Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashly Nicole.
Hi Ashly, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I feel like how I “got here” is such an odd circumstance; I originally had nothing to do with photography at all, I was actually in performing arts and was set to major in musical theater. Since I could talk, I always wanted to perform, act, sing, etc. I had my fair share of musical endeavors, especially in high school where I had a band for a brief period of time and would also audition for things like AGT, The Voice, and American Idol. I’m not someone who writes music well, nor do I come from money or connections, I just know how to sing and play a little bit of piano, so music professionally was off the table. Right after high school, I auditioned for a private performing arts school here in LA (A.M.D.A.), which I successfully made it into, however, they don’t accept financial aid of any sort, so I was unable to attend, and from there, that’s when I sort of leaned into photography. You might be thinking, “Ashly, how does any of this drop you into the world of photography?” well, I dabbled a bit in high school taking two years of film photography, it was super fun, but I didn’t really think more into it after that until about 2013/14. Going back a little bit, 2010-2012, I was chronically on Tumblr and would always see photos from photographers like Maysa Askar, Ashley Osborn, Madeline Becker, just to name a few.
A lot of the media I was consuming was centered around music, concerts, and warped tour, and it just looked like a lot of fun. I was already taking photos for fun as a hobby with my point and shoot, and I decided to bring it along with me to a Lights concert and got some pretty decent photos (I’ll include a couple), which I ended up editing on picnik *cringe*; again, didn’t think much of it, I just thought it was really fun. A little bit later on, after a harsh breakup and kind of being alone and trying to focus on other things, Music clearly was not going to be the thing that worked out for me, but it was something I very desperately wanted to surround myself with, and I had sort of an “aha” moment, and that’s when I decided I wanted to pursue music photography. So from there, I saved up and bought my first DSLR, enrolled in a college photography program (late 2013), and started sort of researching “how to” shoot shows and get photopasses. I photographed my first show for my friends from home who were opening for Alesana, then from there found a publication called Restless Press and started applying to shoot shows for them. Shortly after my first show, still very much learning the rules of the pit and whatnot, I photographed my first Warped Tour in the summer of 2014, followed by conducting my very first music interview and photographing my hometown friend’s band (at the time), Waterparks.
Fast forward a bit, (2016) I ended up moving to LA from my hometown of Houston, TX and definitely had no idea what I was doing. That first year was rough for a lot of reasons, from struggling financially, trying to find and keep a decent job, having to move around a little, and losing one of my best friends and biggest cheerleaders in all of this, Christina Grimmie. I think losing Christina is one of the things that really pushed me forward and inspired me more, and it led me to connect with so many people that I don’t think I would’ve met if it wasn’t for her; it pushed me to want to do things that would make her proud. I spent the next year after that seriously networking and taking every single opportunity that I could, including becoming the first female photographer for Emo Nite LA for a bit and photographing some Warped Tour dates for a band formerly known as SYKES, now known as PLYA, whom I’m both forever grateful for.
When photographing them on that tour, I ended up being in the midst of a Westboro protest in Portland, which I documented and ended up meeting someone named Steph Mirsky who was counterprotesting in the photos I took during the protest. Steph and I exchanged information so that I could send him the photos, and later that year after the tour he reached out to me asking if I’d like to interview to potentially be a part of Warped Tour the next summer, and of course, I very enthusiastically said yes!
Steph was one of the first people who really saw potential in me in LA aside from the Emo Nite crew and Christina (and a few others who know who they are), and honestly gave me one of the best and coolest opportunities I could have ever asked for, especially as a baby photographer. From about September to December, I spent time helping run socials, conducting interviews, and shooting shows for bands on the upcoming Warped lineup for the 2017 tour; I ended up getting and accepting the offer from Steph on behalf of (the now) Kevin Lyman group to join the 2017 tour as the Pit Reporter. That summer I produced the most amount of content in a limited amount of time that I ever have in my life and I learned so much during that time. Warped Tour was my first tour EVER and it was one of the most demanding but fun things I’ve ever done, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank Steph, Kevin, and the rest of the KLG family for giving me that opportunity.
I want to also add since I get this question a lot, this opportunity came about from literally being at the right place at the right time; my advice is to “shoot your shot”, and just talk to people! Networking is such a huge key in not just connecting with people but being given cool and unique opportunities.
After Warped Tour I went on to do a couple of smaller tours, then ended up gearing my focus more toward product, behind-the-scenes, and lifestyle photography and doing music photography in my free time. From there I’ve gotten to work with such a cool bucket list of celebrities for different publications and production companies such as Zendaya, Tom Holland, Jojo Siwa, Kim Chi, Trevor Jackson, tWitch, Benee, Ashnikko, Ashley Tisdale, and so many more. Right now, my main focus is on product photography, I currently work at one of my dream companies, Loungefly, and I absolutely love it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not. I feel like if you haven’t had some sort of struggle or felt like you were working your ass off, you’re not working for it hard enough. Money has honestly been the biggest struggle; money is not everything by any means, but having it definitely helps you to be able to obtain the things you need to reach your goals more efficiently. By this, I don’t mean money buys talent, I’m simply saying it gives you the means to be able to expand the complexity of your craft, to be able to have better equipment, to be able to travel and make more essential connections, etc.
Another obstacle was definitely pushing myself out of my comfort zone on a lot of occasions and pushing myself to talk to and network with people that I was super nervous to talk to. Note to past self and anyone else reading this: people aren’t as scary as they seem, and the worst someone can do is say no and then you move on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m mostly known for music photography, which makes me happy, but I do so much more than that now. I feel like expanding your skillset in this industry or any creative industry at all is so essential and if you’re not doing that, you won’t grow as creative. I’m proud of the connections I’ve made, I’m proud of coming from pretty much nothing and doing it all on my own.
I started off photographing local bands in Houston to doing such a niche job on one of the biggest annual tours, to working for one of my absolute dream companies with a team of amazingly talented creatives who continuously push me to do and be better.
I don’t know what sets me apart from the others, but I try to make my work “recognizable”. The moment someone first told me they recognized my work because of the style and composition, that’s what really made me feel like I was doing the thing right in some capacity.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
DO IT!! In any creative field you just have to do the thing and take the risk, whatever it may be. You could do such an “out there” shoot, try a completely new editing style, or send an email or message to someone you look up to, a person you want to work with, and it could turn out to be the best thing you ever did. I’ve been told no SO many times, you’re going to always be told no until you get that yes. I sent emails and have never heard anything back, but I’ve also sent some and have gotten to do such cool things.
Comment on posts when you see someone looking for a photographer or whatever your desired creative outlet might be, even if you’re not 100% “qualified”, if you have enough skill, confidence, and drive, you can do it.
In any creative field (to an extent), there is a lot of “fake it until you make it”, and with that mentality and having the passion and motivation really gets you to where you want to be.
Take the risk, send the email, comment on the post, learn the new skills, experiment; just keep pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone and you’ll be surprised where it lands you.
Contact Info:
- Website: ashlynicolephoto.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ashlynicolephoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashlykirk/
- Twitter: twitter.com/ashhpotato
Image Credits
The photo of me was taken by Alana Sitara (@alanasitara)
