If I had all the time and money I could want, my days would be filled on a quest for beauty.
I would seek out beautiful places, places I have always dreamed of- New Zealand, Bali, the Amazon Rain Forest and the Grand Canyon.
I would seek out beautiful flowers - tropical plants with bold colors, conservatories with exotic specimens and palms, and fields of wildflowers.
I would seek out beautiful horses, Arabians, Adalusians, Friesians and wild mustangs.
When I am photographing something truly beautiful- a gorgeous flower, a free-spirited horse, a landscape in the golden hour of daylight- I am lost in that moment. Everything else that was in my mind- vanishes.
Those moments when I can lose myself, when all sense of time disappears- these are the moments I live for. These are the reasons I photograph.
Often I will photograph a flower for one or two hours. I will examine it from every angle, in different light, with different backgrounds. I will ask myself, “What can I do to make it even more beautiful?”
After the photo is taken, again I will ask the same question. I will try to enhance it with digital imaging software. And strive to make it different – to make it my own.
Color plays a huge role in my photographs. There is no such thing as too yellow or too orange or too pink. The more extreme the color, the more excited I get.
I recently earned my photography degree from Daytona State College, Daytona Beach, Fl., and am working on developing my style - one that is bold and vivid and uniquely mine. I hope those who see my work will appreciate the beauty I was fortunate to be able to capture and create.
Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.
-- Ashley Smith