This was from a beautiful series of photos I prepared for Ashley's closed-casket memorial service, after she was tragically hit by a train.

No. Haha, Ashley is still very much alive, and currently living in Australia, exploring the wonders of the Outback. Whether she is still single and looking for love, however, I do not know, but I'm sure she is still quite a catch!

It took a few hundred failed attempts to get the vibe of this photo just right, and that's even after we abandoned my original idea. When I originally pitched the concept to her, I had wanted her to be tied up on these train tracks, with a gag in her mouth. I was hoping to create something reminiscent of the old, silent films from the 1920s.

However, one of Ashley's many majors in college was Philosophy, so nothing gets past her, especially not on a conceptual level. She realized immediately that for a dating profile pic, the underlying message in such a photo would be that she inherently needed rescuing. That she was looking for a big strong man to come and untie her. Personally, I didn't see what the problem was with that, but we eventually said goodbye to that idea in favor of something less needy.

Next, we perused another of my misguided ideas, and spent an overlong amount of time dragging my piano bench and other pieces of furniture out to these train tracks. As we were setting up the shot, even before I took a single photo, it became apparent that this was a bad idea. What was the story here? Where did the furniture come from, how did she get it here? Oh no! Does she maybe need help moving? Is that what this is?! Guys hate helping people move, especially people they've just met. Plus, all my furniture looks like it would be heavy and difficult to move, because it is, so we abandoned that idea, too.

We eventually landed on something much lower in concept, but higher in sincerity, with Ashley just ambling about lightheartedly on the tracks. She looks wholesome but flirtatious, playful but classy. In short, we were able to capture a great distillation of Ashley's genuine personality.

What is she doing on those train tracks? I don't know. Why don't you message her and find out?!

Take your time, though, it's not like she's tied up...

Yet.

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See more of my photography with Ashley HERE and HERE!