Today we’d like to introduce you to Chanze Ashorn.
Hi Chanze , we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Photography has been tagging along with me for most of my life.
When I was younger, I begged my mom for an Olympus DSLR. Back then, spending $600 on a camera wasn’t exactly a casual purchase, so I never expected to actually get one. But on my 13th birthday, I opened a gift and there it was. I literally SOBBED, grabbed it, and immediately headed outside. I spent the entire day photographing anything and everything I considered worthy of a photo. My cat, Kibbles, was my main subject for the first hour, and then it was sunlight through the trees, bugs on the trail, wildflowers, and random out of place oddities. I filled the memory card so many times that I had to keep running home just to clear space before heading back out.
That camera went everywhere with me for years. It survived my MySpace and Tumblr era, got thrown into bags, rode around in my passenger seat, and somehow made it through every phase of growing up alongside me. I photographed local bands for $10 a show so I’d have spending money, talked my friends into endless photoshoots in fields and parking lots, and spent years creating images that were honestly pretty terrible. But every bad photo taught me something. For the longest time, I shot entirely on auto mode. Then one night I stumbled across a Tumblr post about shooting in manual, and something finally clicked. Photography stopped feeling like chance and started feeling intentional. I became obsessed with light, eyes, lenses, posing, and all the little things that could turn a photo into a feeling. Not just documenting what something looked like, but the connection behind it.
What started as a hobby slowly became a career. I launched my business in 2014, got married, became a mom, built a studio, photographed hundreds of weddings, and spent over a decade documenting families through some of the biggest moments of their lives.
These days, that little camera has been replaced quite a few times, but the reason I pick it up hasn’t changed. I’m still chasing connection. I’ve learned firsthand how quickly life moves, and how often the moments we miss most are the ones that felt ordinary at the time.
That’s why I do this. To help people hold onto the pieces of their story that deserve to be remembered.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not even a little bit.
Like most people who have been in business for over a decade, there have been plenty of seasons where I questioned whether I could keep doing it. Photography grew alongside every major chapter of my life. I built my business while becoming a wife, a mom, navigating loss, moving cities, and figuring out who I was outside of work.
One of the hardest lessons was learning that loving what you do doesn’t make you immune to burnout. For years, I said yes to everything. More weddings, more sessions, more work, more responsibility. Eventually I hit a point where I realized I couldn’t keep pouring from an empty cup. In 2023, I intentionally stepped back and drastically reduced the amount of work I was taking on so I could focus on my family, my health, and reconnecting with the reason I started all of this in the first place.
There have also been personal experiences that changed the way I approach photography. Walking through grief and loss gave me a much deeper understanding of how important photographs become as time passes. The older I get, the more I realize that the images people treasure most usually aren’t the perfectly posed ones. They’re the moments that remind them how a season of life felt.
Looking back, I wouldn’t call it a smooth road, but I would call it a meaningful one. Every challenge taught me something, whether it was how to run a better business, create healthier boundaries, or simply be more present with the people in front of my camera.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Texas wedding and motherhood photographer, which means I spend my days documenting everything from wedding days and growing families to brand new babies and all the beautiful chaos in between. I’ve been doing this professionally since 2014 and have photographed more than 300 weddings along with countless maternity, newborn, and family sessions!
What I specialize in is creating photographs that feel genuine, but also intentional. While I absolutely want my clients to have beautiful images, I’m often more interested in the moments happening between the poses. I’m probably best known for creating a relaxed experience for people who don’t love being in front of the camera. Most of my clients show up convinced they’re awkward, and honestly, that’s my favorite place to start. My approach is less about stiff posing and more about connection, movement, and helping people feel comfortable enough to be themselves with their own personal paparazzi!
What I’m most proud of isn’t an award or a number, although documenting more than 300 weddings is something I’m incredibly grateful for. What I’m most proud of is the trust people place in me. Many of my wedding couples eventually come back for maternity photos, newborn sessions, and family photos as their lives grow and change. Getting to document those milestones year after year is something I’ll never take for granted.
I think what sets me apart is the perspective I bring to the work. I’m not just photographing milestones, I’m living them too. As a wife, mom, and someone who understands how quickly seasons of life come and go, I know these photos become more valuable with time. That’s why my focus has never been on creating perfectly posed images. It’s on creating photographs that feel like the people in them and preserve the connections they’ll want to remember years from now.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My biggest piece of advice is to stop comparing your beginning to someone else’s middle.
When I was starting out, I spent way too much time looking at photographers who had been doing this for years and wondering why my work, business, or confidence didn’t look like theirs. The truth is that every photographer you admire started somewhere, and most of us created a lot of bad photos before we created good ones.
I’d also tell new photographers not to get so caught up in gear that they forget to learn people. Cameras, lenses, and editing styles will change over time, but understanding light, connection, and how to make someone feel comfortable in front of your camera will always matter.
The biggest lesson I learned, though, is that burnout doesn’t happen overnight. When you’re building a business, it’s easy to say yes to everything because you’re afraid opportunities won’t come back around. But creating healthy boundaries, taking care of yourself, and protecting your personal life is just as important as growing your business.
Most importantly, don’t wait until everything is perfect to start. The photos won’t be perfect. Your website won’t be perfect. You’ll make mistakes. We all do. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s growth. Every session, every wedding, and every mistake teaches you something if you’re willing to learn from it.
Twelve years later, I’m still learning, and honestly, I hope that never changes.
Pricing:
- My wedding packages start at $3,000
- My session packages start at $750
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chanzeashornphotography.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chanzeashornphotography
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/chanzeashornphotography
