Today we’d like to introduce you to Ansley Pacetti.
Hi Ansley, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have always been extremely drawn towards the arts. From drawing to dance and now photography, art has always seemed to be a part of my life. The first memories I have of photography started when I was 8 or 9 years old. A family friend of ours put a camera in my hands for the first time while she photographed a backyard wedding.
I remember being obsessed with the photos I took and from that moment I was hooked. She actually gave me my first camera and I would consider her very important in my career. I kept taking pictures of my friends and family over the next several years, focusing heavily on dancers. I grew up dancing so the environment was comfortable for me and I knew exactly how to control the shoot. When I started my “business page” on Instagram I ran it with my best friend who was my business partner–Payton. I took my first commissioned shoot at 13.
It was a senior session for 3 girls graduating from a local high school and I think I charged a staggering $25. Over the last several years, I have really focused on portrait photography and have worked to grow my clientele in that area. I lived in St. Augustine until I was 14 and then relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee for about 4 years. In Knoxville, I experienced a lot of personal growth as well as getting to work with some really incredible organizations. I was fortunate enough to travel to Haiti with a friend of mine and do documentary photography, conduct interviews and train a YoungLife media team. These were some of the most influential job experiences I have had. While in Knoxville I also continued to grow my freelance business and found myself booking a lot of sessions with graduating seniors. I would say this is where I found my niche.
I moved back to St. Augustine the summer after I graduated high school and enrolled at Flagler College. My time back in my hometown has been crucial for my business. I have a loyal and consistent clientele and the college and local high schools provide me with new graduating seniors each semester to keep me busy! In September of 2020, I was able to quit my other jobs and do photography full time. It has been a challenging but very rewarding year. In October of this year, a company called Artist Simply Human (ASH) reached out to me and offered me a position with them.
ASH is a dance convention that travels around the country with a staff of professional dancers offering classes and scholarship opportunities for dancers in the area. My role with them is as the on-tour photographer, so I get to travel alongside and take pictures during classes and performances. Getting to work with dancers, travel, and continue in photography has been a dream come true, to say the least. I am anticipating taking off the upcoming semester at Flagler College to give my full attention to my career and my role at ASH.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started so young that I would say the hardest part of my career has been proving that my age does not define my talent. I have spent hours on end learning not only the trade but what it takes to run a business and take it full time. I just turned 21 and I feel like for the first time in my career I can say my age with confidence without people automatically doubting my abilities.
I would have people book me for jobs and then they would find out my age and the conversation would change dramatically. They would either be incredibly condescending or try to take advantage of me. I have learned that my age is nothing to be ashamed of and that I should take pride in the fact that I am so young and have already figured out a way to make a career out of what I love.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a photographer, I like to say that I am a storyteller. People hire and trust me to capture some of the most important and intimate moments of their lives. It is a truly honorable profession and I would say that people are definitely my purpose. When my clientele started to expand from people I knew to complete strangers I really began to become fascinated with my career. I realized I had the opportunity to know someone and capture them in a way that expresses things about them with no explanation needed.
I love hearing about people’s journeys and passions. Graduating seniors are especially some of my favorite people to work with and I would say what most people correlate my work with. It is such an exciting time of transition and new beginnings and I am always so impressed by the dreams my seniors are setting out to accomplish. My favorite thing during a session is the moment when I can feel my client totally comfortable in their own skin and I can capture them for who they truly are. I get so excited during my shoots and my voice is practically gone after a session of hyping my seniors up!
I also really love working with people who are in love. Getting to celebrate couples and their love for one another is always something I feel honored when asked to do. From getting to know them and their love stories to watching couples come alive for each other and almost forget I am even there with a camera is pure magic. I would say what sets me apart from others in my career is my goal to be intentional. I want to know who I am working with. I want to know not only their desires for their session but who they are as people! I think the better you know who you are working with the better you can portray an authentic version of yourself.
The relationships I develop with my clients are my favorite part of my job. I have had clients that have used me to shoot their engagement, wedding, and newborns of their first child–They have invited me multiple times over the course of their lives into their most precious moments. I am interested in who I work with beyond the hour I spend shooting with them and I hope to have friends for life after even just a one-hour session!
We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
When I was younger, I really wanted to be a surgeon and I actually debated abandoning photography altogether to pursue some form of medicine in school. I really was torn over the decision because I had made it up in my mind that my career would not be impressive enough if I did not do something medically.
I love challenges and I thought that only a medical career would provide me with that sense of challenge. I have found time and time again that my career as a photographer and small business owner is plenty enough challenge and provides me with endless excitement.
Contact Info:
- Email: ansleypacettiphotography@gmail.com
- Website: ansleypacettiphotography.pixieset.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ansleypacettiphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ansleypacettiphotography
