Interview With a Thumbtack Service Pro: Ash Fox, Photographer

Ash1Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Ash. Tell us a little bit about yourself and your business. 

I work and live in exciting and beautiful NYC as a professional photographer. I specialize in happy times. My two favorite subjects to photograph are love and music. I feel grateful to have the opportunity to be part of people’s special occasions and important milestones. I started out as a photographer working in the NYC music and nightlife scene. Nearly every night I was up until the wee hours of the morning documenting the NYC bohemians as they danced and made music and fell in love. Soon I was getting approached to apply the same energetic, colorful, emotional quality found in my nightlife and music photography to portraits and private events whether it be for a fashion house, a corporate brand, or a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary.

 

What type of work are you generally doing? 

I shoot editorials for magazines in print and online. I photograph and write concert reviews for online magazines and my personal music blog. Right now I’m obsessed with photographing couples in love. I photograph everything from a couple’s holiday card, to anniversary portraits, engagement portraits, marriage proposals and weddings.

Ash2What are you trying to accomplish when you’re conducting a photo shoot? 

My goal as a photographer is to always bring out the best in my subject. When photographing a party I think of what people will feel and remember when they see the photos. I want them to relive the moment and I want people to wish they were there. When photographing portraits I focus on showcasing the traits that make a person uniquely beautiful, both physically and internally, whether it be their infectious laugh, or the intellect and curiosity behind their eyes.

 Why do you use Thumbtack? 

Thumbtack gives me the opportunity to connect with clients I may not have had the chance to connect with otherwise, because it gives people from all over the world (from Germany to Peru!) a platform to find me. Thumbtack offers an amazing pool of clients and service professionals and allows us to connect in an approachable format. Thumbtack is different from other sites because it offers a wide scope of job opportunities from events, to portraits, to fashion photography. Thumbtack has helped me expand my repertoire of photography services I offer from marriage proposals, baptisms, fashion shoots, and headshots, to corporate events.

 We’re happy to help! Any tips for other Thumbtack Photographers out there? 

Ash3

My main tips for other service professionals would be to always strive to make your client as happy as possible, to always be learning and working to improve as a photographer, and to constantly remind yourself what an awesome job you have.

Would you like to share any good experiences you’ve had with Thumbtack clients? 

My favorite experiences with Thumbtack have been all of the amazing wedding proposals I’ve had the opportunity to shoot. I love working with couples. Helping a guy plan his marriage proposal for his girlfriend is a very exciting and rewarding experience. I’ve met exceptional couples who were a pleasure to photograph. I walk away from my shoots with a huge grin and thank my lucky stars that my job is to share, capture, and create happy experiences.

 

We’re glad we can be a part of those happy experiences too! Thank you for joining Thumbtack community, Ash, we’re lucky to have someone on board who is so caring and attentive to the needs of their clients. 

  • Ikea Man

    I love the fact that you seek to capture love and music! You’re passion is both evident and inspiring to other Thumbtack professionals like myself. Sending nothing but positive energy your way as you continue to do awesome things!

  • ASH FOX

    Thank you IkeaMan! That means a lot to me!

    - ASH FOX

  • http://www.facebook.com/JSuyamaSan Justin Suyama

    Hi Ash, I’m glad Thumbtack is working for you. As it is, I don’t consider myself a “commodity” photographer but more of a boutique and/or specialist (not saying you are either). Thus I ALWAYS contact people with the “need more info” whereas my competition maybe just puts out their price. In my area I’ve seen headshot photographers (surely not business owners) offering to do headshots for $40. Of course I don’t compete with that pricing point, but I find services like Thumbtack a waste of money since they switched over to a “pay per quote” system instead of the unlimited communication system and monthly fee (which was great). Are you running into the same issues using Thumbtack? Do you respond to requests for work with a set price or do you ask questions of your potential client? I always ask because 9/10ths of the time the requests are so generic that I couldn’t possibly give a good estimate without getting more info. Thanks!