We had the good fortune of connecting with E. Ashley Green and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi E. Ashley, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
Building a team!

Without my team of very educated and skilled staff, I’m not sure I would have made it through so many consecutive years in business.

Also, I will say my photography studio. My staff and studio provide a unique level of excellence that most can’t find anywhere. Building a solid team over the. years has been fun and intense at times, but certainly worth it. First rule in business is to put money back in it and it has been worth everything it comes with.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Started out as a painter. I was looking to photograph women so I could paint them in abstract and shadows later. I found a lady, photographed her in my loft 10pm at night with a kodak camera and an emergency house flash light. Held the camera in one hand and the flash in the other. I had no idea what I was doing but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. I simply posted a few photos to my ArtbyAsh facebook page and tagged the lady in it. She loved it, her friends loved it, her friends of her friends loved it and it kinda went viral online (this was before viral was viral). Then once there was a strong buzz I started to get lots of inquiries. I have been photographing folks ever since and I never got a chance to actually paint what I want to paint from those photos. Maybe I will be able to…

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Downtown durham food, museums and culture!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to say first thank you to my amazing supportive parents Steve & Elizabeth T. Sutton for everything they have done for me and my business along the way. Like young a rapper, photography is a career most believe is just a hobby. They believed in me from the beginning and have supported me every single time I needed help. Not sure where I would be without that kind of support.

Also, I would like to shoutout Ken Branson for seeing a better photographer in me than what I saw in myself at the time. I want to thank Ken Branson for having the guts to check me on a photo that I was sooooo proud of. He asked, “hey, could you have lit that better?” He challenged me on thinking further and giving every single photo your ALL, not just creatively, but technically as well. Over the years, I learned from him that was actually the most important thing.

Website: www.elizabethashleyco.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethashleyco/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/e-ashley-green-77a2003a/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/artbyash

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elizabethashleyco/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_FeL_PDw59UFK2WkXC-0Bw

Image Credits
Photos by ELIZABETH ASHLEY & CO.

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