Ashley Maxwell Photography » Engagements

Travis & Andrea’s Engagement Session {Napa}..

Ashley — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 22:31:11 +0000

Sometimes the greatest thing about photographing weddings is seeing the people who attend the weddings. The reception is a great time for us to people watch…see the people who are bringing their Dance Revolution moves from their living room to the dance floor..the groomsmen that intake a little too much magic juice and suddenly become a teensy too brave and suave for their own good….seeing the 2 people who awkwardly catch the garter and bouquet and are forced to nervously smile at snap a photo together like they are “next”….but the best….is watching REAL love form between 2 strangers. Its fun to try to make predictions as we watch people on the dance floor and those mozying around in cocktail hour…the passing glances we see people give eachother at weddings…we see everything, trust me…it is our JOB to see everything:) There are a million random places to meet your soulmate…but how beautiful of a thing to have it happen at a wedding? Andrea and Travis actually met..in Mexico…attending a wedding for each of their friends. After a bit of time getting to know eachother, they realized their lives were a bit more parallel than they thought…their moms worked together back home. Small world..

We feel SOO blessed that Travis & Andreas wedding coordinator Jennifer Hocker {from Allure Event Designs} referred us to them!!! (We love you Jenn!) We fell in love with these two the second we jumped out of our car to meet them for the session. They even stuck around with us after pictures to eat our favorite roadside burgers in St. Helena….total keepers!! A&T–thank you for being so easy going..and rollin around in the grass for us…beautiful things can happen when you dont mind gettin a little mud on your heels:) Cant wait to see you both again!!..and Andrea..I drink coffee out of my Anthro mug that you gave me..everyday…..you know how to win this girl over:) XOXO

Haneul & Ilans Engagement Session..

Ashley — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 06:31:49 +0000

When Haneul was a little girl living in Korea, she often worried that she would never find her soul mate because he might be somewhere across the world…Little did she know..that across the Ocean in Israel…was a little boy names Ilan..who would grow up…and be the boy who changed her existence forever.

I got quite the geography lesson while I tried to follow all the places that Haneul and Illan charted in their lives leading up until this very day of their engagement session. Its crazy to think that 2 people who were once separated by vast continents….could coincidentally end up sharing a “negotiations” class together at USC in College. Destiny right? After “negotiating” against eachother in class…and spending a bit of time together…it was pretty clear to both of them…that this “WAS IT”..At the time, Ilan was an exchange student from the Netherlands, where he had then been living..and had to go back after the semester was over. After a few months of visiting eachother back and forth..Haneul decided it was ALL OR NOTHING…and she moved to the Netherlands to finish her Masters at his university there. After a year of being there and graduating, they moved back to California…and each found amazing jobs doing what they love…but unfortunately…Ilans was in London, and Haneul…in San Francisco..and that is where each of them are living these days….While the every day absence of eachother is enough to make any relationship unbearable and crazy at times….these love birds just make it work:) Afterall….they beat incredible odds of even finding eachother in the first place, right? They are truly my hero’s. Nine months of my engagement to Jason was “long distance” but that was only from San Jose Ca. to Las Vegas….and let me tell you…there were many many days that I just wanted to hop on a plane, elope..and be his wife already so we could be together:) But he was SOO worth the wait…and I know Haneul feels the same about Ilan:) Before they know it..they will getting married in Korea…and will be nestled in a gorgeous little flat in London where they’ll be living together after the wedding..*SWOON* Someone paleeease write a script about this darling duo!!

Haneul and Illan…I feel equally as lucky that you found me in the vast sea of photographers in this world. How do these things happen??Such an incredible blessing meeting you both. What an adventure you two will continue to have!!!….May your love be as full as the pages of your passports:) XOXO

They kinda have a “thing” with stuffed animals..and often sent them to eachtother when they were living worlds apart from the other.

Kelsey & Dans Engagement Session…

Ashley — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:39:01 +0000

I was fortunate enough to meet the ever-darling Kelsey through a mutual dear friend..and came to realize that she has 2 equally charming younger sisters…one who helped work at our wedding & accessories store we had open last year…and the other, who helped babysit some of my best friends kids. I grew up with 3 brothers…but if I had to be transplanted into another family..and be forced to share bunkbeds and closets with 3 sisters…the McDowell family would be my first choice. Hands down:) Kelsey is getting married in a few days… on my birthday…snuggled in her parents house with only a handful of family members and close friends…such a great wedding to end our busy year on:)

Kelsey wanted to do some of her engagement pics at a Christmas tree farm..which was completely refreshing to shoot somewhere new…during Christmas time…I felt 6 again. Even though our family never cut down our own tree..we did the Home Depot parking lot kinda thing…you still feel like a small child when you are skipping between rows of tall Christmas trees:) We finished their session at a quirky little diner where they met… I loved sitting in the booth across from them…watching them light up over milk shakes, french toast…and EACHOTHER:)

See you LOVEBIRDS soon!!!XOXO

Thankfulness…{& Sneak Peeks}

Ashley — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:20:01 +0000

One of my favorite things about tucking our kids into bed at night, is getting to pray with them…..our kids have grown quite accustomed to it, and occasionally mommy gets into trouble if I “forget something”. While we dont always pray for the exact same thing every night…now and again I will finish the prayer, kiss their foreheads and walk out of the room…just to hear one of them say “MOMMY! YOU FORGOT TO SAY HOPE THAT I HAVE SWEET DREAMS!” This usually comes from Hayden, since he explains the reason he comes into our bed EVERY single night is because of “the dark…and bad dreams”…but Kyla on the other hand…tends to let me know every time I accidentally forget to say “THANK YOU FOR OUR BLESSINGS”…its like she is waiting for it in her prayer, like its her favorite line from a Justin Bieber song or something. I think it is so cute that she hangs on every word of that….and she should…because God has given us so many beautiful blessings..in big things, and in small. I am totally guilty of sometimes rushing through life…and forgetting to stop, and be thankful for everything we have. I love the quote, “What would you do if you woke up today, with only the things you thanked God for yesterday”…..

This year..I am thankful for SO many things…but the word that keeps coming to my mind that is stitched to the very fabric of every area in my life is..PATIENCE. I am thankful for Patience. I am thankful that my husband is patient with me when I get so “tunnel visioned” with work and projects that I forget to tell him I love him as much as he deserves to hear it….I’m thankful for my kids who are patient with me when I tell them to wait a few minutes longer to read a book, because I am on the phone… Im thankful to my family and friends who are patient with me, when they have to call me 2 or 3 times before I call them back…because Im in “hibernation” mode trying to plow through editing and emails…I’m thankful to my Lord and Savior for being patient with me…as I am so prone to have a wandering heart…to find other things to fill my time, than to spend a few minutes reading my devotional book, or spending a moment to pray….& the last….I’m thankful for our amazing clients who have been SO PATIENT with us in our busy season. We have been so blessed these last 2 years with such growth in our photography business…but with that, comes growing pains…new expectations…more expectations…more work…less sleep. We are continually learning the balance between work life, and home life…and how to do the best jobs we can in both roles. Its humbling to wake up and realize you are not superwoman….and that being everything to everyone is really….hard and overwhelming at times. Im so thankful for everyone who has helped give me encouragement to power through those moments when I am feeling I dont have the energy to finish everything on my plate. We are so incredibly blessed for each and every person who has helped support our business..whether it is an encouraging email from an aspiring photographer in Canada..a mother of bride leaving a kind comment on our blog….or one of our darling brides who waits that extra bit of time for her wedding photos. We are so grateful, so immensely THANKFUL for your patience and love for us…

I wanted to post a few “Sneek Peeks” of some of the weddings and sessions we have not been able to blog yet, since we are feverishly trying to edit as many weddings we can before Christmas time…Hope you enjoy them! Happy Thanksgiving!

Brenden & Laura’s Engagement Session…

Ashley — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 20:15:21 +0000

New clients ALWAYS ask what a typical engagement session is like .While there are a few simple components that make a simple quickfire answer…like..we can help you choose a few locations that fit your personality, bring 3 outfits that you LOVE, get ready for my 101 questions, because I’m obsessed with getting to know peoples details…I love late afternoon light for my sessions….bring extra hairspray and lipstick b/c there might be alot of kissing…etc. etc… There are so many tiny moments beyond that, which ACTUALLY make up an engagement session. The moments that get us from point A to point B upon arrival. It starts with me sitting in my car waiting for my couple..as I apply my favorite Dr.Pepper lipsmacker lipgloss..giving myself a pep talk..gathering my gear, trying to forget any stress or insecurities I might be feeling that day about my messy hair or last minute choice of mismatched clothes….and then the butterflies start as I see my couple drive up in their car. Forgive my mile long run on sentence…but then the session goes a little like this. Brenden and Laura show up with a full back seat filled to the brim with shoes and clothes…Laura and I hug like highschool girls and squeal in a high pitched note, since this is the first time we have ever met in person…Brenden seems a little unsure about this whole engagement thing… and shrugs his shoulders a bit as I ask him what shirt he wants to wear…Laura pops the trunk and blushes as she shows me twenty more outfits..and I play dress up barbie for a sec and wish I could try on all the outfits she brought. We walk to our first spot and I assure them, that amidst the rubble and spiderwebs,..it WILL LOOK COOL in pics…I promise! I warn them that it is totally normal to feel a bit awkward for the first 15 minutes of taking pictures..with that…they step in to pose, and awkwardly laugh since they are not sure if they are doing the right thing…in return, I get the BEST smiles out of both of them (sometimes the greatest pictures stem from couples laughing because they have no idea what they are doing:) I stop for a moment and laugh, because Laura has told me SEVERAL times that she is the least photogenic person that she knows…and at this very moment…. Im thinking shes TOTALLY crazy..because she has no idea what a beauty she is. Before you know it..after 15 minutes…they are comfortable. Not just with me…but with eachother…in front of the camera, as if I am not there. THIS is one of my favorite moments in an engagement session. From then on, its just..amazing. Turns out Brenden and my hubby Jason used to work together at Hollister back in the day when we were first married…we take a walk down memory lane, and then I hear a bit of their “Story” and we talk wedding details since their wedding is in just a little over a week away….after a bit they change clothes, trample through weeds…kiss, flirt, laugh, strike a pose, walk, talk…kiss some more…and before you know it…..we’re done. Brenden smiles and says it was “Not so bad”….I know he had fun…even if he doesnt admit it:)…and that makes me happy…It’s easy to win over the girls, because what girl doesnt like taking pictures????..Its always the guys that I am trying to convince that taking pictures is not the worst thing in the world…This was pretty much one of my favorite sessions…because Brenden and Laura just LOVE & ADORE eachother…I know every couple does..thats why people get married… But you cant always FEEL it when you are with them..(you know what I mean?) We are shooting their wedding tomorrow…and we are SOOOO excited! Cant wait to meet all the people that are near and dear to them:) Brenden and Laura, THANK you for being truly a breeze to work with…you inspire me..and remind me what a blessing it is to have my job. See you tomorrow!!! XOXO

Jill & Ricky’s Engagements Session..

Ashley — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:53:41 +0000

” Sometimes..the questions are complicated and the answers are simple”….

-Dr. SeussWe get to hear ALOT of love stories with this job….We met online, met in a bar, met in kindergarten, set up, neighbor, she was my barista, he was my lab partner, sat next to me in choir, shared a cubicle, met a dog park…etc. etc. We could seriously write a novel on the chance encounters that somehow narrow the universe down to the ONE that changes everything. Maybe I am a sucker for the simple plot that is strung throughout most romantic comedies on my netflix…the kind of love that sometimes others see before we even can… THE BEST FRIEND TURNED BOYFRIEND. Jill describes Ricky as the guy that was”The best friend type” that all the girls are “just” friends with…the one you tell all your secrets to..and who offers his shoulder to cry on when others boys are mean to you:) He was just this big teddy bear of cuddleness that crept his way into her heart. Before she knew it.. she had the “lightbulb” moment. HE was what she was looking for all along. When love can be so complicated…sometimes it is simpler than you think.

I cannot get enough of these two. There isn’t an ounce of forced emotion..or a moment taken for granted when they are together. I was blessed to meet Jill last year as she was a bridesmaid in Ashley and James wedding. Ashley and I have seriously become BFF’s since me shooting her wedding..and I’m continually thankful for our friendship as it brings truly remarkable people in my life like Jill and Ricky. I am counting the days until they tie the knot in the forest next summer!!!..XOXO

Tina & Ben { San Francisco}…

Ashley — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:18:57 +0000

Nestled amidst the busy streets of San Francisco.. between crowded alley ways, parking meters, and gusty views of the bay…lies a quaint little apartment..housing this eclectic little duo of lovebirds. Tina and Ben wanted their engagement session to be a little slice of their everyday life…it was a breath of fresh air to skip throughout the streets, and leisurely follow them to little corners of the city that I had never seen before. {Ok…AND it was also refreshing to leave the city WITHOUT getting a parking ticket for some crazy reason..for reals!:} Tina and Ben are advocates for adventure.good food {yay Ben for being a chef}. and above all QUALITY time together. Their love is effortless…and Im head over heels excited for their wedding in a few short weeks!!

Jenn & Andy’s Engagement Session…

Ashley — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:47:58 +0000

You can tell alot about a person by how they decorate their house. When you are a kid…your room is your secret lair…and how what you chose to adorn your room…spoke volumes about who you are. When I was in Jr. High, my dad happened to be our youth pastor at church. He used to make these videos each week called, “Soft Copy” (kind of a spin on the investigative news show Hard Copy:) Each week he would go to a few students houses while they were at school, and would videotape their bedrooms. Of course no one knew when he was coming (except the parents)..and you were absolutely mortified sitting in church each week as the video started…praying..that it was NOT you. Afterall..most of us did NOT clean our room before leaving for school…but more-so….we would wear our hearts on the walls of our rooms. You know, pictures of boys at school we were crushing on.. in fuzzy frames covering our nightstand, Teen Beat posters of Jonathan Taylor Thomas on the ceilings above our bed, childhood stuft animals, half written love letters on spiral notepads…mysterious things lurking under the bed…nothing was off limits. He would narrate the story as he rummaged through the room..sometimes fumbling upon things that you would never expect:) While embarrassed for them… I always loved peeking into peoples lives for a few minutes a week. Seeing the things they hold near and dear to them. I think I have always been fascinated with how people choose to decorate their house..what they use as art…the story behind the pictures they decide to frame. I think your living space is like the worlds greatest personality test all in itself..that is why I was SOO excited when Jenn and Andy wanted to start the engagement session at their apartment. From the moment I walked in the front door, I instantly felt at home. Avid antique shoppers as well..they apartment was filled with precious trinkets from ceiling to floor. My favorite was the AMAZING clocks on the wall..which Jenn shared as one of the “perks” of working at Anthropologie….getting to take home display stuff now and again:) From teacups to pinatas..each shared a STORY. It only takes about 3 seconds to notice that these two have a witty & quirky style about them..and above all..they ADORE eachother.

They decided it would be fun to do part of their session at the county fair..which I loved…Deep fried twinkies? I’ll pass…Spending a few hours with an adorable couple and carnival games? YES PLEASE:) Enjoy!!!! XOXO
They have named the building they live in…”The Dollhouse”…Which is spelled out in the sign they are holding below:)

Tis the Season…to be engaged.

Ashley — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 22:11:27 +0000

I think our kids are still trying to wrap their heads around our “job”…..I try to explain to them, that our job is a little different than most mommies and daddies..because we work from home…and we are somewhat..”always working”. I understand this is confusing….we are home almost all week..then sometimes leave for 3-4 days at a time for weddings..sometimes 6-7…and then there are the sporatic day trips where I leave to go do an engagement session…and have no idea when I am coming home:) This irregular schedule is somewhat puzzling to them…even when Hayden sees me open the door in morning to take our dog out for a walk..he runs up to me and hugs my leg so tightly, with a soap opera dramatic goodbye….and says…”You going to shoot a wedding????”…with 100% sincerity. As I gaze up and down at my non showered-bedheaded-mismatched-self…I assure him, that I am most definitely NOT shooting a wedding at that present moment…and mommy will be right back:)

Kyla..who also..says Im “alllwayyyyys working”… walks up to me a few weeks ago, as I have been sitting editing for the 7th consecutive hour on the computer and says, “You know what mom…if you didn’t choose to be a photographer for your job., you wouldn’t have to be sitting here all day……..you should have been a music teacher.” Classic.

On behalf of all the music students out there, lets be glad I did NOT choose to be that when I grew up..you would most likely NOT be the musical leaders of tomorrow, for God has not given me an ounce of rhythm or musicality…and standing in front of a classroom is like #2 on my worst fear list.

Since I did in fact choose to be a photographer, and have chosen to not outsource any of my work (at this time in my life) I’m CRAZZZZZZZY, I know:) ..Most of my weekdays are spent trying to play catch up editing all these sessions….mostly engagement sessions…Eat.Sleep.Shoot engagement sessions.repeat:) These last two months have been major travel months for work..so we are out shooting far more than we are actually home to work at the computer…So since I am not feeling anything close to Superwoman as Im getting caught up this week..I am just posting a group blog today..of a few our engagement sessions from this last month…just a few faves from each…To our amazing clients who are so wonderful and patient….and step outside of their comfort level sometimes for us..WE LOVE YOU!! THANK YOU!! Enjoy!!

Bethanny & Jeremy’s Engagement Session…

Ashley — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:28:57 +0000

Bethanny & Jeremy are a darling little graphic design duo….who know a little thing or two about LOVE..and MAD STYLE. I remember the first time they came in to meet with me, I was suuuupppper nervous..{Why—b/c I ALWAYS am for first consultations..like the first day of freshmen year -walking into a new class with braces and permed hair-not sure where to sit–nervous}. When I first saw Bethanny ..her pony tail was bouncing, and she was wearing the brightest purple tights I have ever seen. I subconsciously gave the two of them the “up and down” in a flash, noticing every fabulous detail about their colorful attire…and made a mental note , that they did… in fact… have the most IMPECCABLE style..and I just *might* want to borrow Bethanny’s exact outfit the very next day:) Bethanny hugged me as we said hello..and I instantly felt at home. I sat and watched them talk about their plans for their colorful Pebble Beach wedding…but most of all, watched how beautifully at ease they were with eachother. Their E-session was truly amazing for this same reason. Their love is completely effortless…I kept telling them that they were making my job way to easy:) They are just REALLY good at being comfortable loving on eachother:) To say we are excited about shooting their wedding in 2 days.. is slightly an understatement:) Enjoy! XOXO

They had just picked up Bethany’s BFF Vanessa from the airport on the way to their session…(who flew in from Hong Kong for their wedding)…so Vanessa was our onsite hair and makeup extraordinaire….would love to have her come to all my shoots with me…Vanessa, you officially rock.