About
Hi! I’m Kathy Ashton, professional photographer, Army vet, wife, mother, grandmother, people lover!
The story of my story-telling photography.
My fascination with creating imagery began as a kid…..
Although Full of the Glory Photography is a relatively new business, the passion for creating was born into me more than 60 years ago. From my earliest finger paintings in grade school it was apparent that God had given me a creative spirit, a talent for art. I saw things in ways that a lot of children my age didn’t. Some people say I was born with an “old soul.” I can always remember feeling and sensing my connectedness to the world around me. My active imagination, labeled “day-dreaming” by some of my early teachers, was a constant source of entertainment and escape when things got a little too hard in life. I felt and I saw things and understood things beyond my age. As I grew, my talent for art grew with me.
In high school, my lackluster accomplishments in the three “R’s”were balanced by my stellar accomplishments in art classes, culminating with an honorable mention in the National Art Honor Society for a picture I created of my cat. At the time of graduation, it was clear to me that going into a field in art wasn’t the most lucrative proposition. I worked odd jobs for several years out of high school but finally wound up working at a recording studio in St. Louis, MO. There, I became involved in the type of creative work I had hoped to do. Unfortunately for me, the business folded after a couple of years.
With no money to speak of and no prospects on the horizon, I decided to join the military. So in March of 1985, I took the oath and joined the Army with the hopes of being trained to become a broadcast journalist. But like most recruits, I wasn’t able to get the job I wanted and decided to settle on plain old Journalist/Public Affairs Specialist. It was here that I was introduced to photography. This was before the digital age and I learned photography the journalistic way….take your photos to tell a story. My skills were acquired on 35mm film, using natural light, black and white film, and I developed my photos in a dark room.
I was in the Army for three years, then got out and followed my husband, who was also in the Army, all over the world. I had two children and lived on three continents but no matter where I went, my love for photography went with me. I spent the next 30 years as a wife and mother and hobby photographer, always yearning to turn my passion for photography into a profession. I entered and won competitions for the work I did. But always, I wanted more. Unfortunately, time and circumstance prevented me from doing the thing that I truly loved, until four years ago….
With my children grown and beginning families of their own, I found myself rudderless, set adrift in my new life with no idea where God would lead me. The life I had known suddenly changed. I had to reorient myself to life on my own. With an abundance of time on my hands, I felt as if though, if ever there was a time to start my studio, it was now. Thankfully, there are no age limits or expiration dates for dreams! Now. Was. The. Time. So in February of 2019, at age 59, I embarked upon the dream of my lifetime and Full of the Glory Photography was born!
Since then, we have continued to grow into a studio that can provide photos for most any event. You can rely on us to provide you with amazing photos in our unique style. Our passion is to tell your story and the story of your family in every photo we take.
Talk to us about what you have in mind and we can create a masterpiece together. To do so, fill out the information form on the Contact Page and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. But please be patient and allow us up to 24 hours to respond since we haven’t quit our day job yet!
