Ash Hughes Photography
“What inspires me?.. Hmmm. I’d say the diversity of our region. From the coastal town communities, to the world class beaches and surf, as well as the beautiful Otways..”
Ash Hughes is a passionate local photographer capable of capturing both vertigo-inducing and striking images of the Surf Coast. His spectacular landscape images – captured both with a hand-held camera and a drone – soon attracted a loyal Instagram following of almost 10,000 fans.
He started as a creative accountant and now he’s a landscape and wedding photographer. Ash moved to the Surf Coast in 2012 and lives with a wife, two young kids - girl and boy - and one needy pooch.
“All who are above me in the pecking order”, he jokes.
“Photography is something I have always had a love for, and a love I want to share with anyone interested. It goes hand in hand with the magical area we call home.”
What encouraged you to take those first steps for your business?
Ash says it was not until he became a parent four years ago that his hobby took on more significance as a way of seeking much-needed balance in his life.
“We had our first child, a daughter Eva, and that took up a lot of my time and I felt a little bit lost without having that ‘me’ time,” he recalls.
“A manager at work suggested that I find something I could call my own and do for myself.
“It started as a bit of a meditation type thing where I’d get out and would be shooting landscapes at sunrise or sunset and just enjoying that time to myself. It’s all really evolved from there.”
Ash set himself a challenge to post a photo a day to Instagram as a way of staying motivated.
What are the advantages of doing business on the Surf Coast?
Many of Ash’s photos are taken between Aireys Inlet and Torquay, with surfing and beach shots among the most popular with his social media followers.
“A large number of my followers are ocean minded so the decent surf ones where it’s absolutely perfectly clean tend to resonate the most,” he says.
It may be not technically the best photo I’ve ever taken but people seem to love them.”
Favourite place?
When it comes to a favourite location Ash can’t go past Point Addis.
“It’s just a phenomenal beach,” he enthuses.
“It’s just got so many different faces whether it be sunrise, sunset, the middle of the day, going for a swim, getting your camera out… it’s just enjoyment all round.”
One thing that might surprise you..
The editing process is every bit as enjoyable as the photo shoot itself.
“I’m a bit of a tech nerd, I guess, so it is always another level of learning to find what can boost an image or really bring out the colour or detail in an image that the camera can’t,” he explains.
What is your most popular product?
Ash has been surprised and humbled by the customer demand to buy his landscape prints. He has also branched out last summer to shoot weddings, something he wishes he had done sooner.
“I was always nervous with the pressure that comes with a wedding,” he says.
“But I’ve learned that as long as I trust the gear that I have, the rest is a breeze and is actually really fun.”
“I didn’t start out for this to be a business and it’s quickly gone that way,” he says.
“In the future I want to say goodbye to my accounting world and do photography on a full-time basis. “It never stops amazing me how much colour and beauty there can be in a sunrise or sunset. It’s always different – it’s just nature at its best.”
Shop Ash Hughes Photography
Browse the online store www.ashhughesphotos.com/shop if you’re looking for a print (or 10 😊) for your wall, or even as a gift.
“I'm so grateful that people are willing to spend their hard earned on my work, to hang in their home, or to gift to someone they care dearly about” says Ash.
Book @ashhughesweddings on Instagram for your wedding or special occasion.
📰 Originally story published as “Ash finds focus through landscape photography” in the Surf Coast Times on September 10, 2020.
