I will always be PASSIONATE, unapologetically me and here is why...

Hey y’all!  Year after year I keep saying, THIS is the year that I am going to start blogging. The year comes and goes and the Blog stays, well unblogged, completely untouched and all the memories and funny moments left to be just that, memories. With that being said, THIS is the year! This is the first official blog post and what better topic than a get to know Ashlie post. I have taken many workshops and conferences that say remember that your about you really quite frankly is nothing about you and is everything about your client and what you can do for them. Personally, I say screw that because it’s not all about what I can give you but more so how we can click and jive as a team to create awesomeness! Truth be told I’ve had people not book me because of my personality and I am one hundred thousand percent okay with that. I will always be one hundred percent unapologetically ME. I’m guessing by this point you might be wondering okay, okay so what make you so different from every other joe blow with a camera. Well, quite frankly I am raw! I love unconditionally and wholeheartedly. Everything I do is done with passion, and more often than not, I often forget that it is usually a good idea to walk before I run. I am a free spirit personality, who loves nothing more than to have fun and look for ways I can help and give back. How can I leave the world a better place than when I arrived? I do this through my career, through photography! I specialize in three main areas but that’s not to say that I will not photograph other things. My three specialties are High School seniors, typically girls but not exclusively, Couples and Boudoir (men, women and couples). In an effort for you to better get to know me I am going to break each one of these down for you as to why I specialize in these areas. I’m willing to bet by the end of this you will feel like we have known each other for years.
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So for starters, High School seniors, boy that’s a good one. Well, that’s actually a crazy one! More often than not I get comments such as “Ugh, I don’t know how you do it. So much drama” “Teens these days are so disrespectful. Wouldn’t children be more fun?”, “How do you manage to stay sane working with that many teenage girls? So much drama, hormones, shallowness etc.”. Truth be told, I LOVE this age group!! I could never imagine a world where I did not work with this age group. I get to help shape the way these girls act and treat each other for years to come. Why do I have a passion for this? Because I’ve lived that life already. I’ve been the least popular girl, the one who was bullied for dressing differently. Mind you differently was dressing country in California. I was the tallest in my class so of course that was another negative thing in middle school. HELLO….super models are freaking tall as crap! However, at the preteen/teenage years they are not thinking about that so it wasn’t a factor that made me cool or popular. I was and still am a VERY outspoken person. This brought me the number three spot on a shooting hit list my freshman year of high school. Not a fun this to experience in anyway. To know that someone disliked me so much because I was different that they would rather see me dead is a thought that never leaves me. I was a cheerleader, STILL NOT POPULAR, ironic though because cheerleaders are the popular ones, right? Wrong, not every cheerleader is popular! Working with this age group I help the girls that I work with to realize that stereotyping is 99.9% of the time wrong! In the spring of 2018, I started signing 2018 seniors for my revamped VIP Team. It is a team that is designed to bring girls together from all different walks of life on one team without stereotyping. The first year was full of learning for sure but they helped me grow as a person. Come spring of 2019 we had our VIP Team for 2020 Senior’s and 2020 Junior Ambassadors and they all could come from different walks of life. We meet once a month for themed photo shoots, events and other fun things. I get to help mentor these girls as they work on the creation of the SAP Project. The SAP Project is a Suicide Awareness & Prevention Project created by these girls. It will be the legacy that we will keep going with the future ambassador and VIP teams. It shows them that while they are all from different walks of life they all have things in common; they all have their own struggles and triumphs. I am passionate about my girls because I get to watch them grow into young adults. I get to watch and help them grow, and when they leave, they always take a piece of my heart with them and forever have a special place in my heart. I love unconditionally and with all my being. I used to think of it as a fault because I would get emotionally invested, but then I realized it's not a downfall, it’s a strength that some may never know. A special ability to be able to connect with this age group on a different level because they don’t view me as THAT ADULT. I get to be a support system for some, a shoulder to lean on, a listening ear and a voice of reason. A safe place if they ever feel like, in our overwhelming world, they don’t have one to call their own. Basically, if I’m going off the workshops version of my about me being about what I can do for or offer you or your senior. The answer is most honestly answered by simply saying me, that’s what I have to offer you! My unwavering devotion to each of these kids I get to work with to know that they have someone in their corner, someone to adventure with, someone to support their dreams and goals, someone to push them to succeed, and someone to be a listening ear if they ever need it. It today’s world, it takes a village people, it takes a village and I am always honored when I get to be part of your village and have an impact on the life of your child.
 

I THINK THAT PRETTY MUCH COVERS MY LOVE FOR WORKING WITH HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHICH LEADS ME TO MY NEXT PASSION OF WORKING WITH COUPLES. COUPLES SESSIONS, ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS, WEDDINGS, COUPLE’S BOUDOIR I LOVE THEM. I LOVE THEM ALL!! BUT WHY DO I LOVE THEM IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST QUESTIONS THAT WILL SET ME APART FROM EVERYONE ELSE. GROWING UP I WAS NOT SURROUNDED BY COUPLES WHO HAD THAT TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY, PASSIONATE LOVE. HONESTLY, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER FROM MY CHILDHOOD, MY MOM AND BIOLOGICAL DAD TRIED MARRIAGE WITH EACH OTHER MORE THAN ONCE BUT COULDN’T MAKE IT WORK. MY MOM MET MY STEPDAD AND HE IS THE MAN WHO HELPED RAISE ME FROM THE TIME THAT I WAS SIX YEARS OLD. THEY HAD A GOOD RUN BUT SADLY, HE COULDN’T FIGHT HIS DEMONS WITH DRUGS AND DIVORCE WAS THE SOLUTION FOR MY MOM TO HAVE A HEALTHY LIFE MENTALLY. EVEN THROUGH ALL OF THIS THOUGH I STILL AM OVERWHELMINGLY IN LOVE WITH LOVE! I HAD THE LUXURY OF UNKNOWINGLY MEETING MY HUSBAND WHEN I WAS ONLY NINE YEARS OLD. I COMPETED AGAINST HIM IN 4-H AT THAT TIME AND HAD NO IDEA HE WAS MY FUTURE HUSBAND. IN ALL HONESTY, HE ANNOYED THE CRAP OUT OF ME, BECAUSE HE WOULD ALWAYS BEAT ME AND I STUDIED WAY HARDER! FAST FORWARD SIX YEARS TO THE AGE OF FIFTEEN. WOOHOO….FINALLY TEENAGE YEARS!! HOWEVER, I WASN’T LOOKING TO DATE. WHEN I WAS FOURTEEN I HAD DATED A SEVENTEEN YEAR-OLD (FIRST MISTAKE) WHO HAD ME CONVINCED THAT HE LOVED ME (SECOND MISTAKE) AND CHEATED ON ME WITH HIS BEST FRIEND WHO WAS A GIRL THAT HE WAS TELLING ME WAS “ONLY” A FRIEND (THIRD MISTAKE). I CHALK THAT ONE UP TO BEING YOUNG AND DUMB. AFTER BREAKING-UP WITH SAID JERK, I KNEW THAT I WAS GOING TO BE MOVING FROM CALIFORNIA TO MONTANA IN EIGHT SHORT MONTHS SO DATING WAS BASICALLY POINTLESS, OR SO I HAD THOUGHT. JUST REMEMBER LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE MOMENT YOU STOP LOOKING FOR LOVE IT WILL USUALLY SMACK YOU RIGHT IN THE DAMN FACE. IT USUALLY DOESN’T CARE ABOUT TIMING OR YOUR LIFE PLANS WHICH BRINGS US TO MY CRAZY STORY OF WHY I LOVE LOVE. IT WAS COUNTY FAIR TIME, ONLY SIX WEEKS UNTIL THE BIG MOVE, I HAD JUST SOLD MY VEAL CALF (DAIRY CALF 3 MONTHS OLD) AT AUCTION AND HE WAS GOING TO SLAUGHTER. I WAS CRYING AND I DON’T MEAN LIKE SLIGHTLY CUTE CRYING, I’M PRETTY SURE I WAS STRAIGHT UP UGLY CRYING BECAUSE THAT CALF MEANT SO MUCH TO ME! WHILE WALKING THROUGH THE SMALL ANIMAL BARN, CRYING WITH MY MOM, WE WALK INTO MY NOW HUSBAND BRYAN, MIND YOU I’M STILL UGLY CRYING AND DIDN’T REALLY CARE BECAUSE I HAD NEVER THOUGHT OF HIM IN A DATING/BOYFRIEND KIND OF WAY. HE ANNOYED THE CRAP OUT OF ME AND WORE HIS PANTS HALF WAY AROUND HIS BUTT! THAT’S RIGHT NOT HIS WAIST, BUT HIS BUTT. MY MOM AND I WALK OUT OF THE BARN SHE LOOK AT ME, GIVES ME A HUG AND SAYS “SOOOO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF BRYAN? KIND OF CUTE HUH?. SERIOUSLY! MOM MY CALF JUST WENT TO SLAUGHTER, I WAS NOT THINKING ABOUT BOYS AS MY BABY WAS GOING TO BE SOMEBODY’S FILET MIGNON!!  BUT THAT SEED SHE PLANTED CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER. FOUR WEEKS POST FAIR WE WERE DATING, MIND YOU THE NIGHT BEFORE WE STARTED DATING, HE TOLD ME HE DOESN’T DATE FAMILY FRIENDS THEN A WEEK AFTER DATING HE TOLD ME HE LOVED ME, TO WHICH I REPLIED “I DON’T SAY THAT” PURELY BECAUSE OF CRAPPY CHEATING SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD EX-BOYFRIEND. NOT THAT I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT TO BRYAN AT THE TIME AND THEN I UP AND MOVED TO MONTANA. I KIND OF FIGURED WE WOULD JUST SLOWLY STOP TALKING AND NOT OFFICIALLY BREAKUP BUT BASICALLY BREAKUP. BUT, WE WENT A YEAR AT FIFTEEN AND SIXTEEN YEARS OLD SEEING EACH OTHER ONCE EVERY 3ISH MONTHS, WRITING LETTERS, LIKE THE ACTUAL OLD FASHIONED SNAIL MAIL KIND, AND DAILY PHONE CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES. THAT WAS FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! AS OF 2019 WE HAVE FIFTEEN YEARS TOGETHER, TEN YEARS OF MARRIAGE AND ONE ALMOST DIVORCE THAT WE MANAGED TO COME BACK FROM WITHOUT COUNSELING AND I’LL EVEN SHARE THE SECRET THAT SAVED OUR MARRIAGE IF YOU KEEP READING. I LOVE WORKING WITH REAL COUPLES WHO ARE FUN AND PLAYFUL- COUPLES WHO ACTUALLY ENJOY THEIR SIGNIFICANT OTHER. FOR INSTANCE IF I ASK YOU TO KISS AND YOU ASK ME SERIOUSLY THEN IT IS A SAFE BET THAT I AM MOST LIKELY NOT THE PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOU. BECAUSE WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING COUPLE’S I PHOTOGRAPH THOSE WHO ENJOY KISSING, WHO ENJOY LAUGHING TOGETHER, WHO ARE PLAYFUL, WHO ARE BEST FRIENDS, WHO ARE GOING TO MORE THAN ENJOY A GOOD BUTT GRAB IN THE PICTURE BECAUSE THAT IS WHO THEY ARE AS A COUPLE! THEY ARE A REFLECTION OF MYSELF AND MY HUSBAND AS A COUPLE AND THAT MAKES THE SESSION SO MUCH FUN! I LOVE WORKING WITH COUPLES BECAUSE I GET TO GIVE THEM THE BEST ADVICE THAT WAS NEVER GIVEN TO ME WHICH IS IN MARRIAGE YOU GET COMFORTABLE AND LAZY, YOU GET INTO A ROUTINE BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IF YOU WANT YOUR MARRIAGE TO LAST IS THAT YOU HAVE TO I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH YOU HAVE TO KEEP DATING! A MARRIAGE LICENSE IS JUST A PIECE OF PAPER AND WITHOUT DATING YOU’RE JUST TWO PEOPLE HOLDING A DOCUMENT. SO ALWAYS REMEMBER TO KEEP LEARNING EACH OTHER BECAUSE AS WE GROW AS PEOPLE IT IS VERY EASY TO GROW APART AS A COUPLE. PUT IN THE WORK TO CONTINUE TO LEARN ABOUT EACH OTHER, CONTINUE DATING, AND CONTINUE TO BE PLAYFUL! GRAB EACH OTHERS BUTTS, DANCE IN THE RAIN, WHATEVER IS YOU GUYS KEEP DOING IT. REMEMBER THAT MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS AND NOT 50/50 THEY ARE 100/100 BECAUSE IT TAKES BOTH GIVING THEIR ALL AND BEING THERE TO BE LEGENDARY. 

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WOOHOO WE’RE ALMOST THERE GUYS. MY FINAL SPECIALTY WHICH IS WOMEN’S PORTRAITURE. THIS IS A SUBJECT THAT IS VERY CLOSE TO MY HEART. IN 2018, I LAUNCHED ASHLIE TATE PHOTOGRAPHY BOUDOIR & GLAMOUR. I AM A WOMAN WHO SUFFERED WITH ANOREXIA, OBESITY, DEPRESSION, AND ANXIETY. I HAVE STRUGGLED WITH BODY IMAGE AND CONFIDENCE MY ENTIRE LIFE FROM BEING TOLD I’M TOO TALL, I’M TOO SKINNY, I’M TOO OBESE ETC. YOU KNOW WHAT THE MOST FRUSTRATING ONE IS? OH WELL YOU ARE A MOM, ITS OKAY THAT YOU HAVE THE MOM BODY! YES, YES, I AM A MOM, BUT I AM STILL A PERSON! I AM STILL A WOMAN, AND I STILL DESERVE TO FEEL SEXY, TO FEEL BEAUTIFUL AND TO DAMN SURE FEEL WORTHY! MY BOUDOIR BUSINESS WAS NOT STARTED TO PHOTOGRAPH WOMEN FOR MEN’S PLEASURE. WHEN I APPROACH A BOUDOIR SESSION I AM DOING SO FROM A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE. I AM SHOOTING FOR THAT WOMAN! I AM PHOTOGRAPHING HER IN FEMININE WAYS AND BUILDING HER UP. I AM NOT PHOTOGRAPHING HER IN PLAYBOY STYLE POSING OR SHOOTING TO CAPTURE SOMETHING CRAZY EROTIC. IT’S NOT TO SAY THAT HER SIGNIFICANT OTHER WON’T ENJOY THE IMAGES BUT ON THE DAY OF HER SHOOT, IN THOSE MOMENTS, EVERYTHING IS ABOUT HER. IT’S ABOUT BUILDING HER UP. MAKING HER FEEL WORTHY. MAKING HER FEEL LIKE A PERSON. MAKING HER REALIZE THAT WHILE YES, SHE IS A MOM, SHE IS AN INDIVIDUAL SEXY PERSON IS STILL IN THERE AS WELL! NOW COUPLE’S BOUDOIR IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALL GAME! LADIES DID YOU KNOW THAT YOUR MAN IS MOST LIKELY WAY MORE INSECURE WITH HIMSELF BEING IN FRONT OF MY CAMERA THAN YOU ARE? KIND OF A CRAZY THOUGHT BUT OH SO TRUE! NOW, I’M GOING TO EXPLAIN A FEW THINGS HERE ABOUT COUPLE’S BOUDOIR. IT IS NOT PORN! I WILL NOT PHOTOGRAPH ANYONE IN THE ACT OF ANY SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BUTT GRABBING AND KISSING OF COURSE. A COUPLE’S BOUDOIR SESSION IS MUCH LIKE A COUPLE’S THERAPY SESSION. YOU CAN GUARANTEE THAT THINGS WILL GET STEAMY BETWEEN YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER AND YOURSELF AND I’D BE WILLING TO BET THAT YOU GUYS WILL HAVE ONE HELL OF A NIGHT AFTER LEAVING YOUR SHOOT. A COUPLE’S BOUDOIR SESSION IS AN AMAZING WAY TO REKINDLE A FIRE IN THE RELATIONSHIP AS WE OFTEN GET STUCK IN THE MUNDANE OF THE DAY TO DAY OF LIFE. I KNOW THIS BECAUSE AFTER LEAVING A COUPLE’S SESSION LAST YEAR I RECEIVED A TEXT FROM THAT CLIENT THAT SAID “OH MY GOODNESS THANK YOU SO MUCH! WE HAVE NOT HAD THAT MUCH OF A SPARK IN OUR RELATIONSHIP IN I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW LONG!” MIND YOU THESE TWO WERE A FUN-LOVING COUPLE WHO ARE ALSO RAISING TWO CHILDREN. BEING A MOM OF THREE MYSELF, I CAN ONE HUNDRED PERCENT TELL YOU THAT IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR YOU TO TAKE TIME FOR YOU AND TO TAKE TIME FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIP. BECAUSE EVENTUALLY, THOSE LITTLE FEET THAT WE HEAR PITTER-PATTER ACROSS THE FLOOR WILL BE GROWN AND ALL WE WILL HAVE LEFT IS THE SELF WE HAVE TURNED INTO AND THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE GROWN. SO, IF YOU ARE LACKING THAT SPARK, GET IN TOUCH BECAUSE EVERY FIRE NEEDS A LITTLE SPARK TO GET ROARING

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