Student Feature: Ashley Crichton
RITphoto asked sophomore Ashley Crichton to share her story.
I grew up in Palo Alto, California, just south of San Francisco. I never lived anywhere besides Palo Alto before I came to Rochester NY to attend RIT. I was pretty nervous about the move, but now a year and half later, coming cross country to attend RIT has been very worthwhile.
Beginning at a very early age, photography has been my passion. I was lucky enough to have parents that were encouraging of me and they let me experiment with the subject. Using the family’s DSLR whenever I wanted helped me further develop my passion and curiosity. My family has always been supportive of my work. At first they would say that my photos were “good”, even when they were definitely sub par. During high school, my love for photography grew exponentially. The moment where I learned photography could be much more than just a snapshot was when I did a research assignment about David Hockney. His work brought the world to life in ways I did not think was possible by using images to convey ideas that explored place and space in a whole new way. After seeing and feeling the emotions that images of his work were able to convey in me, I knew that I needed to pursue a future in photography. Through my research, I found the best possible school for me to further develop my love of photography would be RIT.
RIT spoke to me because it presented me with the unique opportunity to push myself both creatively and artistically. RIT’s photo sciences program also spoke to a side of me that I did not always have the chance to express and that is that I love math and science, too. Being able to combine science with my passion for photography has been exhilarating. I have been able to stay connected to the photo sciences by becoming a student assistant for the Photo Tech class.
Photo Tech and Photo Arts 1 have, thus far, been my favorite classes. Photo Tech I and II goes into the nitty, gritty details of how images are made and recorded inside of cameras and many other technological matter associated with photography (trust me there’s way more than one would think). The Photo Arts 1 class was the first time I have ever felt so at home. I was surprised that it would be in a place that snows so much. Remember, I am California girl.
Photography has been my lifelong love and I didn’t know it was a love shared so passionately by others until I came to RIT. Photo Arts I introduced me to a community away from my hometown and exposed me to a whole new world of people who were just as motivated as I am. I have met my two largest inspirations through this community. The first, Josh Meltzer, who taught my Photo Arts 1 class, is the most hands on, informative, outstanding photography professor I have ever worked with. He pushed me and still pushes me to realize which elements of photography – those that I had previously considered to be unimportant – are actually integral parts of great photos. Through his guidance and skills as a teacher I have already improved my photography more than I had ever expected.
Community has always been an important part of my life and I feel that the RIT Photography community is one of the most supportive I have been a part of. The passion for photography is palpable which inspires me to strive for making my work the best it can be. My first year, a senior took me under his wing and has mentored me ever since. He invited me to assist him on his shoots and taught me how to analyze lighting in images through hands-on experience. Since he has graduated, he has continued to mentor me by critiquing my photos and making suggestions on ways I can improve my photos. His perspective as a new graduate who is currently freelancing in New York City has given me an important insight into what employers are looking for. He is just one example of how many wonderful people are in the photography program.
My favorite assignment from this past year was one in which we had to capture a distinct expression from our chosen model. I chose to photograph a drag queen who works at Tilt Nightclub. I had never worked with a model that I didn’t know on a personal level before the shoot, and I had very little experience working with the studio strobes I used for this project. I put a lot of thought and effort into creating my final image and the results was definitely worth the effort. I loved pushing myself in new directions and not being afraid of the unknown.
My plans for after graduation are still quite foggy, but I know that I want to live in either New York City or LA. I want to experience big city life while I’m young and can really enjoy its fast paced nature. My hope is to do portrait photography, but what I want to do with that changes on a day-to-day basis. No matter what, I know I want to have a camera in my hand and be in the world of photography.
You can follow Ashley on Instagram: @ashleycrichtonofficial
or her website www.ashleycrichton.com
