Sweetwater Blooms Photography

Sweetwater Blooms Photography It's about more than just surviving. It's about blooming, even in murky waters. I want to capture your journey.

Couldn’t be more grateful to have had the opportunity to meet these incredible young adults. Thank you for trusting me t...
04/15/2026

Couldn’t be more grateful to have had the opportunity to meet these incredible young adults. Thank you for trusting me to capture this chapter of your story. Wishing you all the best as you step into your collegiate adventures 🤍

Sweetwater Blooms Photography is offering **Bloom Mini Sessions** to celebrate new beginnings and beautiful moments.Thes...
03/05/2026

Sweetwater Blooms Photography is offering **Bloom Mini Sessions** to celebrate new beginnings and beautiful moments.

These sessions are perfect for couples, families, individuals, or anyone wanting updated photos without committing to a full session.

✨ **Mini Session Details**
• $100
• 20 minute session
• 10 fully edited images
• Online gallery for download
• Option to purchase additional images

Whether you're celebrating a milestone, capturing a season of life, or simply want to exist in a photo for once — this is for you.

📅 Limited spots available
📍 Location: up for discussion! 🥰

Message me to reserve your time slot.

Because healing deserves to be seen. 🌿

A little over a month ago, I had the privilege of photographing a truly special evening for Lightmhk.Lightmhk works to s...
03/05/2026

A little over a month ago, I had the privilege of photographing a truly special evening for Lightmhk.

Lightmhk works to support mental health professionals and programs throughout the Greater Manhattan area by helping cover patient care costs, strengthening services, and promoting mental health awareness in our community.

When I first reached out to them, my intention was simply to donate a photography session for their cause. Instead, they invited me to attend their masquerade gala and capture the evening—and I am so grateful they did.

Being behind the camera that night was an incredible experience. I was able to witness so many moments of kindness, joy, and community. Some of my favorite moments included watching the famous K-State Dance Queens (Gerry and Janice) light up the dance floor, seeing couples help each other tie on their masquerade masks, and watching people show up in such big ways to support their neighbors. I even had the chance to meet Willie the Wildcat, which made the night even more fun.

Another beautiful part of the evening was the auction. Every item had been donated and supported by local small businesses, and it was amazing to see the creativity and thoughtfulness that went into each contribution. It was a powerful reminder of how strong a community can be when people come together for a shared purpose.

As much as I loved documenting the night, some of the best moments happened when I put the camera down and had the chance to talk with guests and hear why this mission matters to them.

Mental health advocacy is something that is very near and dear to my heart. I am a strong supporter of therapy and all things related to mental wellness, so being part of an event that raised so much support for such an important mission was an absolute honor.

Thank you to everyone who made the evening possible and to those who continue working every day to make mental health care more accessible in our community.

If mental health advocacy holds a place in your heart like it does in mine, I encourage you to take a moment to visit the Lightmhk page and learn more about the work they’re doing to support our community.

Because healing deserves to be seen.

While I may not have new photos to share today, I do have an important story—one that helps explain why I do what I do.T...
02/07/2026

While I may not have new photos to share today, I do have an important story—one that helps explain why I do what I do.

Trigger Warning: Su***de

A couple of years ago, on this very day, I received some of the worst news a person can get. An ex—and a dear friend—decided that one day of being 29 was long enough.

I won’t pretend our relationship was easy. It was heavy. Late-night FaceTimes where I begged him to put the gun down. Middle-of-the-night emergency calls after reckless decisions. Days spent wondering if he was just taking a depression nap—or if this was the day he followed through.

The truth is, we were both at rock bottom, and for a long time, we survived there together. But no matter how much love exists, you can’t pull someone up when you’re slipping too.

In the time since his death—and since our argument just days before it—I’ve learned things that were painful but necessary. I’ve learned that having boundaries does not make me a bad person. That I am not responsible for someone else’s choices. That loving someone deeply does not mean sacrificing yourself entirely.

And I’ve learned that I love as hard as I can. That has to be enough.

So if you’re struggling—whether with your own thoughts, or with the loss or decisions of someone you love—please hear this: it can get better. Your story matters. It is worth telling. And the person who tells it best is you. Don’t leave it to someone else.

Because healing deserves to be seen.

If you or someone you love is struggling, help is available:

988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.)
Call or text 988, or chat via 988lifeline.org
Available 24/7, free, and confidential

Crisis Text Line
Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor

For survivors of su***de loss:
• Alliance of Hope – allianceofhope.org
• American Foundation for Su***de Prevention – afsp.org
• Su***de & Crisis Lifeline (support for loss survivors) – 988lifeline.org/help-yourself/loss-survivors

If you’re outside the U.S., you can find international helplines at findahelpline.com.

Rhett is almost seven.If you’ve ever met him, you know he carries a depth that can’t always be put into words. He is com...
01/26/2026

Rhett is almost seven.

If you’ve ever met him, you know he carries a depth that can’t always be put into words. He is complex and tender, thoughtful and determined, with a goodness that shows up in everything he does. When Rhett tries, he gives all of himself. He always has. Not because it’s easy—but because he has spent his life learning how to keep going when things don’t come easily.

His speech disability was recognized early. By nine months old, there was no babbling, no baby talk—only cries. Early intervention followed, and with it, years of speech therapy. Pictures. Sign language. Magnets. Every tool we could find to help him be heard. For a long time, we lived in the space between what he wanted to say and what the world could understand. We learned patience there. We learned how to listen differently.

Watching Rhett navigate friendships has been one of the hardest parts. There were years when other children noticed his differences before they noticed his heart. Years when he cried because he felt out of step. Recently, he told me he has “always been jealous because they can talk better.” He said it’s frustrating when people don’t understand him, and that sometimes it makes him angry. There is a quiet kind of grief in watching your child try so hard and still question if they are enough.

And yet—he is.

Rhett is at the top of his class in math. He is recognized again and again for his work ethic, his focus, his dedication. When he understands something that a classmate doesn’t, he sits beside them and helps them through it. During a recent classroom interview, Rhett and I both cried as his peers spoke about who he is. Six- and seven-year-olds, seeing clearly. Naming his kindness. His effort. His heart. He is the kind of person who makes the people around him better.

So while my son may need extra time with words, and while our days sometimes require more patience and softer pauses, he is the most remarkable human I know. His journey has never been easy—and it will continue to ask a lot of him.

But this is what I know to be true:
Healing deserves to be seen.
Effort deserves to be honored.
And growth, even when it’s quiet, is still growth.

It’s a good thing my sweet boy has never been afraid of a challenge.

Snow days led to me editing some extras from another photoshoot to stay warm. Here’s to heated blankets and hand warmers...
01/25/2026

Snow days led to me editing some extras from another photoshoot to stay warm.

Here’s to heated blankets and hand warmers until it’s nice enough to get outside again 🙌🏻

Hashimotos. A lifelong autoimmune disease that can’t even be treated until it’s too late. You can experience major weigh...
01/19/2026

Hashimotos. A lifelong autoimmune disease that can’t even be treated until it’s too late. You can experience major weight gain, aching joints, insomnia, imbalanced hormone levels, and more.

My sister was diagnosed fall of 2025 after a long 8 months of major bodily changes and countless doctors’ appointments with zero answers. Watching her fall apart over the last year has been devastating. I think she would agree that getting diagnosed with something incurable didn’t make anyone feel any better. Before I tell you her side of the story, I want you to understand that she has taken every single step with such bravery. Sometimes she took the steps crying, maybe she stomped and slammed a door behind her, but she took the damn step. Regardless of her diagnosis, Jaelyn is a force to be reckoned with.

This all really started in January of 2025. The first appointment was made because of excruciating eye pain. As she would explain it, “it feels like microneedles constantly digging into my eyes”. She has light sensitivity so intense that she often wears sunglasses indoors. The pressure makes her eyes feel like they might pop out of her head. None of us can truly imagine what she feels daily, but the most devastating part of her eye pain is the fact that she has lost the ability to do most things. She can’t even read a book, and it makes her job difficult. So, when you see the final photo, please know that while she is tired of hurting, she wants to dig her eyes out so they can’t keep her from living her life anymore.

Jaelyn has been to at least 2 dozen doctors’ appointments in the last year. She has been disregarded and mistreated by the very people who vowed to heal the sick. Finding a doctor who was willing to run the right tests and listen was not as easy as it should have been. The relief of being heard was short-lived when she finally got her diagnosis. The main problem was the fact that all her symptoms were pre-hashimotos. This led to the terrifying realization that if changes weren’t made, her thyroid dying was going to kill her. It was time to do everything we could to give her thyroid (and mind) a fighting chance.

3.5 months ago, she got sober. Sober from all the foods and ingredients that were making her sick. We started the Auto Immune Protocol (AIP) diet. It is a crazy restrictive lifestyle change that removes 90% of our dietary options. Learning to cook and maintain a healthy diet has been hard but rewarding. Finding the time to make 3 meals a day, every day, feels impossible. It’s an experience that makes you feel lonely when you can no longer enjoy all the things everyone else in your life does.

Sadly, there is no “out of the woods” for her, and yet Jae has become quite good at surviving where she is planted. She has lost over 30 lbs. She is going to the gym. She pushes herself everyday.

Don’t forget that it’s ok if your steps aren’t perfect. Whether your legs are shaky or you’re running, your journey is your own. Progress is beautiful and you too can achieve that goal today.

Peace and Love,
Ashley and Jaelyn

Figured I’d leave these here so everyone else could enjoy his cute face. Rhett is absolutely the best little model 🥰Shot...
01/11/2026

Figured I’d leave these here so everyone else could enjoy his cute face. Rhett is absolutely the best little model 🥰

Shot at the one and only Dare to Dream studio 💕

Sweetwater Blooms.Sweetwater, CO was more than just a town my mother, sister, and I briefly stayed in. I was 11. Life wa...
01/07/2026

Sweetwater Blooms.

Sweetwater, CO was more than just a town my mother, sister, and I briefly stayed in. I was 11. Life wasn't what any person would want it to be. We needed a place to escape to, a refuge. After 3 years, it was time to pack our bags and run away from the abuse we endured from my ex (now deceased) step-dad. Back then, every fiber of my being knew we had to get away from him, but even mature adults struggle with being thrown into the unknown. As a child, I was lost in almost every way.

My mom worked harder than most to give us what we had. Even if it wasn't much. At the time, it probably looked like we were at rock bottom but we were really just at ground zero. We were being given an opportunity to breathe after a rough and rocky period in our lives. Looking back fondly on our time in Sweetwater has always been something we collectively shared.

Have you ever thought about what it was like for a flower to shake off the last spring frost and feel the sun again after a long hard winter? That's what that period of our story felt like. I want the world to know how it feels to see the sun again. This short moment in our history is what created the core of who I am and who I want to be for others. I want you to know that like the lotus flower, you can also bloom in murky waters. You can be the beauty and strength you want to see in the world.

As we roll down this road, you will learn a lot about me. You probably won't feel very comfortable with some of the things you learn. I also want to learn about the parts of your past that make other people feel uneasy. Together, we will tell everyone your story. The version of it that doesn't cower when it's brought to the light.

On a very important side note, the Derby fire quickly burned through 5,453 acres of land near Sweetwater in August of last year. Many tears were shed as we thought our little piece of heaven was going to be lost. Though the universe was the one who protected her, I want to thank federal, state, and local resources who were ready to step in had things turned for the worst.

Peace and love,
Ashley

Hello to my wonderful friends and family!While this step may come as a surprise to some, this decision has taken a good ...
01/06/2026

Hello to my wonderful friends and family!

While this step may come as a surprise to some, this decision has taken a good bit of time and consideration. For those who have been a part of my life since childhood, you would remember me running around with a small blue camera. From there, the cameras have only grown.

In 2019 I had the pleasure of meeting Brianne. She owns Dare to Dream Photography here in Junction. Not only did she quickly become family, she became my mentor. Both professionally and emotionally. We have spent the last (almost) 7 years growing together. Her love, passion, and lessons have pushed me to start this new journey.

I present to you, Sweetwater Blooms Photography. While I will explain the background more in a future post, let's talk about what I want to achieve together. Life is not always a good time. I understand more than most what it feels like to drag yourself out of a dark place. I want to capture the version of you that crawled your way out. I want the world to see your scars (external and internal) and know your story. Together, we can bring your narrative, your hardships, your blossoming to life.

I am still learning. I will always be looking for opportunities to grow. So if you have a story you want to tell, let's get together and make it happen.

Love and Peace,
Ashley

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Junction City, KS
66441

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