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Profile – Ashenhurst Photography in Uxbridge Ontario + Gift card Give-a-way

By Wilfred Reinke, on September 3rd, 2010
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Twitter is an amazing tool for doing business in the modern day world that so dependent on the Internet.

As a lot of you are aware most of my writing has involved the world of Barbecue but I also have met or talked to a large number of interesting people along the way.

One such example would be Evan and Melissa Ashenhurst of Ashenhurst Photography

Please check out the bottom of this post for a simple contest that will give 3 of my readers $25.00 Gift cards that can be used at the Ashenhurst Photography Online Store

Evan and Melissa Ashenhurst at their Photography booth at Uxbridge Ribfest 2010

I met Evan and his Wife Melissa at the Uxbridge Ribfest where they had a booth set up as a vendor at the show promoting their business and selling Prints, Cards and Bookmarks made from some of their wonderful images that they have taken.

Before Ribfest I had spoken to Evan a number of times on twitter on just a friendly basis, not really knowing anything about him or his business.

When I mentioned I would be attending the Uxbridge Ribfest it was then that Evan mentioned that he would be there as well with a booth.

As soon as I met the two of them in person I sensed a professional but friendly couple that are passionate about their craft. They are newlyweds that have decided to put all of their efforts into making this family business successful.

A couple of weeks later on August 1st 2010 I had the pleasure of dropping by their studio in downtown Uxbridge for the Grand Opening of their Gallery to the public. The theme for Opening was Black, Brown & White all over which shows off the great images that they have in Black & White that when done correctly can take an image that while in full colour is attractive but in the Black & White effect can be artistic and breathtaking.

The Ashenhurst Photography Gallery in Uxbridge Ontario

Now I should say that I am not a professional photog, I took these pics of Evan and Melissa using my point and shoot camera.

I was amazed at the quality of their prints that were on display on the walls, in perfect focus and framed beautifully, some with glass and others printed on canvas and stretched over frames.

It was obvious to me that being an amateur photographer is a lot different than being a professional such as Evan and Melissa.

I conducted n interview with Evan and Melissa via e-mail to get more of a background on the interesting couple, here is that interview in it’s entirety.

1. Please give me a small Bio of you and your wife (background where grew up etc.)

Evan: I grew up in a little hamlet about 10 minutes away from Uxbridge called Greenbank, it’s pretty tiny, the big development we had 10 years ago of 4 houses was considered a moderately large addition if you asked anyone that lived in the area at the time. But it was home, to My mom dad and younger (by 2 years) brother.

Melissa: I also grew up in a small hamlet that has become a small town called Seagrave. It has barely anything in besides a small park and church, as well as a store that can only keep up business for a few years then shuts down and new owners try and make it.  When you live in such a small area that mostly has seniors living in it, growing up there as a kid with no one to play can be tough. So you have to make your own fun.

2. How did your passion for photography develop?

Evan: It didn’t really come out of nowhere, but it`s not like I’ve had it all the time, I’ve always loved Photography but it wasn’t until I realized how important it is, and not only photography its self but its usefulness in preserving memories that I became addicted to it.
Melissa: I feel that I have always had an eye for taking photographs. I remember when I was younger I was always taking pictures with my film camera and couldn’t wait to see how they turned out. I’d take my camera everywhere and take pictures of things I thought were cool, or just taking pictures due to sheer boredom. No matter the context in which I took my picture I usually liked the results.

3. How you started the business and what you did before that?

We started the business back in march of 2009, just doing fine art, it has since evolved into what you see at www.ashenhurstphotography.com We now do everything from weddings and family portraits, to still life and other fine art. Before the business I had a web design business but I got tired of sitting behind a desk all day, I didn’t feel I was making enough of a difference in peoples lives nor was I doing much in the community, photography has really let me branch out into peoples lives and the community. Now I can do things like teach my workshop at the local youth center.

4. The 3 best things about being a photographer

1) Creating image that make people react emotionally. When someone walks in, and sees their images, and start balling, we have done our job. If they don’t (almost) cry, we are both not happy.
2) As we said above, we get to make a difference in peoples lives, get to preserve memories and capture moments that will other wise last mere seconds, but can now last life times! Working with the youth at the youth center is also awesome, seeing their talents develop and grow, and some are quite good. Evan may be creating is own competition, haha.
Having a bride or mom come into our studio, and just start crying as soon as the images are up on the screen, its just awesome to know that they appreciate what you have done, is also awesome!
3) Doing something we love to do. How many people can (and actually do) get up  in the middle of the night because they have a great idea that they have to get down on paper before they go back to sleep. Or wake up every morning and say “I’m so lucky I get to work today!” we know some people that do it, but not a lot.
5. The 3 worst things about being a photographer
1) The costs, camera gear is expensive, so is computer hard ware and the software needed, being a photographer is so much more then just taking pictures.
2) Dealing with people that don’t think what we do is, 1) acceptable or 2) “real work” there aren’t many, but there are a few,
3) Doing something I love to do, Yeah its awesome to wake up and be excited to go to work, but on those days when you need to sleep, but you just cant because you have to much passion for what you do coursing through your blood firing you up to sleep. I know its a petty complaint, but you asked for three Ogre.
6. The 3 best things about owning your own business

1) Being your own boss. It’s great, I get to set my own hours, and there is no one telling me what to do, (Well ok Melissa does but she’s my wife that’s different right?)
2) Working with our clients, helping them help me help them. if it wasn’t for my clients I wouldn’t be in business doing what I love, I owe them everything.
3) I get to stay up all night doing what I love!

7. you guessed it, the 3 worst things about owning your own business

1) Being my own boss, yes I love it, but I also hate it. Some days it would be nice to have a boss looking over your shoulder making sure you’re doing as good of a job as you can be, and making sure your staying late even if you don’t want to or taking care of the “executive” decisions. Some days its just no fun to have your own business. It takes a lot of work, more work then I ever thought it would take back in March of 2009
2) Paperwork!  Everyday I do it and every day I look forward to the day I will have an assistant to do it!
3) Lack of sleep, there are 24 hours in a day and about 50 hours of work for us to do each day, ensuring we can provide top quality to each and everyone of our customers.
8. Your in small town Ontario what are the advantages and disadvantages of being in Uxbridge
It’s a close knit community, this can either be our biggest asset or our biggest issue. People talk, and when everyone knows everyone, its hard to find someone that hasn’t heard about how happy they were with there images. On the other hand, if we do a poor job, its not a good thing at all. Just another reason to always be the best we can be.

9. What was the oddest experience that you experienced.

Evan: When gear randomly stops working, No idea why it does, it just does, :/ just another reason to be prepared with backups I guess.
Melissa: Getting an awesome shot and having no idea how I did it. Sometimes flukes are a good thing.

10. What was your most fulfilling or proudest moment as a photographer?

Evan: When a client reaches for the Kleenex during a slideshow of their final images, that’s when I know I have done my job.
Melissa: When someone chooses one of my images to purchase and hang in their home.

And now lets give away some product!

Evan & Melissa have supplied me with Three $25.00 Gift cards that can be used at their online store where you can order prints of there terrific images.

I do not like complicated contests so I will make this ever so simple.

All you need to do is post a comment to this blog post for a single entry that I will put into a hat and draw from on my Birthday which is September 18th.

And to make things interesting, you can triple your chance to win by just following both Evan and Melissa on twitter (click on their names to go direct to their twitter pages.)

Just tell me in the comment that you are following them both and I will put two extra ballots with your name in the hat.

You can also enter your twitter ID in the blue box in the comment section

Winners will be notified after September 18th in this post and by email.

Please note that I will only use your email to contact you if your a winner,

Contest open to anyone world wide but shipping charges to over seas may be higher

Three winners will each receive one $25.00 gift card Gift cards will have an expiry date of Halloween 2010 (Sunday, October 31st)


In the meantime, have a look around at their Website

And they also have there own contest Ashenhurst Photography’s Super Huge Awesome Contest Fall 2010 which you can enter directly, In that contest you can win one of the following prizes…

$100 print credit to any of  the Fine Art images in our store.

Womb to World Package

White Sheets Package

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