San Francisco | August 11 – 16
Seattle/PNW | September 8 – 13
New York | October 5 – 11
Details:
One hour in-home shooting
There will be one slot for a one hour on location (outdoor) session per day (first come, first serve)
Price includes all edited high resolution images with print release (approximately 100 images)
$700
Contact: ashleyjennett@gmail.com
I met the Fischer family here, in San Clemente, at a home they’ve been renting for the last several months in an attempt to escape the winter in their hometown of Colorado. I suppose I use the word ‘hometown’ freely because if you entered into conversation with these guys, you’d quickly learn that they’ve lived all over the place. All of us here in San Clemente were lucky to have them for the (relatively) short time they were here; myself, a bit bummed I didn’t run into them a earlier in their stay. I mean three kids nearly mirroring the ages of my own not to mention a dog; and an anxious one at that. One that, not unlike Jimmie, you could hear yelping from the window after we left for a walk down to the beach. We actually got the dogs (and kids) together a few days later and despite Van stepping on a cactus, all had an enjoyable time.
In any event, we spent some time playing inside, the boys quick to show off their legos, shoot me with their guns, and engage in a throwing-stuffed-animal fight. It was like I never left home. Later we made the short walk to the beach, the coastline covered in a heavy marine layer with June gloom inviting itself in just in time for this lovely family to pack up their car and make the trek back to Colorado, where hopefully the sun was waiting for them.
Interested in hiring me for a shoot? Send me an email: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.
Anytime I get to catch up with Dori is time well spent. The last time I photographed her and Noah together was when Noah was just a few months shy of one year old and now, nearly a year later, on the brink of his second year. It’s always a privilege to capture the relationship between mother and child, even more so the second time around; the juxtaposition with the year prior showing the growth of not only a growing little human, but also in the roles of mother and child. The way she speaks to him in her native Hungarian, the way he asks to breastfeed and the way she plays with his toes while he does.
You can check out past sessions with Dori by clicking here and here. And you can check out Tribe de Mama, which she founded, by clicking here.
Interested in hiring me for a session? Email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.
“I struggle with enormous discrepancies: between the reality of motherhood and the image of it, between my love for my home and the need to travel, between the varied and seductive paths of the heart. The lessons of impermanance, the occasional despair and the muse, so tenuously moored, all visit their needs upon me and I dig deeply for the spiritual utilities that restore me: my love for the place, for the one man left, for my children and friends and the great green pulse of spring.” – Sally Mann
I received an email from Anne-Marie stating that her and her family would be in town to visit friends; they are from back East. My heart was warmed immediately; to be included in a family’s vacation plans? To say it’s an honor is an understatement. We toyed around with meeting up in the desert but Anne-Marie is more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kinda mama, which I love, and ultimately I ended up meeting them at their friend’s beautiful home in the heart of Venice.
Her husband Jay was equal parts relaxed and kind, their daughter Masie perfectly adapted to their spontaneous lifestyle (they’ve already traveled with her to several countries, which I think is so wonderful). We spent some time in-home, where Masie got some ballet lessons from Willow (Anne-Marie used to nanny Willow in Willow’s younger years, which I also think is so beautiful and added to the richness of the shoot).
We finished the shoot on the beach, the setting sun behind the mountains serving as a picturesque backdrop to their California holiday. Memories I can only hope they treasure for all the years to come in spite of all the new memories they’re sure to make, being the adventurous family that they are.
Interested in booking a session? Shoot me an email: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.
When I arrived to Jamie and Ben’s home, the screen door was shut and I locked eyes with the most welcoming and brilliant smile from sweet baby Townes. He’s seven months old and apparently is stoked by the idea of strangers showing up on his doorstep. Scratch that, this baby is stoked on life in general because I got nothing but wide eyes and smiles for my entire time there. I’m sure Jamie and Ben could tell you about the sleepless nights and other hardships that come along with an infant, but you won’t get anything but good cheer out of me. Seriously, how cute is he? Rhetorical question because I’m pretty sure he’s cuter than my own kids.
I met the Street family in their home in San Diego, a quaint bungalow-style home decorated beautifully. We spent most of the time indoors, catering to the typical needs of two youngsters: snacks, favorite records, pillow fights, breastfeeding, and some good old-fashioned cuddles, along with some time in their backyard, where Henry was hard at work gardening. And when I say gardening, what I really mean is destroying plants because that’s what little boys do, right?
The entire shoot was perfectly carefree, an ease that comes when photographing another photographer, I suppose (you can check out Jamie’s work here and find her on instagram here).
Interested in hiring me for a session? Shoot me an email: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com. You can also check out my website for more information.
I met the Gulas family at their home in Queen Creek, Arizona, which was an added treat to our most recent visit to the area, back in February. I love photographing somewhere different and the desert landscape did not disappoint. Nor did the beautiful Gulas family, who just added their fourth babe to the mix, and who checked many of my proverbial boxes: large family (yay for more chaos), breastfeeding (my latest obsession in terms of photography), maternity (because it’s close to home and I’m “feelin’ it”), and well, as mentioned, Arizona (something out of my norm).
We spent the first part of the shoot in-home, capturing some candid moments as well as some posed family portraits — I’ve learned to welcome both in my shoots because the reality is that if it were strictly candid, you’d never get a family of this size all in the same frame. Chances are Tatum, who is 14, would be hiding out in her room like I’m sure most 14-year-olds do. We ventured out, just before sunset, to the Salt River; a place I’ve been numerous times now and love more and more with each visit. We shot until all the people that were there when we got there had left along with the last bit of light. I swear the light seems to linger just a bit longer in Arizona. And those colors? They rival even California’s palette. Or perhaps it’s just the change that is nice. Whatever the case may be, it was a beautiful session, with a family I hope to have the pleasure of photographing again.
Interested in hiring me for a session? Email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com. You can also find more information by visiting my website.
Mothers of the universe,
Daughters of the earth,
Sisters of the divine consciousness:
We hold the light of our past.
We are the women who create our future.
We are all MAMA.
I had the honor of shooting the cover for Tribe de Mama’s online magazine, you can download it for free…
Hull, UK
Tokyo, Japan
Kathmandu, Nepal
Chuquisaca, Bolivia
Bethlehem, West Bank
Hidalgo, Mexico
Gujarat, India
A while back, I wrote a post that may be one of the ones I hold most dearest to my heart to this day – The Overprotected Child – which highlighted the change in how children have come to play and interact with their environment over the years. You can read the original post by clicking here. In any event, play has always been a subject that interests me and whenever I travel, I always try to make my way to the schoolyards… I’ve photographed kids from Thailand, Belize, Cuba, and India, to name a few.
Photographer James Mollison recently published a series of photographs in a book called Playground, “inspired by memories of his own childhood and his interest in how children learn to negotiate relationships and their place in the world through play. For each picture, Mollison sets up his camera during school break time, making multiple frames and then composing each final photograph from several scenes, in which he finds revealing ‘play’ narratives. With photographs from rich and poor schools, in countries including Argentina, Bhutan, Bolivia, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Norway, Sierra Leone, The United Kingdom, and the U.S., Mollison also provides access for readers of all ages to issues of global diversity and inequality”.
You can learn more abut his work by clicking here.
I photographed the Record family last year, when they lived literally just down the street from me. This go-around I had to make the still-short 10 minute drive to your new home and meet their newest addition, June. Sara delivered June with the same OB as me which, at-the-time (being pre-Sonny), offered me all sorts of reassurance following her smooth delivery. And seeing that sweet little girl sent me home with all sorts of anticipation that, sure, I had all along but made it all a little more real.
I also got to hang with Hazel, who is closer to a ball full of energy than a fairy princess; my kinda girl is what I’m saying. She’s got spunk like you wouldn’t believe and is fulfilling the role of big sister like one bad mamma jamma.
I’m always impressed with the growing number of animal friends within this household; last year I met their horse, this year we played with their bunny and Henry, the poodle, with the poor bearded dragon being left out, somehow, of any photos.
In any event, this family of four is one of my favorites; easy to photograph and having ended the session with a cookie and a glass of milk, they definitely solidified their place on my list of favorites. So much love to the Records and many congrats on their new little girl.
Interested in hiring me for a session? Shoot me an email: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com. You can also check out more information on my website by clicking here.
Palm Springs
Wedding shot in conjunction with Viera Photographics. All images pictured are my own.
I’ll be taking on a very limited number of sessions for Mother’s Day this year. If you’re interested, here’s the details:
One hour of shooting either in-home (preferred) or on location
All high resolution edited images with print release, approximately 75-125 images
Travel up to 30 miles included
Price: $600
Email me with questions or to move forward with booking: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com
You can visit my website by clicking here
Claudia, owner of Lil’ Bellies, contacted me just prior to my due date about doing a shoot featuring a few of her products but mostly capturing the essence of her company, the magic of childhood. We discussed different storylines but mostly let Kai and Ellie do there thing; they are friends from school and their relationship is so natural and loving. They were a pleasure to shoot and I’m so happy with how the images turned out.
Interested in hiring me for a shoot? Email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com. You can also check out my website by clicking here.
Please excuse me while I use this time to get caught up on sharing a heap of sessions… photos from Cuba coming your way as well…
At the end of this session I said “the images may not be perfect, but they’ll definitely be honest”. I felt like the kind of real estate agent that refers to a home that’s much too small and needs some work as having “character”. And yet, when I went through and edited what I captured, I feel nothing of the chaos that comes with two young boys; it’s a chaos I know well. And in the end, I’m quite happy with how these turned out. A pleasant surprise when given the fact none of my regular “tricks” (or who am I kidding, errr, manipulation) seemed to work. In any event, the take home message is that they’re not perfect, I mean check out that last picture of all of them with little Theo basically pulling his eye out. But I’ll be damned if they’re not honest. And that’s what I strive for anyway.
Elise, Drew, Fin, & Theo, captured in their home in Dana Point, California.
Interested in booking a session? You can check out my website by clicking here and email me at ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.
I met the Pugh family through another family I had photographed. You would think referrals would be a photographer’s bread and butter but to be honest, I get a bit nervous when someone hires me simply because I shot someone they know. I always prefer for my clients to have some knowledge of my work and style, if for nothing else than to have some idea as to what to expect.
The Pugh family instantly erased whatever fears I had and, as luck would have it, were a perfect fit. I met them at their home in Aliso Viejo and captured some family portraits as well as some lifestyle candids before heading out to the Newport Beach Civic Center.
I absolutely loved capturing the sister relationship and having two beautiful girls was a nice change from my everyday wrangling of boys. A beautiful family, indeed, that made every second of the shoot enjoyable and fun.
Interested in hiring me for a session? Shoot me an email, ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.
Wedding photography is always a gamble in some respect… While the people always make up the biggest percentage of the finished product, there are surely other things that play significant roles; like lighting, for example, and the hopeful individuals that chose a backyard ceremony in the middle of a hot summer day with no shade… I don’t care who the photographer is, if you’re working with crap ingredients, you can only do so much.
I photographed Meghan and Wesley’s wedding in Guerneville, California, and it was as if the stars aligned. It started with them; her, a bit anxious, by her own accounts, but with the perfect balance of humility and good cheer to make even the ugliest of hearts bat their eyes in her direction and him, easy-going, unfiltered, warm, and inviting. Their family and friends were larger representations of themselves, all two hundred plus of them, and by the end of the evening, I just wanted to do whatever was in my power to be a part of their glittertown, p-town, wolf pack.
The day started with heavy cloud coverage and the whisper of rain, which worked out perfectly as we headed into the Redwoods for a few portraits. No patches of harsh light, just pure, even, flattering light that would surely make 1pm in Southern California a bit jealous. The sun began to peak through just as the ceremony started, with the ceremony being nestled in a perfectly shaded alcove adjacent to the Russian River and wrapped in trees and ivy. The whole day was one for the books, especially when the car we drove to the Redwoods in broke down and we had to ride back through town in the back of a pickup truck.
In any event, the entire day was built around trust and love and friendship. Everything from the bouquet and flower crown which were made the morning of the wedding by a friend to her hair and make-up also done by friends to the set-up and clean-up of the actual venue by both friends and family to the officiant who was the bride’s best friend to the band who was also a friend just made sense and highlighted the fact that everything was created and put together with love.
The wedding was a weekend event, with games and gatherings the day prior to the wedding and camping throughout the weekend; which really added to the already established sense of community and love. It was one of those weddings where everything felt real and authentic and important and you couldn’t help but get swept away in it all.
Toward the end of the night I was actually capturing video on my phone and bragging to Willy about how good of a time I was having. It hardly felt like work.
Many thanks to Meghan & Wesley for having me.
Interested in hiring me for a wedding or event? I won’t be taking on too many this year with the new baby on the way, but surly shoot me an email, guarantee me a good time, and you just may have yourself a photographer.
“We do not want merely to see beauty, we want something else which can hardly be put into words —
to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to become part of it.”
Photographer Parker Fitzgerald & Florist Riley Messina | Overgrowth
A beautiful new addition to my bookshelf collection.
There is an intimacy captured during in-home sessions that simply cannot be captured outside of the home. It’s the reason shooting in-home is my most preferred, favorite setting. Even more, I love to capture the relationship between a mother and her child; it’s unlike any other relationship, so innate and animalistic. The way we care for our young with our whole hearts; it’s a privilege anytime I’m invited into a home and capturing Catherine and Charlotte was no exception. A love so divine, so true.
Catherine and Charlotte, captured in their home in San Diego, California.
Interested in booking a session? Visit my website and email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com.
I met the Simon family just before the holidays and was quickly transported back-in-time to when my boys were younger. Even though most days still feel like a defeat, I was reminded that there were times where nearly every single day was a battle; a battle I didn’t even realize was as much at the time… When you’re simply going through the motions and taking care of what needs to be taken care only to get to the end of the day and realize that taking-care-of part of the day never really included yourself. Not to say that Jamie in any way fit this description, she most certainly did not. In fact, she seemed oblivious to the fact that her days are surely harder than mine. I suppose it’s just the territory that comes with having a 5 month old and a 2 year old. Shit’s just hard.
Sweet baby Kaia was a dream, however, to photograph. Intrigued by my camera and go-with-the-flow. And Kane was all-systems-go and rock n’ roll, which truthfully makes for a welcomed challenge; no choice but to capture him as he is, on his terms, which is what I strive to do anyway. And Jamie and Brad were relaxed and natural, making the shoot rather seamless and effortless.
We spent the first hour shooting in their beautiful, newly remodeled, home in Seal beach before heading out to catch a bit of the sunset just a few blocks from their house.
I stopped at a local florist shop on the way home and bought some flowers, something I never do, and made a promise to myself that Willy and I’s next date will take place in Seal Beach because it’s just as cute as can me.
Many thanks to the Simon family for having me. If you, too, are interested in hiring me for a session, email me: ashleyjennett @ gmail.com. You can also check out my website by clicking here.
