Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Rouse.
Hi Ash, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I initially picked up photography as a hobby back in 2019 while I was still working as an EMT. I had modeled for one of my friends while she was practicing her own newfound camera skills, and had so much fun doing it that I wanted to get my own camera to experience what it feels like to be on the other side. In October of that year I bought myself a Canon T6 Rebel and a couple of kit lenses as an early 19th birthday gift and haven’t looked back since. We all know what happened in March 2020. Those series of events deeply affected me and where I stood on staying in medicine to reach my goal of becoming a neurosurgeon. I dropped out of community college as a Biology major and enrolled a year later at the Fashion Institute of Technology for Photography and Related Media. Making that decision reawakened my passion for the visual arts that I had been rejecting for so long to appease my elders. Over those four years, I developed my work around my chosen family and the rest of the LGBTQ+ community’s intricacies. Being transmasculine and medically transitioning during my time at FIT made me feel freer than ever before — all that’s left is to immortalize what that freedom looks like. Now, I’ve been showcased nine times at six galleries including The Museum at FIT, PAC Studio + Gallery, and even had a semi-permanent exhibition space at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Becoming a photographer was easy — I just bought a refurbished entry-level DSLR kit online. Becoming a photographer that gets paid for their work and getting that work shown in public spaces was the hard part. I didn’t come into this field with people skills and experienced immense anxiety surrounding the possibility of participating in new things that would have put me in front of a number of unfamiliar people who had these high expectations for me. Being a part of critiques in class, joining groups with likeminded artists, and experiencing the wins and losses firsthand as a small business owner taught me how to decipher what I am and am not ready for, and how much those efforts are worth.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I mainly create identity-based works with digital photography and short films as my mediums. My short films are exaggerated stories of moments I’ve experienced/witnessed in real life with a twist of deadpan humor. In my photography, I’m best known for making my stills feel alive through the liberal use of vibrant colors, how I choose to portray types of intimacy (platonic, romantic, and sensual), and larger-than-life frame-filling action. I specialize in digital composites, using multiple photographs and combining bits and pieces until I reach my desired outcome. It’s my ultimate “I’ll fix it in post” strategy. One of the things I’m most proud of is that AI literally cannot do what I do. Even if you fed it the same images I’m using to put together a composite, it will never develop the eye or tastes required to know when, how, where, and why to cut out a particular portion and layer it with another image’s portion. It can’t deliberately make it look unreal when it needs to be unreal, and vice versa. My most complex composite is 40 unique photographs that took me a total of 28 hours to put together into something absolutely magnificent that everyone mistakes for a painting.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
When you’re networking, look to surround yourself with people who are of a similar skill level as you first. You and your group get to solve new problems together and celebrate each other’s successes, building each other up with confidence and getting the privilege to watch a friend start from the bottom and rise to the top. As you and your friends are reaching new heights, the referrals will start pouring in. Creatives need each other to get around because contrary to popular belief, word of mouth is how successful artists get their opportunities. Being an active participant in your community will get you further than trying to latch on to people who already did their time as an emerging artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.photografwee.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/photografwee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Photografwee
