Laurie Ashley Photography

I feel like the first image of this set is incredibly fitting because yesterday felt like pure victory for these two. Amy & Tim have been planning their wedding for over a year. They wanted an intimate elopement style wedding in the mountains from day 1 which seems easy enough, right? Welp, not in 2020. They shifted gears when the pandemic hit to plan their mountain wedding closer to home as opposed to mammoth lakes. All seemed to be falling into place when the wildfires hit ...California, closing the national forest they had centered their plan B around. So with only two weeks to spare they set out to re-arrange their plans AGAIN while still creating a wedding day that felt honest to them & their love story. And it was absolutely perfect. We met up at 6 am to watch the sunrise over the desert, right off the Pacific Crest Trail where Amy & Tim had originally met. Once the sun started getting bright & hot, we headed to a little venue tucked away in the hills of Julian. Amy & Tim had the sweetest little ceremony in a sun-drenched meadow with only six guests. They popped champagne, chowed down on the most colorful cheese boards, danced under a live oak tree & enjoyed some gelato in the back of the car they sometimes call home when they’re out on an adventure. It may have been plan C, but tis day sure felt like everything was exactly the way it was meant to be. MUA: @taylorhauptmakeup Florals: @cottagegardenflorals Venue: @sacredmountainjulian Dress: @chantellaurendesigns Cheese board @platterandhoney Gelato @bobboi_naturalgelato Furniture rental @farmandfieldevents See more

Watched the sky explode with these two the other night! They were down to explore new corners of one of my favorite little secret spots and I loved adventuring with them. Their love is that sweet & gentle type that makes my job so dang easy. I truly cannot WAIT to capture their wedding day next summer!!!

These two postponed their big wedding until 2021 but I'm so thankful I got to capture their "minimony" this year, too! <3

This day was an absolute dream. When Amanda first inquired about having me photograph their intimate wedding in Big Bear, I was immediately excited by the opportunity because their plans sounded SO similar to my own wedding back in 2018. Unfortunately, the pandemic led to them postponing the party with their guests until next summer BUT I was so glad that these two still wanted to elope on their original wedding day up in my absolute favorite place. Their ceremony in th...e trees was absolutely perfect and I shed more than a few tears during their heartfelt vows. We caught a STUNNING sunset on the lakeshore and I can’t get over how incredibly kind & welcoming their small group of friends and family were all day. I was also struck by how Amanda & Dylan didn’t skip a beat there was no sadness about their change in plans due to circumstances so far outside of their control; there was only joy and love. I couldn’t have been more honored to be a part of their adventure and I’ll be counting down the days until next years party. Adore you both, Mr. & Mrs. Polniak! (And Pickle and Chicken Nugget, too ) MUA: @slayed.bysuzy Dress: @willowbywatters See more

It’s the year of the elopement! Lauren & Brynton had a big wedding planned in Jamaica but 2020 made them switch to plan b: an intimate elopement on top of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After their emotional ceremony, we chased the sun all the way down to the beach below and took photos until there was no light left. These two are beautiful inside & out and their wedding day filled my heart with joy. In the face of this crazy year, I’ll take all the love I can get. MUA: @faceby.kayla Dress: @ruedeseinebridal

Catching up on some recent sessions starting with these two babes! First session back on the beaches in months and mother nature gave us QUITE the warm welcome home!! <3

Last Sunday was so incredibly special. Like many couples set to get married in 2020, Laura & Neil's carefully planned wedding was derailed by covid-19. While they had already made the painful decision to postpone their big party until later this year, they decided at the last minute to reclaim their original date and officially tie the knot at their planned wedding venue. So we met up at the stunning @circleoakranchweddings with some Walmart champagne flutes, a grocery store ...cake, family members on zoom (all dressed to the 9s inside of their individual homes) and a stunning bouquet by @cottagegardenflorals and witnessed Laura & Neil say yes to forever in the most intimate little ceremony. A wedding stripped down to its very essence of committing to a lifetime of love and togetherness. This year may not be going as planned for anyone, but it’s days like this that fill my heart with hope for brighter days ahead. See more

Now this kind of day has no night; Ain’t got much on my mind; ‘Cause I know something good this way comes. <3

Who wants to see some before & afters?! I truly believe that photo editing is like sprinkling magic onto a RAW photo... I just loveeee watching these images come to life in lightroom and photoshop. I shoot with a canon mark iv & these are all taken with either my sigma 35mm art or sigma 50mm art lens. My typical settings are ISO100 (since I typically shoot in full sun with no shade), f/2.8 & shutter speed. varies but never drops below 1/250. I know I like a warmer edit but I ...always shoot auto white balance & adjust in post. These are all naturally lit images so no OCF or artificial lighting (although I do use on camera flash for wedding receptions). I tend to underexpose purposely in backlit situations & always try to expose for the highlights. Most of these images were edited with my own preset that I made and have been using since last fall. I personally have no intention of ever selling presets, but I do offer editing mentorships for other photographers! (shameless plug alert: https://laurieashleyphotography.com/mentorships/) None of these are 1 click edits and honestly, they never should be. I put a lot of time & love into my edits which includes radial filters, graduated filters, adjustment brushing, photoshop work, etc. Great edits rarely happen in 1 click & truly getting to know all of the sliders and panels in lightroom (or ACR) is the best way to cultivate a uniquely beautiful editing style. Presets are a great tool but think of them as your first step, not your only step! <3

Hi, friends! Let's talk about the unfortunate possibility of postponing your 2020 wedding: I know you must be feeling a lot of emotions right now, including exhausted by the seemingly overwhelming task. Wedding vendors are doing their best to navigate these unprecedented times alongside you & we know that good communication & flexibility is the name of the game right about now. One of the most common worries I've heard within the industry lately is vendors receiving e-mails f...rom their couples stating that they've already secured a new date, only to check and see that they are already booked for another wedding on that date. This leaves both the vendor & the couple in a tricky situation that could end up in a financial loss for one or both parties. I promise that your vendors want nothing more than to move heaven & Earth to help your wedding day happen one way or another. Many of us run small, independent businesses & consider our clients friends. Our couples help us live our dreams one wedding at a time, and I know that many of us have cried tears for those whose weddings have been disrupted by the pandemic. To help navigate the task of postponing, I have put together steps to take as well as some PDF check-lists to help you cross reference dates with all of your vendors. The more organized our communication is, the better prepared we'll be to help you plan your next steps. And the less impact this will have on the small businesses who make up your vendor team. We are all in this together. Drop a comment with your e-mail address if you'd like me to forward them to you in PDF form. Whether you're one of my own brides, a fellow vendor, or just someone who might find this useful for yourself or a friend, I am happy to share. xo, Laurie

Not sure when I’ll be able to get back to shooting client work, but glad I got to spend one of my last sessions with one of my first ever wedding couples as they embark on this exciting new chapter together. And thanks to Mother Nature for giving us such a beautiful sunset during last weeks storms as her see you later. Despite everything going on in the world, I feel lucky as hell to have a job that I love enough to make me miss it this terribly already. No matter the detours, I am forever grateful knowing that I have found my place in the sun. Can’t wait to get back to it! Lauren LoGuercio

Looking back on yesterdays situation, it was actually quite symbolic. It rained alllll day leading up to this shoot. There would be spots of sunshine, followed by inevitable dark clouds that hovered over my house before dropping vicious amounts of rain & wind. Courtney and I were texting back and forth trying to figure out what to do; do continue on or postpone to a later day? Do we head West to escape the rain? Do we change locations entirely? There was a lot of uncertainty... which, given the state of the world, was just more of exactly what we don’t need right now. And so, we re-adjusted and changed locations but decided to chance it. We went out into the darkness and hoped for the best. The location was dry and I was happy to see the wildflowers had started blooming since the last time I had been there. And then the clouds parted. And the sun came out in full force. And at the end we were gifted with one of those jaw dropping sunsets that only happen after a storm. The clouds caught fire and lit up in beautiful pinks, purples & blues. We all agreed that we were lucky to have experienced such a beautiful night together and that we were glad we had chanced it. Here’s the thing: the world is scary as hell right now. There is so much uncertainty and we are all feeling the fallout in one way or another. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to create again and that makes me want to cry. But I know that I have worked too damn hard for this dream to let go now. I love my business and all of the goodness that it has brought into my life. When the day comes where I can finally get back to doing what I love (oh, and it WILL come), I know I will feel a kind of joy unlike anything I’ve felt before. And until that day I will appreciate what I do have: all of the clouds and the sunshine and the wildflowers. And above all else, the love. . . . #temeculaweddingphotographer #temeculaphotographer #dirtybootsandmessyhair #wedspo #authenticlovemag #sandiegobride #sandiegowedding #justmarried #wedding #orangecountyweddingphotographer #OCweddingphotographer #sandiego #sandiegoweddingphotography #sandiegophotographer #sandiegoweddingphotographer #sanfranciscoweddingphotographer #socalphotographer #socalweddingphotographer #losangelesweddingphotographer #laweddingphotographer #muchlove_ig #socalwedding #wanderingweddings See more

Yesterday was a total D R E A M! Stacee was the maid of honor at one of my first weddings ever back in 2018.. I had sooo much fun getting to know her at his sisters wedding and I was so stoked when they chose me to capture their fairytale wedding yesterday. They wanted to create a destination wedding in one if their favorite places so that they could share the magic of Whistler with the people they love the most. To me, this is such a beautiful way to celebrate your love and ...extend the party of your wedding by giving friends & family an excuse to take an epic vacation. We were gifted this beautiful, blue sky day which is apparently super unusual for this mountain town in the winter! I also got the chance to witness a Korean tea ceremony which was sooo much fun & a beautiful way for these two to pay homage to Stacee’s culture. I have so much love for these two & their families and truly felt more like a guest than a vendor. This wedding represents everything I love about wedding photography: making connections with people and indulging in new & exciting experiences. I also have to shoutout the TRULY amazing vendor team. Everyone I worked with yesterday was so kind & helpful; each person involved in putting this day together went above and beyond for Stacee & Jason and I am so grateful to have been a part of such a stellar team. Bride & groom: @staceexsoxsilly @jason.d.brooks Venue: @slccwhistler Video: @paul.cameron.productions Planning & Florals: Bliss Event + Design DJ: @airwavesmusic MUA: @alliereneemua Hair: @evy_styles Dress: @enzoani via @herecomesthebridesd Deserts: @the_flour_pot See more