am able to document my client’s nourishing the sweetness of life only God provides. From maternity to newborns to family sessions, I look to showcase the fruits of the spirit only He can provide. I release the shutter of my camera, and He does the rest!

What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
The proudest moment of my career so far has been volunteering my photography to a local crisis pregnancy center. Photographing mothers who have chosen life for their unborn babies. It was something God laid on my heart, and He saw it to fruition.