Ashley Off Shore, Pt. 9
Added 2016-05-23 17:59:07 +0000 UTCI was learning quickly that Ashley, though sweet and well-intentioned, definitely liked to complain about things. I'm a pretty easy-going and patient person, so I would listen to her concerns, try my best to reassure her that her fears were unjustified, or eventually would get frustrated and say in a stern manner "Just let me shoot a couple and trust me and I'll show you exactly what I'm getting," even though that was already my policy.
This shoot was the start of what became a somewhat adversarial relationship she created with me for our next several shoots. She'd fight me on ideas, trying to negate 90% of what I'd want, then, upon relenting and trying it out, being so proud and giddy with the end results that I'd force her to apologize in a light, sarcastic manner.
It took over a year before she trusted me enough to come to my house alone. She tried to reaffirm that it was simply because of her nervousness in life, not a distrust of me. It may have taken a long while, but she finally matured to a level where she began to trust herself enough to take chances and be a bit more free with herself.
You might ask why I stuck with shooting her through all the frustrations she caused me. Sure, she's lovely, but honestly, deep down, I knew I could help her get out of her own way, since clearly no one else in her life was showing her how to do it.
My vindication came after another year or so when she sent me several text messages thanking me for all the years of advice and challenges, apologizing for being so difficult at times, and saying that I'd truly helped her overcome several mental blocks. It is times like that when I feel sincerely accomplished.
