Meet Ashley Cherry

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Cherry.

Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I’ve found my absolute niche is documenting the connection between families. I call myself an ” emotive lifestyle” photographic artist, as you will not see many traditional “look at the camera and say cheese” style of portraiture in my portfolio and that’s the way I like it! I want my viewers and those that hire me to actually feel something when they see my work.

I reside tucked away in the beautiful, relaxed, care free pines of The White Mountains in Pinetop, Arizona, just 3.5 hours up from the Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa area. Known for its cabin life, ski resort, hiking/biking trails, and lakes, Pinetop-Lakeside has become a bit of a travel destination. And that is how Light + Pine Photography was born. I started to become known as a sort of destination/vacation family photographer for the areas surrounding the “rim” and mountains.

It is so picturesque up here! We have all four seasons. The weather is pretty perfect. Many people come in the Summer to escape the heat of the valley and cool off by camping in the pines or staying in our many cabin rentals. In the Fall, you will see the leaves of the Aspens changing colors and it is awe inspiring. Sunrise Ski Resort has a scenic ski lift that I highly recommend! People even enjoy coming in the Winter to get their Christmas trees and go to the Sunrise Ski Resort for snowboarding and skiing. All perfect times to get some family time and perfect excuse to update the family photos!

As an artist, how do you define success and what quality or characteristic do you feel is essential to success as an artist?
Man, I hope it is okay if I just drop this quote right here by Ira Glass. It is perfectly fitting for all artists at any stage and sort of defines what success is to me: “Nobody tells this to people that are beginners, and I really wish somebody had told this to me.

All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But it’s like there is this gap. For the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making is not good. It’s not that great. It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it’s not that good.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you’re making is kind of a disappointment to you. A lot of people never get past that phase. They quit. Everybody I know who does interesting, creative work they went through years where they had really good taste and they could tell that what they were making wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be. They knew it fell short. Everybody goes through that.

And if you are just starting out or if you are still in this phase, you got to know its normal and the most important thing you can do is a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week or month you know you’re going to finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you’re going to catch up and close that gap. And the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions. I took longer to figure this out than anyone I’ve ever met. It takes a while. It’s going to take you a while. It’s normal to take a while. You just have to fight your way through that.”

How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I have yet to exhibit my work in any art galleries or local businesses. You can find Light + Pine Photography on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or via my website lightandpinephotography.com. You can support me by commissioning me to do your own family photos while visiting The White Mountains or by referring me to anyone that would be interested in getting their family photos done while vacationing around the area.

Contact Info:

• Website: lightandpinephotography.com
• Phone: 7018702893
• Email: lightandpinephotography@gmail.com
• Instagram: @lightandpinephotography
• Facebook: @lightandpinephotography
• Other: Pinterest: @lightandpinephotography

Image Credit:
All images copyrighted by Light + Pine Photography

 

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