Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Beschell.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Ashley. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I began photography when I was in college studying civil engineering, and I needed an artistic outlet – I had done art growing up, and needed something creative to balance the heavy technical – photography was perfect! I got a starter SLR, took a film class, and began to learn.
By the time I was in grad school, I was the only one of my friends who could actually work a camera when they started getting engaged – I began photographing their engagements and I immediately fell in love with portraiture! After I graduated, I moved from California to Savannah, GA for work and started my side photography business in my first year there. Back then, it was all lifestyle couples and family shoots, which I still love, but I was always really drawn to boudoir. There was something about the delicate art to it that really inspired me.
My first boudoir shoot was really special, it was a just-for-fun session with a girlfriend in my living room. When she saw her photos, her eyes filled with tears and she told me, “I now see what my boyfriend sees when he tells me I’m beautiful,” *Chills!* Those words would forever change the course of my photography, and I wanted to give every woman that feeling! I spent the next couple years developing my style and technical skills. I didn’t start officially offering boudoir until a friend of mine I was doing engagement photos with asked me to recommend a boudoir photographer…Umm! Me! And thank goodness, she did! In preparation for her shoot, I did a practice session, posted the photos, and the feedback was amazing! I had booked another session within days. Both shoots went really well and after that, I felt like I had found my purpose in helping women to feel beautiful and celebrated! Fast forward three years, and here I am, back in San Diego offering boudoir!
Great, 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?
Boudoir isn’t always the most accepted genre of photography. There’s a lot of education that goes into even my 30-second elevator pitch when I first meet someone and tell them about what I do. I think there’s still this preconception of heart-shaped beds and elaborate outfits that take 2+ people to get you into, that comes with boudoir, which is just not the case now! (Though if that’s your thing, that’s totally cool, too!) Boudoir is about so much more – it’s about empowering women, celebrating them, and capturing their amazing personalities… The women I work with give so much of themselves to their families, their work, their relationships and their friends, and they really deserve the experience of a shoot to get pampered and feel like the sexy and fabulous women they are!
My advice for young women starting on an entrepreneurial path: Girl! Know your worth! Everyone starts somewhere, invest in education for your business, and when you are ready to start charging, price yourself correctly and do not look back. There will always be people out there looking for a deal and trying to talk you down, just know, that is not your client, and when you’re confident in your skills, you’ll attract the right people and great things will come your way!
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Boudoir by Beschell Photography – what should we know?
My approach to boudoir was formed from my own experience doing a shoot years ago – the photographer was really great and had a very traditional boudoir style which is typically more serious, dark, and moody. The images were stunning… but, they did not look like me at all… I am just so not that serious girl! In fact, my serious face looks a little… well, constipated. (Yikes!) I knew that if I felt that way, other women did too, and I wanted to offer my fellow playful, smiley ladies a type of boudoir that celebrated them! My photography instead runs really bright, and is all about capturing their inner beauty in smiles and laughs; that amazing personality is one of the things that makes you so beautiful, after all!
As my business has grown, I wanted to make my sessions an empowering experience, rather than just a photo shoot. So, when women inquire, I try to meet all of them in person for coffee or speak with them on the phone. You need a photographer who makes you feel comfortable and can bring you out of your shell so you can really shine during your shoot; it is so important to me that every woman I work with feels that way! After booking, I will help my clients prepare for their shoot with a full pampering guide so they get a few weeks of self-love in to help them feel their best on the big day! Day of, they get their hair and makeup done by my talented hair and makeup artist, so they are looking and feeling gorgeous! The shoots are always so fun with lots of giggling! Many of my clients come in so nervous – which is totally okay, I don’t know too many people who are used to posing half (or completely!) naked for a camera – but I promise within a few minutes of your shoot you’ll completely forget all about that and have fun!
After the shoot, my clients will come back in to choose only their favorite images to go in their favorite products! They can choose between photo books, mini accordion books, loose prints, playing cards, calendars, canvases, etc. I really love that they get to choose exactly what they want, so they know that they will love and cherish their images! Its a really incredible and powerful genre of photography, and I feel fortunate to be able to show women how amazing they are in another light!
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
Both my parents are entrepreneurs, which set a highly unrealistic expectation for me, that being a business owner was just a thing that everyone does. Well! It turns out, that is very much not the case! But I feel incredibly fortunate to have had that example set for me. Watching my parents do incredible things with their businesses has been inspirational. My dad is currently opening a new women’s gym in Oceanside, called ‘Squeeze’, and my mother is a talented interior designer with her own business, ‘Poppy Designs’. Growing up, I always admired how my mom was this really strong lady who went after her passions and kicked ass at it. She really showed me that: 1) women can do anything, and 2) to go after what I want. Thanks, Mom!
Contact Info:
- Website: boudoir.beschellphotography.com
- Email: ashley@beschellphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/boudoirbybeschell
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/beschellphotography
Image Credit:
Beschell Photography
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
